2016.01.13 ALL
Tokyo, Japan – January 13, 2016 – LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, today announced the finalization of a landmark regional partnership focused on ad sales that will cover the Asia-Pacific region with GroupM, a leader in media investment management and the parent company of world-renowned advertising agencies such as Mindshare and MEC.
LINE is a smartphone instant messenger checked constantly throughout the day by users, which enables brands to reach out to customers in a timely and efficient manner via their Official Accounts. The app also offers “Sponsored Stickers,” free stickers sets offered by corporations and brands, “LINE Free Coins,” an incentivized virtual currency, and a robust advertising platform which caters to its ample and highly active user base. LINE also offers a business-oriented API called “LINE Business Connect,” which allows corporations to link their existing database and LINE’s internal infrastructure with their LINE account. This allows corporations to harness new levels of messaging capabilities, IoT tools, customer management assets, and business-grade solutions.
At the same time, LINE is a closed social network in which users communicate first and foremost with personal acquaintances, thus making it an intimate source for reliable information. Client eligibility is also strictly checked to ensure no fake accounts exist.
Effective immediately, this new partnership enables LINE to offer GroupM’s clients unprecedented competitive advantages across the region via quick access to opportunities involving new LINE products, efficient pricing, and LINE training sessions*1. Through this partnership, LINE hopes to accelerate its ad sales business with GroupM, one of the highest-profile global advertising agencies, in countries and regions such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, where LINE has a strong presence.
*1 Programs in which specialized LINE staff conduct informative sessions on the details and appropriate implementation of LINE ad products
“Clients look to us for the most innovative ways to reach their audiences across Asia Pacific,” said Mark Patterson, CEO, GroupM Asia Pacific. “LINE is one of the fastest-growing natively developed social media platforms in Asia and is undeniably an important new vehicle for consumer engagement. Our agencies are already helping clients to leverage the platform within media plans, and we engineered this partnership to make LINE’s digital products work harder for their brands. ”
“Online consumers around the world – including those in APAC – have shown a marked preference for platforms and services they find trustworthy. LINE’s closed nature appeals to consumers who favor a more private social networking experience, and by connecting reliable brands with users in this implicitly trusted setting, GroupM and LINE will help our clients reach users in a fun, yet unobtrusive manner,” said Nick Bins, Deputy Head of Trading, GroupM Asia Pacific.
“Today, it is a worldwide trend to utilize messenger apps for consumer communications and customer relationship management, connecting brands with their audiences. Through this partnership with GroupM, we will connect even more brands with consumers,” said Sintaro Tabata, LINE Corp. Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Sales. “Through our LINE Training Sessions, we’ll also help instruct the most effective marketing solutions for LINE’s unique communication environment and establish market-leading benchmarks.”