I agree with Seng Hyun Lee’s post about how successful Kakao Talk’s marketing strategies are. It is top download in the App Store and the most successful social network service across iPhone and Android platforms in Korea. It has been Korea’s biggest application success story and inspiring other Korean application developers and start-ups.
(http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20111128000690)
Furthermore, Kakao Talk has approximately 1 million users overseas and this figure continues to grow by ten thousands users per day. It has tried to go into partnership with many Korean companies and has plans to open the service in a few Asian territories and the US this year, gearing up to face tough competition from many other messaging services in America like Facebook and Twitter.
(http://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/10/19/kakao-talk-yahoo-japan/)
(http://en.dailysocial.net/post/exclusive-kakaotalk-sets-to-expand-to-indonesia)
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The compelling and different systems that Kakao Talk is exclusively offering, including photo and video sharing and group chat, is anticipated to capture more non-Korean users. In fact, I have lots of international friends who are using Kakao Talk.
Kakao Talk solved the problem of text messaging which is high price. I know the price for 500 texts per month is often $15 or more…. but Kakao Talk makes sure I never pay for texts. Also, as he mentioned, there are lots of useful functions like audio clips, voice talk, and funny emoticons. I often use them to my family and friends for fun. It is also possible to invite multiple people to a text conversation, which I found really efficient in family gathering or work situations where several people need to communicate. When I type letters once, all my family members can see my text. It is conducive to time saving.
In my opinion, the only real problem with Kakao Talk is the fact that, because it is an online instant messenger, I can text only with others who are using this application. Also, it is pretty complex to old generation; my grandparents had a difficulty dealing with this application for a long time and still feel uncomfortable with it. Therefore, I cannot text my grandparents for free. Since many old people also use smartphone now, why does not Kakao Talk target them by changing to simple style but same functions as the original Kakao Talk?
Information about Kakao talk:
Great analysis of KakaoTalk’s marketing strategies! It’s impressive how they leveraged free services and gamification to attract a massive user base while building a solid foundation for monetization. I also find their focus on cultural relevance and collaboration with local businesses particularly inspiring. It would be interesting to explore how these strategies have evolved over the years, especially with the rise of competitors and global expansion. Do you think their approach to personalization and community engagement can remain a competitive edge in the long term?”