How could local telco Maxis use the power of digital to rally Malaysians together to support each other and help out in the nation’s fight against COVID-19, while we’re forced to stay in?

What if the digital music industry’s model could be hacked to not only raise hope, but also generate funding to fuel our nation’s battle against the pandemic? What if the simple act of pressing play can help raise money (and hope) to fight COVID-19, even while you’re at home?

We kickstarted a national #KitaSapotKita (We Support Each Other) movement by launchung the music anthem, ‘Make It Through’ online, with revenue from every play, stream and download across major platforms earned "royalties" for the nation's fight against COVID-19.

We saw an opportunity in music, as people turned to songs during the pandemic to lift our spirits. Listenership of music on YouTube and streaming platforms like Spotify were an all-time high. But we didn’t want to just stop at giving free data for music or discounted subscriptions.

The #KitaSapotKita anthem was produced and performed by multiple AIM (Malaysian Grammy Awards) winner Faizal Tahir and US Billboard Heatseekers Chart-topper Zee Avi, and featured several local artists and COVID-19 frontliners.

Revenue from every YouTube view, Spotify, Apple Music, JOOX and KKBOX stream and Caller Ringtone download went towards the National Welfare Foundation’s COVID-19 fund. The song even inspired Malaysians to rally together to create a “made by Malaysians” version of the music video, generating another revenue stream for the cause.

More importantly, it rallied Malaysians together under the #KitaSapotKita banner, as Malaysians, including COVID-19 frontliners, influencers and business owners came together to share tips, entertain, inspire and support one another

In just 3 weeks, our campaign saw 9.2 million views, 491,000 social engagements, 31,000 hours of watch time, leading to countless funds raised for the cause.

More importantly, the anthem successfully launched the #KitaSapotKita movement, which saw: 1,000 minutes of content from Malaysians inspiring each other from home, 100,000 minutes watched of livestreams from Malaysians supporting one another, 3.4 million views on TikTok of challenges, tips and tricks done by Malaysians under the #KitaSapotKita banner.

Even local businesses joined the movement (all organic, unpaid by Maxis), as they continue to use the #KitaSapotKita banner to encourage Malaysians to support small local businesses.

Proof that even something as small as hitting play can make a difference and fuel a nation.