Nowadays

ZONG ADVERTISING-----Creative OR Deceptive Now-a-days, the changing consumer types and consumer behaviors causes to be more creative in advertising. To be different, to reach the target audiences with effective messages pointed out the need of creative strategic studies. The objective of this studies is to reach the target audiences with the most different and effective way. Due to this reason, the ethics part of advertisements can be missed. So that the most important dilemma of advertising is creativity and ethics. This case is based on some criteria that has used content analysis to understand the ethical point of view of creative advertisements. With this study creativity strategies used as given in the literature and the ethical parts and characteristics are searched in zong advertisements. Zong has allegedly copied the theme and the content of a UK telecom company’s AD. This actually disappointed me, keeping in view the popularity that the Zong AD had gained since its launch. Zong bouncing out from China mobile had been doing pretty well as far as TV and print advertising was concerned. Zong is continousy advertising its Unlimited SMS package on its website and in other media. But there is a fun associated with it that “The Daily limit for SMS is 500 per day per customer” Is this the meaning of Unlimited? Actually not only this but Zong users are actually being charged wrongly for this SMS usage

So when Zong launched a lot of people made a mockery out of the fact that they only had an inhouse advertising department and were not, infact, working with agencies. It was almost like people in denial as employees of ad agencies repeatedly judged, analyzed and mocked every small mistake in their early times. But the telco seems to be laughing the last laugh along with the rest of the nation now as their delightfully fresh commercials become the talk of the town, causing them to gain 1 million new customers in the first 4 days. following them now Zong and Ufone have increased help line call rates too. The bad thing is that none of these companies notified their customers in advance about this price increase, neither by print/electronic advertisements nor the SMS. It is interesting to note that cellular companies can easily afford to send KFC/McDonald’s promotion offers via SMS but not a notification about sudden increase in call rates.

I wrote about the surge in SMS usage in Pakistan and mentioned that some of these packages have a catch. Zong has been advertising its Unlimited SMS package. On the Zong site, just after making the unlimited SMS announcement, there is this condition: The Daily limit for SMS is 500 per day per customer.

Zong, make up your mind before you start advertising with the U word. The word Unlimited has been used quite often, for example by Telenor as discussed here. Another example: Unlimited data plan, limit 2GB. Can you get away with claiming anything in the ads if you add a fine print? I understand that fair use policy applies and there has been abuse of SMS for spam and all. But deceptive marketing is becoming a trend and with all this people will start associating telecom with tricks and deception. We need to challenge and change this way of thinking. Call it what it is. Send hundreds of SMS per day for Rs.3. Up to 500. Still remains a great deal! ZONG gives you Unlimited Lately, Zong’s major elements of campaign were lunchtime offer; however, they are these days putting their focus on 12 Anay Package. Zong continuously rotates its focus on different services, but intensity is decreasing with time, and may not leave a lasting impression. Time has come, where Zong should focus on its network and should bring forward some advertisements relating to network coverage as well. Also they should bring forward at least one new package to keep it live on TVCs.

And now Zong feeling the heat and joining the club with 8 Anay per Call offer. Two things are seen common amongst all cellular companies; they are attacking each other…and at the same time deceiving their customers through un-clear advertising campaigns and claiming their packages as best one. Let’s look at the print ad and try to solve the equation, regarding what actually the pricing would be for this package….

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Regular Rate: 75 Paisa per 30 Second FnF Number: 50 Paisa per 30 Second How to Activate Package: Call 907, an automated voice will guide you through the process (here you will be asked to enter one FnF number)

Check points:

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AD says 40 Paisas for first minute will be charged; for God Sake your pulse rate is 30 second, how can you communicate additional charges per minute? Yes they are charged for first 30 seconds, if you hang the call in 20 seconds that will cost you 50+40=90 paisa + taxes

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You can select only one FnF number from any cellular network, while the advertisement clearly stats “Koi bhi Number, Koi bhi Network, Sirf 50 Paisay per 30 Seconds”. I am not sure how many but at least million customers will be negatively affected by this. FnF number modification: No Information on Print AD, but their website says, Addition/ Modification of FnF will charge you PKR 15 + Tax. How many of Zong customers visit their websites? A 8 x 2 advertisement could be filled with complete information. Only numbers of Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, Warid, and Instaphone can be added for this offer, means you can’t add Zong Numbers….

I just called this “Network for Consumer Protection”, and asked them if there is any good way to bug these cellular companies for ambiguous un-ethical advertisements, but the lady there told that there is no advertising law in Pakistan. She confirmed that there are some code of conduct saved by PEMRA or PTV but that’s scattered. I was shocked to learn that we have no code of conduct for advertising for print media; that’s due to the interest of APNS, that they are more of concerned with the money they are getting from advertisers. I was told that there is a Consumer Protection Court in Rawalpindi, but at the same time, that court is just for the sake of formalities. It does nothing…! See below what is being followed in US

Unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful - Section 12 of the act makes it unlawful to disseminate any false advertisement for “foods, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics.” - Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a). I remember an American parents sued a Washing Machine Manufacturer for not exclusively mentioning that their washing machines are dangerous for children under 7. Their 3 years old kid was killed when he jumped into machine tub. And interestingly, the couple had won the law suite. But tell me where should i go to ask for justice in Pakistan? I am sorry if I am hurting any one, but Pakistan is a jungle not a country, where any one can come and loot you! Bullshit ----------------------Mobile phone subscribers were once again deceived by Chinese Let Zong, when they saw an AD in today’s newspapers which read “Rs. 1 Only”. Now let’s calculate what actually Zong is offering, and let me justify how Zong deceived (lied to) its customers As per Zong’s official website: Handset Price = PKR 499 ZONG SIM Pack = PKR 150 12 months on-net airtime = PKR 2,032.8 (PKR 140 x 12 = 1680 + 352.8 as tax) Advance Tax = PKR 168 Total Deal Price = PKR 2849 So this Rs. 1 handset is going to cost you Rs. 2849 : -) Check Points:

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You cannot buy handset or the SIM alone, means you will have buy the whole package Free Air Time will compass over 12 months, and you can not consume that in a single month, which means you can consume free air time of Rs. 140 in first month and same in second and so on. The built-in on-net airtime worth PKR 1,680 is only for ZONG to ZONG calls, The un-used airtime will not carry forward to next month. For example if a customer uses PKR 110 worth of airtime till month end then remaining PKR 30 worth of airtime will be lost (confiscated). Handset purchased under this deal would be functional with ZONG SIMs only. Other mobile network SIM will not work on this handset. ZONG Handsets comes with six month warranty. Warranty can only be claimed from the customer service center it was purchased from. After 12 months customers will stop getting PKR 140 worth of monthly built-in on-net airtime. The customer can use the handset and the SIM after 12 months by recharging account as per regular procedure.

Conclusion Ufone’s bundle offer of Rs. 999 for Handset and SIM was lot better than of this long term contract and handset that’s actually locked (means you can not use this handset with any other network) Another element that left a bad impression about this handset offer Zong was its advertisement, which says that get a

phone for Rs. 1 only…! and not only this, ad sayz “Mobile Phone Sirf 1 Rs main, 12 Maheenay kay balance kay sath” Now please Zong people us me from where this Handset is of Rs. 1???

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will take severe action against those cellular companies that use deceptive marketing strategies to acquire consumers’ attention by falsely claimed or misleading statements and/or facts. This was communicated to all cellular mobile operators of Pakistan through an official notice sent on August 29, 2008 A high level source from a cellular company told that an official letter was sent to them from PTA which said that authority has been observing that some Cellular companies are engaged in such advertisement campaigns which are misleading for general public and are of deceptive nature in its content. Source confirmed that PTA had already issued warnings to mobile companies, on which telcos paid very little attention and continued their practices to print / or-air such advertisements which enormously increased consumer complaints and questions by the public representatives in the Parliament. According to the Telecommunication Act of Pakistan, protecting consumers’ rights is a function of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, and for the purpose they had been issuing several notices to cellular companies. However, authority has not issued any show-cause notice or fined any cellular company for deceptive marketing as of now. ShareThis Salman Wassay: Price war is indeed hurting everyone. The quest to gain maximum subscribers in shortest possible time has led operators to cut prices repeatedly. The short term strategy at ZONG was to acquire subscribers while not hurting the market by severely under cutting the prices.

Zong pokes fun at other Telecos, and the poor proof reader Zong is a consumer / youth-centric brand from China Mobile that is making waves with their very eye-catching ads, and with the fact that they are pulling people out of Mobilink with full zeal. One of their ads that appeared in print media recently is below:

This ad does a very good job of summarizing the “state of slang and cultural memes among the youth” if you will. But looking closely you find a couple of even more interesting things… e.g. the fact that they are very very subtly poking fun at the taglines of competing telecos - can you guess which ones?

Even more hilarious is this piece right at the bottom:

Yes that is actually part of the ad - poor poor guy. The Zong commercial that has the whole advertising market buzzing, with the young man walking down a path and the scenarios around him keep changing...there is a new twist in the story. This is the write up on YouTube is on the actual Zong commercial, presumably written by a CM Pak employee:

Living up to its resolve to out do itself in advertising with every new campaign, ZonGhas once again developed a TV commercial which is not only unique in terms of the idea but the execution technique used for this commercial has never been seen in the history of advertising in Pakistan. With the launch of this commercial ZonG has made it clear to the industry that it will be taking the competition head on as it is confident that it will be able to out do the competitors very soon! Perhaps this hasn't been seen in the history of Pakistan, but just look at this ad by Dolphin Telecom UK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL1j546F6TU