CASE STUDY: How DiGi transformed into a mobile internet service provider

Background
Research from TNS’ “Digital Life” depicted how Malaysians were spending millions of hours online uploading or consuming content. DiGi saw an opportunity to reward the hundreds of thousands of hours of local creativity and ingenuity seen through websites, movements, food reviews, Instagram photos, YouTube videos, blog entries, songs, jokes, and even homemade gossip columns.

Aim
DiGi began the transition from a traditional prepaid calls and SMS telco to a mobile internet service provider last year. It generated a sustained groundswell for DiGi’s new brand positioning of “Internet For All” through several ways, including the DiGi WWWOW Internet for All Awards.

Execution
The DiGi WOWWW Internet for All awards combines triple threat power of broadcast-partner media, internet-partner media and people-powered media. It partnered with the growing content creator community in Malaysia, such as bloggers, webpreneurs, developers, video-makers, online shop owners, photo-uploaders and online newsmakers.

It also worked together with other big brands such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, YouTube, Flickr, Mudah.my (auction site), Lowyat.net (techie forum), Nuffnang (blog community) and Malaysia Airlines. Astro, Hitz.fm and era.fm were the TV and radio partners.

It showcased 16 different internet award categories, and 16 internet brand partners, with category was adopted by a relevant Internet brand partner. Their role was to promote interest and participation in their chosen category using their own media platforms and/or user database, for example “Nuffnang Top Makan Makan Expert” (top food expert), “Google Online Shop of The Year”, “Lowyat.net Fave Tech Head”, “Flickr Picture of the Year”.

As a people’s choice award, participants were expected to canvas for votes through their own videos, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and network of friends and family.

The DiGi WOWWW Internet for All awards also created “online self-promotion 101”, which included a “Vote for Me” buttons, customisable blog badges and tips for how participants can advertise their entry, make promotion videos and canvas the public for votes.

Results
The DiGi WWWOW awards garnered 5,192 nominations and 228,588 votes cast by netizens. Apart from that, the hashtag #digiwwwow was tagged thousands of times, the award name generated 3.14 million results on Google search, and the wwwow.my website recorded over 500,000 visitors and 2.3 million page views.

The awards also generated nearly RM1.5 million in earned media coverage and accelerated DiGi’s difficult brand transition towards an “Internet for All” company.

The DiGi WWWOW Internet for All Awards drive was recently awarded a “Gold” award for the “Best use of digital” category at the Malaysian Media Awards 2012. The immense success for the event has led to the second edition of the awards this year.