It’s no secret that NHN Corporation’s LINE, which has 130 million users worldwide, has a lot of competition. We cover virtually all of these competitors here on TruTower. Still, with greater competition comes greater attempts to stand apart from said competition, and that’s exactly what LINE is looking to do in Singapore.
According to an interview with LINE general manager Simeon Cho by ZDNet Asia, the popular VoIP and instant messaging application is looking to expand its foothold in the region by three million additional users by presenting itself as a “lifestyle” app rather than a “utility” app like Kik or WhatsApp. Cho said NHN is hoping to take advantage of high smartphone penetration and higher average revenue per user (ARPU) in Singapore.
According to Cho, the main difference between a “lifestyle” app such as LINE and a “utility” app such as WhatsApp is the fact that LINE consists of gaming and social networking as a main pull rather than just messaging. With this definition in mind, KakaoTalk and Kik Messenger both qualify as lifestyle apps as well.
Cho said LINE will achieve the additional three million users in Singapore by utilizing the app’s stickers and other content to invoke an emotional attachment between the application and its users. This includes local television commercials, carrier partnerships, celebrity endorsements, and a cartoon program featuring the sticker characters.
It’s clear that competition between VoIP and messaging apps is heating up as more competitors hit the OTT space and established apps continue to feel the pressure. However, if it means having more lifestyle and less utility in every application, the benefits to users are clearly on the rise as well.