Brands such as Bokomo Weet-Bix, DStv, Vodacom, FNB, Avbob, Iwisa, Selati and Raid are supporting a purpose-driven advertising model that empowers people in underserved communities with free uncapped internet access via ThinkZone wi-fi hotspots. Funded through digital and out of home advertising, these campaigns yield industry performance-driven metrics, as well as positively measured community impact.
Such a relationship with an audience delivers strong customer loyalty, enhanced social licence to operate (SLO), and unlocks countless benefits for all.
Just imagine if everybody had unlimited access to free uncapped public wi-fi? For more than 3.5 million people in South Africa, this is already a reality and, they will wholeheartedly confirm how connecting to the internet has transformed their day to day lives.
Previously, internet connectivity was not a reality for many people in underserved areas. But now, everyone in range of a local ThinkZone hotspot – funded through a purpose driven advertising model – can access unlimited free, uncapped WiFi from their devices any time and enjoy all the benefits it unlocks.
For the man on the street, local businesses, and communities, wi-fi provides access to the digital economy, online education, government e-services, healthcare, news and information, social media, entertainment, finance, plus trade and educational development courses. Making the internet freely available also allows employers to connect to local skills, empowers entrepreneurs with market access and increased awareness, and helps owners grow their small businesses, contributing to economic growth in the community.
Benefits to purpose-driven advertisers
This purpose-driven advertising platform provides advertisers with all the benefits of digital marketing while reaching a previously inaccessible audience and in a direct, measurable, and engaging way while simultaneously reducing socioeconomic inequalities and driving impactful social change.
Brands that drive such positive change by investing in the consumers’ well-being benefit in many ways, including:
- Increased brand loyalty and new customer acquisition
- Uplift in product /service sales
- In-depth demographic and behaviour statistics
- Direct engagement through customers personal devices
- Extended target audience and segment spending power
- Page / Portal Take-Over through branded reward-driven content
- Measured social impact and performance
- Participation in the ‘Kasinomic’1 transformation in informal economies that is currently happening across the country.
Fast-growing trend
With so many benefits, it is not surprising that more brands are turning to purpose- driven advertising.
“Pure transactional value is not enough in the current consumer climate. More than ever before, customers choose to support brands that care about them. The foundation of purpose-driven marketing is a powerful combination of social impact and digital advertising that benefits everyone,” says Janine Rebelo, CEO and Co-Founder of Think WiFi.
“Our model is a great example of advertising with a purpose: giving brands saliency in the township economies, which in turn funds free, uncapped WiFi that uplifts underserved communities and closes the digital divide. Driving digital equality is our core ambition. In this way, we empower communities through tech for good.”
Says Paula Hulley, IAB South Africa CEO: “IAB members, including Think WiFi, incorporate brands, agencies, publishers, specialists and platforms, enabling the identification of relevant growth opportunities and delivery of cross-purpose solutions membership crossing all marketing, media, platforms, ad technology and marketing technology segments. Whether solving for brand safety, viewability or benchmarking online ad spend in South Africa, it is the uniting of all the various industry stakeholders that enable the IAB, and its members, to empower the media and marketing industries to thrive in a digital economy.”
Think WiFi has rolled out more than 320 ThinkZone free wi-fi hotspots across the country and growing, reaching more than 3.5 million South Africans, with live networks in Gauteng, Western Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape.
- Kasinomics: African Informal Economies and the People Who Inhabit Them – Book by GG Alcock
