Technology & IT | Monday 23 February, 2015 12:55 am |

For the second consecutive year, leading telecommunications operator du has received, by popular vote, the Best Tech Social Media honor at the annual Tbreak Awards, the most prestigious technology and gaming awards in the Middle East held recently at The H Hotel, Dubai.

A people’s choice award, over 2,000 viewers voted for the awards, nominations for which were based on products reviewed by the team at Tbreak.com. This year, the Tbreak Awards judging panel included Abbas Jaffar Ali, Director, Tbreak Media; Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer, Jacky’s Group of Companies; Nadeem Khanzadah, Head OmniChannel Retail, Jumbo Electronics; Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO, Emax; and Nicholas Rego, Group Editor, Tbreak Media.

“We are so proud to have received Tbreak’s much sought-after Best Tech Social Media Award for the second year running,” said Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du. “In today’s ever-evolving digital world, social media plays a pivotal role in helping brands develop and foster strong connections with audiences. At du, we have long understood the importance of adjusting to consumers’ changing needs and specific lifestyle demands. Our social media strategy, which relies heavily on engaging content, aims to further drive consumer interest and influence interaction.”

Earlier this year, du launched a musical video ‘#Narzif’, a riveting online competition especially created to pay homage to the UAE. As part of the contest, du brought together people from multiple nationalities, including Emiratis, by releasing a special video called #Narzif in celebration of the UAE’s 43rd National Day. du encouraged UAE residents to create their own videos and visual interpretations of #Narzif for the chance to win an AED 20,000 prize. More than 11,000 participants submitted entries to the competition!

Abbas Jaffar Ali, Founder, Tbreak said: “du is very active and reactive on all of its social accounts. It's wonderful to see a local company that is so well connected with all its users. I’m quite happy that they won the award this year again."

In recent years, du has orchestrated a slew of pioneering online campaigns – centring on special offers, fun giveaways, and remarkable packages – designed to tap into the power of social media. Thanks to such initiatives, the company has successfully expanded its social media presence across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

du's extensive social media presence covers several popular channels, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/du), Twitter (@dutweets), Instagram (dutweets), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/du) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/theduchannel). Queries posed to du through its social media channels have a response rate of 95%, with posters receiving answers in under 10 minutes.