The data center market is absolutely massive with over 10,978 data centers worldwide and growing steadily. The industry is dominated by three major players (Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform) who together hold a commanding 66% share of the global cloud infrastructure market.

Digitization is a key enabler of societal and economic progress, but the stark reality in Poland was that only 1 in 10 businesses were satisfied with their digital maturity. So, in response to growing demand for high-performance computing and fast and reliable access to cloud services, Microsoft Azure was looking to open a state-of-the-art Polish cloud region. But in a fiercely competitive market where differentiation between major players is limited, it faced a significant challenge: how to increase awareness in-market for the opening of its first datacenter region in Poland.

In this episode, Corey Sanders finds himself in the small, but rapidly changing landscape of Malaysia. From its tallest urban areas to rural villages and beloved kampongs; from e-commerce to education to healthcare, Malaysia has embraced digital acceleration while it ensures growth remains collective and that technology benefits everyone, not just the city centers.

Over breakfast, Corey meets with local cohost, Datin Sharifa Shereeta Syed Sheh. Together, they’ll explore Malaysia’s Cloud Culture. First, Corey delves in the role of sustainability with one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world — Petronas. Meanwhile, Datin gets down to earth with Chop Cheong Bee to see how e-farming can ensure food security nationwide. Back in Kuala Lumpur, Corey discovers Bersama Malaysia’s efforts to equip citizens with the digital skills needed for the country’s future. As the episode wraps, Corey and Sharifa reconnect over the country’s most pungent exports — durian.

Cloud Cultures surpassed our benchmarks and expectations, delivering exceptional outcomes across KPIs. With over 1M views and counting, the series achieved remarkable reach, surpassing other content on the Microsoft YouTube channel by +533%.

Engagement metrics outperformed our expectations , with a remarkable view-through rate +123% above benchmarks and a 69.27% view-through-rate — indicating high relevance and interest in the content to our BDM and ITDM audiences. Emails containing Cloud Cultures content exhibited high content relevance and interest as well, with a 37% open rate, surpassing benchmarks by 11.6%.

One of our primary objectives for the campaign was to connect with audiences in-market. Paid media investment was limited to US only, so all local exposure and engagement gained was completely organic. The overwhelmingly positive brand perception reflected in the comments from local audiences further reinforces the series' effectiveness and indicates strong resonance and relevance with audiences in targeted regions.