[One Day Ten Thousand Steps One Day Thousand Characters] "Donation Grows as You Walk"... 'BigWalk' Captivating 2040 Generation

Walk More and Complete Missions for Corporate Donations
Rising Interest in Contactless Donation Campaigns Amid COVID-19
Promoting Corporate Value and Philosophy While Practicing ESG

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] "There are already many walking applications (apps) that provide points or rewards that can be converted into cash based on the number of steps taken. BigWalk is an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) platform that enables companies and individuals to participate in various social issue campaigns through walking and spread positive influence by donating."

Jang Tae-won, CEO of Big Walk, a company leading a new donation culture called "Step Donation," which combines walking and giving, stood on the roadside in front of the office with a view of Changdeokgung Palace. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

Jang Tae-won, CEO of BigWalk (pictured), offers a 'mobile step donation service' that allows app users to easily and enjoyably participate in donations through their 'steps.' When users install the BigWalk app on their smartphones, their steps are automatically counted, and the points accumulated from these steps can be donated to various campaigns run by companies or organizations.

When BigWalk first started its business in 2012, external perceptions were not very positive. The concept of donating through walking was unfamiliar, and some doubted its business viability. CEO Jang explained, "To make users feel that donating is easy and fun, we held various participatory events such as group walking events and plogging, which involves picking up trash while walking, and encouraged companies to participate from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) perspective." He added, "From about five to six years ago, as the importance of ESG has emerged domestically, BigWalk's campaigns have begun to be recognized as a useful method for practicing ESG."

As companies strengthened ESG management, many planned their own campaigns targeting employees or customers, but there were limits to increasing participation rates. BigWalk leveraged its accumulated experience in campaign execution and differentiated content to raise participation rates to around 70-75%, gaining word-of-mouth popularity. With the spread of COVID-19 restricting offline social contribution activities, BigWalk focused its business entirely on an online platform. Based on step donations that individuals can practice anytime and anywhere, non-face-to-face participation methods?such as completing individual missions and posting proof on social networking services (SNS)?became active, leading to an increase in companies requesting campaigns from BigWalk and a surge in app users from 130,000 in 2020 to 440,000 in 2022. During this period, BigWalk conducted over 400 ESG campaigns with companies.

CEO Jang said, "Among all BigWalk users, 52% are in their 20s and 30s, and if we expand the range to those in their 10s to 40s, they account for 82%, making up the majority." He added, "These users have a strong desire to maintain their health through walking while contributing to social values such as environmental protection and donations, so (through campaigns) they can effectively spread a company's ESG values."

Companies that request campaigns from BigWalk can convert the donated steps collected through the app into donation funds and directly donate them to desired civic, social, or environmental organizations. BigWalk provides companies with data on the environmental and social effects achieved through campaigns and discloses the donation results to users so they can directly experience the impact of their donations. CEO Jang introduced, "During the campaign, companies can widely promote their management philosophy and corporate values not only to employees but also to general customers," adding, "The campaign results can be reflected in sustainability management reports, which also helps enhance corporate value."

As our daily lives return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy with the full lifting of indoor mask mandates, BigWalk plans to expand various campaigns this year through offline festivals and activity events and to actively pursue investment attraction. To build new infrastructure and expand contact points with multiple clients, the office recently moved from Seongsu-dong, Seoul, to Donhwamun-ro, Jongno. CEO Jang said, "What differentiates BigWalk from other walking exercise apps is the mental and psychological satisfaction of donating while walking, rather than material rewards," adding, "There is still much to invest in to attract more participation from companies and citizens and to establish a culture of donation."