Orange Belgium’s b-brand hey! strengthens its co-creation strategy through innovative partnerships with Belgian tech talents

The power of co-creation

Co-creation is deeply rooted in the DNA of hey!, with an active community and dynamic local partnerships. hey! is designed to meet the needs of ultra-connected customers whose lives are completely digitally oriented. Students today are more online than other generations have ever been. This makes them the perfect sounding board to uncover the needs and expectations of hey!’s target audience. A hackathon with students is an excellent way for hey! to co-create new ways of improving the brand's offerings and services to better meet the needs of its customers. Hey! believes in working with students as this gives an honest outside view of the brand and a wealth of new ideas for communication.

Extended partnership with EPHEC: hackathon grows in size

Last April, hey! took a major step forward by organizing its first hackathon with a dozen volunteer e-business students at EPHEC. This first partnership has been highly beneficial for both parties. It enables students to communicate with professionals in the field and put into practice the skills they have acquired so far, as well as understanding the challenges and opportunities facing companies in a real working environment.

hey! has now secured the case of second-year e-business students and is benefiting from new ideas from more than 250 students.

Following the success of the first hackathon, hey! and EPHEC also decided to run a second edition with 8 students. This will be an opportunity for them to gain the experience of a marketing agency with a specific objective and KPIs.

Partnership with BeCode: data at the heart of hey!’s strategy

hey! is delighted to announce its partnership with BeCode, already a well-established partner of Orange Belgium thanks to the Orange Digital Center. Working with a group of 12 data analysts in BeCode’s Ghent branch, the project will focus on the hey! prospect database. The aim is to provide Orange Belgium's b-brand with valuable information to refine its customer-focused strategy by better understanding their profile and expectations.

Partnership with Thomas More: meeting the needs of international customers

hey! joins forces with Thomas More, a renowned media school reaching out to international communication and media students to develop a concept for this niche target group. During the hackathon, students will have to work on and develop an awareness and performance campaign with a focus on international students.

This year, the students selected for the second EPHEC hackathon will also be present at the presentation of the plan drawn up by 18 Thomas More students, as they will be responsible for implementing the campaign the following week. In this way, a dynamic inter-school and bilingual collaboration is taking shape thanks to this co-creation project.

Christophe Dujardin, Chief Consumer Officer of Orange Belgium states: "Our hey! brand is just one example of Orange Belgium going all out when it comes to innovation. And innovation sometimes means teaming up with partners that add value to your business. That is why hey! is proud to partner with BeCode, Thomas More and EPHEC, organizations full of talented people honing their skills to make a difference. Instead of using traditional tactics and assuming what our target audience likes, we decide to meet our audience in person. The hackathon not only provides hey! with unique insights, but the talents also learn all the ins and outs, challenges and advantages of working for a large company like Orange Belgium.”