One of the major mobile phone service providers in Russia, VimpelCom Ltd has signed a 3-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United. The company will be able to use Manchester United players' photos and brand images in its advertising in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

      

The Head of Indochina cluster of VimpelCom has commented that the decision was made based on the popularity of footbal and Manchester United in the mentioned countries. This is supposed to be a mutually benefitial deal, as Manchester United receives significant financial injections, and the Russian mobile network operator makes great savings on advertising in the region.

      

More details of the deal:

      

       The deal will give Devils in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia the chance to watch the team's goals, interviews and news reports amongst other capabilities online and on mobile devices. The figures of the arrangement were not disclosed, but surveys estimate United have 16 million Vietnamese fans.
      

      

Sir Alex Ferguson, commenting on this arrangement, has said:

      

       Manchester United has always been at the forefront of the game off the pitch as well as on it, and this partnership is another example of that. Everyone knows about the passion of our fans in that part of the world and this deal makes it a lot easier for us to keep in touch with them.
      

      

Previously, it was MTS mobile provider that successfully used billboard advertising during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Although the company did not sponsor the event in any way, the experts say that a strong connection was established between the mobile operator and the Olympics. MegaFon, another service provider, has already supported a Hockey League and is one of the sponsors of the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

      

VimpelCom Ltd that owns Beeline network is now following what already appears as a trend among mobile operators in Russia, and that is sport sponsorships. For a long time this kind of advertising was primarily used by car brands, due to a significant overlap of sports fans and car users. Now, however, the mobile service providers have acknowledged that their audiences also go to football and hockey matches, and even travel abroad for sportive events. The sponsorship contract with Manchester United also showcases the growing business ties between Russia, Britain, and South Asia.

      

Source: RBC, United Latest. Image is courtesy of United Latest.

Author: Julia Shuvalova

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