SOOP announced on the 11th that it will acquire a 70% equity stake in the digital advertising agency PlayD for 73.5 billion won to expand its business in the digital advertising market.
Through this acquisition, SOOP plans to provide integrated advertising services by adding PlayD’s performance advertising and digital marketing capabilities to its existing advertising business (platform, content, BTL).
Established in 2010, PlayD is a digital advertising agency and an online commerce advertising specialist with expertise in the performance advertising market, which optimizes ads by analyzing performance in real-time. After being listed on the KOSDAQ in 2020, it has established itself as a major advertising agency in the industry, operating annual advertising worth 500 billion won. Through this acquisition, SOOP plans to operate advertising services that include performance advertising and media advertising, alongside its existing subsidiaries, FreeBR (specializing in audio advertising and SNS marketing) and CTTD (specializing in digital advertising and UX/UI design-based advertising).
SOOP plans to expand its advertising and marketing business not only domestically but also in overseas markets. To achieve this, it will enhance its data-driven advertising technology (ad-tech) capabilities and improve advertising systems, such as data management platforms (DMP), customer relationship management systems (CRM), and customer data analysis systems (CDP) using big data.
It is also planning to link with the commerce business. SOOP is considering marketing strategies that combine commerce and advertising by collaborating with streamers to introduce merchandise production and sales services, and analyzing product sales strategies using advertising data. Based on PlayD’s brand management experience, it plans to try new marketing methods such as live commerce.
Choi Young-woo, SOOP’s Chief Strategy Officer, noted, “As the digital advertising market changes, performance-based advertising operations are becoming increasingly important,” and said, “We plan to integrate advertising analysis and operational capabilities through the acquisition of PlayD and to develop marketing methods that link advertising and commerce.”