This case study highlights how InterAd helped a global luxury automotive brand successfully enter the Korean market and create a brand for themselves on the new market, generate high-quality leads, and achieve measurable ROI through a localized 7-month campaign across Korean-exclusive platforms: Naver and KakaoTalk.
The client had previously advertised in APAC, but lacked experience in South Korea. Cultural and platform-specific nuances required a tailored approach. InterAd executed a localized strategy using Kakao Bizboard, Naver Search, and Naver Display Ads.
This strategy can be applied to international car brands with a Korean business license, aiming to improve brand awareness in South Korea. The results are especially relevant to the luxury segment, where margins are small and conversion quality is prioritized over volume.
Overview of the Problems and Objectives
The South Korean luxury car market is highly competitive and demanding, shaped by the strong reputation and expertise of local brands. Korean consumers are digitally savvy, show strong domestic brand loyalty, and expect a high level of personalization (especially in the automotive sector, where brand image and design often outweigh other factors).
The client, a globally recognized luxury car manufacturer with prior experience in Asia, was entering the South Korean market for the first time. Despite their international reputation, they faced the following challenges:
- Unfamiliarity with Korean Platforms: They had never used platforms like Naver or KakaoTalk before and needed to adjust their messages for local users.
- Poor Targeting Accuracy: Their global materials didn’t appeal to Korean buyers and needed better adaptation.
- No Korean-Language Assets for Ads: The brand had not yet developed landing pages, creatives, or messaging tailored to Korean audiences or optimized for local search.
Campaign Goals
- Generate interest and awareness ahead of a major model launch scheduled for month 3 by optimizing foundational campaign performance during the first two months of the 7-month campaign.
- Due to high luxury demand in South Korea, the brand was aiming to exceed previous digital performance benchmarks from other APAC markets.
- Drive high-quality lead acquisition focused on qualified customer interactions and measurable intent, such as test-drive requests and dealership contact submissions.
- Secure top-of-page visibility for key branded and model-specific terms on Naver and maintain
Multi-Channel Digital Strategy
InterAd developed a multi-platform execution plan to ensure relevance and precision across the platforms that matter the most in South Korea. By integrating paid search, and Display, the goal was to cover each stage of the local buyer journey – from first exposure to final conversion.
Naver Display and Naver Search Ads
InterAd used Naver’s Display Network to grab attention from local users and paired it with Naver Search Ads to support product-specific interest.
- Built keyword groups focused on models, features, and performance.
- Tested ad messages focused on both design and engineering.
- CTR of 0.8% remained within expected industry norms.
Kakao Bizboard and Kakao Channel
InterAd leveraged Kakao Bizboard and Kakao Channel to keep communication going after initial exposure, as a marketing strategy to increase audience trust and brand loyalty.
- Ads were created.
- Kakao Channel became a key driver of test-drive signups.
Campaign Results
All major performance metrics improved over the 7-month campaign:
- Established a brand name in South Korea.
- Average CTR of 0.8%
- Increased return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Higher lead quality, with peak conversion rates in coming from KakaoTalk
Conclusion
This case proves that with the right localization strategy, even high-investment, low-volume industries like luxury automotive can thrive in South Korea. InterAd’s channel-specific, culturally informed approach helped this global brand not only launch successfully, but also gain measurable traction in a saturated market.
