MUMBAI: GroupM has inked a media partnership across Asia Pacific with LINE Corporation of Japan.
LINE is a free call and messaging app, which is rapidly expanding its global user base with 212 million monthly active users, mostly in the Asia Pacific market in countries such as Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The multifaceted agreement commences immediately and is one of many new media partnerships GroupM is establishing to support clients in the region.
LINE allows brands to communicate with audiences safely in real time. LINE is an instant smartphone messenger that users check constantly through the day, enabling brands to make timely, relevant outreach. Because LINE is a closed social networking service where users communicate mostly with personal acquaintances, it also serves as an intimate source of reliable information for the user and a trustworthy environment for brands. Advertisers on LINE additionally benefit from strict policies around user eligibility which ensure no fake accounts exist.
“Clients look to us for the most innovative ways to reach their audiences across 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,” said GroupM Asia Pacific CEO Mark Patterson.
The deal offers clients of GroupM agencies a competitive advantage through efficient pricing, quick access to new advertising products and specialised training to support appropriate implementation based on unique platform characteristics and user preferences.
“Today, it is a worldwide trend to utilise 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. 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,” added LINE Corp SVP, head of corporate sales Sintaro Tabata.
“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 GroupM Asia Pacific deputy head of trading Nick Bins.
