ThinkWiFi, a trailblazer in providing free wireless internet access to underserved communities in South Africa, has rebranded itself as Think Digital Media, marking a transformative leap into the realm of digital media.
This evolution is fuelled by strategic investments from Myriad Capital and NetNineNine, propelling Think Digital Media towards becoming a pioneer in the digital infrastructure and business enablement space.
Think Digital Media’s business model centres around providing brands with its digital ThinkZone advertising platform that allows immersive user engagement in the fast growing informal market.
The platform both empowers disadvantaged and underserved communities by offering free Wifi access to the internet via their mobile phones.
Users seamlessly connect and extend their connectivity by watching short, relevant advertisements. This creates a unique opportunity for advertisers to reach a vast and diverse audience on the ever popular mobile platform.
The business already serves ads to a million users per month on its ThinkZone platform with click-through rates of more than 28% – well above the industry average of 1.9%. Viewability is more than 90%.
“The strategic investments from Myriad Capital and NetNineNine and our rebranding as Think Digital Media mark a significant milestone in our journey to extend our value proposition to other commercial partners. We do this through our offer of brand-safe, measurable access to the traditional ‘Kazi economy’ while providing equitable access to the internet for everyone,”
says Janine Rebelo, CEO of Think Digital Media.
Strategic Investments and Rebranding
“Our vision is to become the largest ‘Out of Home’ digital platform in the informal market while bridging the digital divide, offering pathways for education, job searches, and employment while fostering digital awareness,”
Rebelo adds.
Integration with Google’s global digital advertising management application adds automation and analytics to Think Digital Media’s national ad serving platform, which delivers over 13 million monthly ad impressions to more than one million monthly users across seven South African provinces.
Major corporate advertisers in the retail, banking and telecommunications have already had notable success on the platform, because of the opportunity it provides audience engagement.
Social Impact, Community Building and Expansion
Born from Google’s ‘next billion users’ initiative, Think Digital Media has established over 430 free wireless internet connectivity venues in underserved and informal communities across multiple provinces.
Think Digital Media has also extended its transformative model through collaborations with commercial entities, particularly in bustling shopping malls.
This strategic move aims to enhance connectivity; elevate shoppers’ experiences and carve out a unique advertising platform within additional market segments.
Accessing the elusive Kazi economy
Collaboration with Open Fibre, a focused fibre to the business fibre network operator, and NetNineNine positions Think Digital Media at the forefront of technology-driven progress. These partnerships enable Think Digital Media to monetize wireless internet access through its digital media platform, revolutionizing the landscape of digital advertising and connectivity.
“We believe our unique model can bridge the digital divide, by allowing people to access the internet at no cost, while providing advertisers with a powerful platform to authentically engage with diverse audiences,”
Rebelo concludes.
