● Awards given to certify sales and developer partners in the Marketing Partners Program
● CyberAgent certified as a Diamond Partner, the top rank in the Sales Partner category
● A new Osaka office and other future projects announced
TOKYO – October 27, 2017 – LINE Ads Platform has announced the inaugural Certified Partners in the Marketing Partner Program – a certification program for sales and developer partners on the LINE Ads Platform, the performance-based ad platform operated by LINE Corporation for its services.
The LINE Ads Platform went into full-scale operations in June 2016 when it started distributing ads on LINE Timeline and LINE NEWS. Since its launch, the platform has been used by approximately 3,000 businesses and brands (as of the end of September 2017) and, in October 2017, LINE MANGA was added as an ad space.
First Marketing Partner Program certified partners announced
In April 2017, LINE Corporation created the Marketing Partner Program in its proactive efforts to further promote sales of the LINE Ads Platform as well as add and improve features. The program certifies and rewards outstanding advertising agencies and service developers under one of four categories: Sales Partner, Ad Tech Partner, Data Provider Partner, and Ads Measurement Partner. This award ceremony honored the first group of partners certified through the program.
Below is a list of the awardees.
Certified Partners
*The name of each Data Provider Partner and Ads Measurement Partner is followed by their tool name in parentheses.
*No Ad Tech Partners were certified in this round.
*Please see below for details regarding the categories and ranks.
Announcements made regarding LINE's new Osaka office, new ad types, and other future plans
Future plans for the LINE Ads Platform were also announced during the award ceremony. The following is an overview of the announcements.
New office to be established in Osaka
Targeting January 2018, LINE will establish a new office in Osaka to further promote sales and marketing, with a focus on the Kansai region. A formal announcement will be made at a later date regarding details of the new office.
New and improved ad options
The LINE Ads Platform will be providing a variety of new ad types including video ads in LINE NEWS, vertical (9:16) ads, CPF ads, and re-engagement ads.
Through close cooperation with partners as well as by providing a variety of ad types, LINE is devoted to continuing to be a valuable data touch point for both businesses and users, and to developing new and innovative ways to be useful as a communication infrastructure.
What is the LINE Ads Platform?
The LINE Ads Platform is a performance-based ad platform for services related to the LINE chat app operated by LINE Corporation. The service went into full-scale operation in June 2016 when it started distributing ads to LINE Timeline and LINE NEWS. Since its launch, it has been used by approximately 3,000 businesses and brands (as of the end of September 2017) and, in 2017, LINE MANGA was added as an ad space.
Advertisers use a special admin panel to set the details (including budget, time period, user attributes, and creatives) and make bids, and the LINE Ads Platform system chooses an ad and shows it to users. By switching to a performance-based ad system, many more businesses are now able to post ads, which they were previously unable to due to limitations on the numbers of slots, or for budgetary reasons. Further, since advertisers can monitor their ad displays, their effects, and other details as they operate their ads, they can conduct promotions with limited budgets and distribute ads to fit sales prospects, goal achievement rates, and more.
What is the Marketing Partner Program?
In its proactive efforts to further promote sales of the LINE Ads Platform as well as add and improve features, LINE Corporation has created a program that certifies and rewards advertising agencies and service developers under one of four categories: Sales Partner, Ad Tech Partner, Data Provider Partner, and Ads Measurement Partner.
Marketing Partner Program Overview
Sales Partner
Starting in April 2017, certifications are made under one of five ranks – Partner, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond – based on cumulative total revenues for the preceding half year. Based on their rank, certified partners are provided preferential access to new products, receive sales support, and other perks such as invitations to LINE-sponsored events.
Certification Details
Period: April 1 to September 30, 2017
Target: Sales agencies headquartered or having a branch office in Japan that use the LINE Ads Platform
Certification criteria: Cumulative LINE Ads Platform revenue generated during the specified period (including the Hike Network and overseas sales), etc.
Ranks: Five (Basic Partner, Bronze Partner, Silver Partner, Gold Partner, Diamond Partner)
Perks: Preferential access to new products, enhanced sales support, invitations to LINE-sponsored events, and more
Ad Tech Partner
Companies that wish to be certified can submit an application, and are certified based on revenue generated via API, case studies of improved efficacy, implemented features, and other criteria. Certified partners are eligible to open more API accounts, given access to beta features (test features), and receive other benefits such as product development support.
Certification Details
Period: April 1 to September 30, 2017
Target: Service developers and tool vendors that apply for certification during the specified period
Certification criteria: Availability/number of original features implemented, total revenue/revenue via API generated during specified period, API connection error rate, activities promoting product use, etc.
Ranks: One (Official Partner)
Perks: Privilege of opening more API accounts, access to beta features (test features), product development support, and more
Data Provider Partner
Companies that wish to be certified can submit an application, and LINE determines whether the company is qualified based on the volume of their data, including ad identifiers, the revenue from using them, the number of clients which have implemented their service, and other criteria. Once certified, partners are able to use their own data to distribute ads on the LINE Ads Platform.
Certification Details
Period: April 1 to September 30, 2017
Target: Service developers and tool vendors that apply for certification during the specified period
Certification criteria: IDFA/AdID-based data volume, revenue generated by using data, number of businesses that have implemented relevant DMP, activities promoting product use, availability/number of features developed and implemented, etc.
Ranks: One (Official Partner)
Perks: Right to distribute ads on the LINE Ads Platform using one's own data, and more
Ads Measurement Partner
Ad measurement tool providers that wish to be certified can submit an application, and LINE determines whether the company is qualified based on the number of businesses or services that have implemented the tool, the LINE Ads Platform revenue coming through the tool, and other criteria. Once certified, partners gain the right to provide measurement data and ad effect measurement features on the LINE Ads Platform.
Certification Details
Period: April 1 to September 30, 2017
Target: Service developers and tool vendors that apply for certification during the specified period
Certification criteria: Number of businesses that have implemented the relevant tool, revenue generated from ads for which conversion has been linked through the relevant tool, product quality, development speed, etc.
Ranks: One (Official Partner)
Perks: Privilege of providing measurement data and ad effect measurement features on the LINE Ads Platform, and more
For more information on the LINE Ads Platform, please contact: lap_req@linecorp.com