Overview: Pioneering social networking community Digg was at an important juncture in its growth in early 2009: it was endeavoring to turn the corner on profitability and prove its long-term viability to to investors and the larger business community.  In its arsenal: a new social media advertising model that had the potential to transform how users react to and consume online advertising.

The Challenge:  Launch this new social media advertising model, Digg Ads, into the  advertising, business and tech press in the midst of the worst economic downturn in three generations, and successfully position the platform against highly visible competitors including, Google AdWords, Facebook and Twitter.

The Plan:  The media strategy was focused on emphasizing the unique elements of the platform and the radical departure from these competitive advertising models: essentially, Digg Ads mimic actual “Diggs,” meaning they are highly immersive and embedded in the actual user experience. Further, the platform had a second-price auction model potentially compelling to traditional advertisers. This first stage of media outreach was aimed at getting advertisers engaged; the initial launch showcased early ad trials by Toyota and EA Sports, and included ROI and success metrics that resonated with advertisers, investors and media, specifically a click-through rate of between 2-4% contrasted with the industry average of .1%.

Access leveraged this data to create compelling messaging for Digg executives to use to underscore success metrics and establish credibility with top-tier media, investors, advertisers and the Digg community. We then crafted case studies we brought out into the larger media landscape to generate wider media coverage, underscoring the immersive components of the experience for mainstream outlets, success metrics for advertising trades, and overall engagement and business model evolution for business publications.

Success Metrics:

• Digg sold out the entire Digg Ads inventory from the launch until the end of 2009, tripling the company’s revenue forecast for 2010
• Digg Ads was included and/or featured in more than 50+ articles, garnering 100 million+ impressions in over nine months and included strong message pull through in 100% of the articles