du’s MNP campaign video gets star power boost from Hussain Al Jasmi

Dubai, UAE, 25 January 2014: With a rich pedigree of innovation that brings the best value to its customers, du has once again demonstrated its forward-thinking approach to customer engagement with its new Mobile Number Portability campaign. Featuring a video starring du’s ambassador, UN ambassador at large and Emirati superstar Hussain Al Jasmi, and directed by Ahmed Nader Galal (‘Fasel wa Na’ood’ (2011), ‘Al Mabrouk’ (2009), amongst others), one of the region’s leading directors. The campaign shows the people of the UAE that du understands how important their number is to their identity – and that it doesn’t have to be lost just because they opt for a solution to better fit their life.

The advert project was supervised by Emirati Adel Al Raees, Director of Communications (Digital Marketing, Entertainment and e-Channels), du, and features the song ‘Rahalt’ from Al Jasmi’s upcoming album, and describes all the happy memories Al Jasmi has had with his numbers, and how he’s happy to take them with him wherever he goes.

“Your number becomes your identity,” said Al Jasmi. “No matter who you are, your friends associate you with your number as much as they do your career or even your appearance. If you lose your number, you could be losing out on a lot of things in your life, which is why I’m so glad I can keep my number on the network of my choice. I believe in the value that du offers and in the value that the company upholds, which is why I fully support changing to du.”

“As our brand ambassador and an icon of modern Emirati culture, Hussain Al Jasmi was the perfect fit for demonstrating how easy it is to keep the number you love while changing to the network that offers better value,” said Al Raees. “It’s especially important to keep your number if you’re a well-known, established professional, no matter what field you’re in; your number is your connection to the world and it’s important that you can take it with you.”

The advert, which was directed by Ahmed Nader Galal, the son of renowned director Nader Galal, was shot by Leo Burnett MENA in around 30 hours spread over 3 days, in various locations across the UAE. Once shooting was complete, the creative team had the tricky task of inserting the animated numbers – inspired by the hit movie ‘Despicable Me’ – that Al Jasmi interacts with. Green mock-ups, the same size and shape as the numbers, were used during filming, which were replaced by the final animation for a seamless, by an international animation production company in Poland.

du started raising awareness of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in November 2013, prior to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s official MNP launch in December 2013. With the launch of MNP in the UAE, mobile users have the option to choose the network of their choice without having to lose their existing number.

About du
We opened for business in 2006. We offer mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses. We also provide carrier services for businesses and satellite up/downlink services for TV broadcasters.

As a rapidly-growing enterprise, we have a team of experts working to enhance and expand our bouquet of service offerings. Our people come from over 60 countries – we mirror the rich cultural diversity of our nation, while being able to serve our customers in a variety of languages.

Over 50% of our senior management team and customer-facing employees are UAE nationals, and we remain committed to providing fulfilling opportunities for quality talent in a cosmopolitan working environment.

By the end of Q3 2013, more than 6.8 million people and over 50,000 businesses have chosen to use our services. In a survey conducted by ARC Chart, we were named the Best Mobile Broadband Network 2012 in the Middle East and Africa region. We also ranked first in MENA’s Standard & Poor/Hawkamah Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Index in 2011.

du is 39.5 percent owned by Emirates Investment Authority, 20.081 percent by Mubadala Development Company PJSC, 19.5 percent by Emirates Communications and Technology LLC and the remaining stake by public shareholders. du is listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and trades under the name ‘du’.