Digital Advertising Industry Leader 'PlayD' to Be Listed on KOSDAQ Next Month

Established for 20 Years This Year... Scheduled to Go Public on the 12th of Next Month

On the 20th during the day at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, CEO Heo Wookheon is explaining about the company at the PlayD Initial Public Offering (IPO) press conference.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] "You can consider that the true number one in the digital advertising industry is going public."

PlayD held a press conference on the 20th at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and proceeded with its initial public offering (IPO). Heo Wookheon, CEO of PlayD, expressed confidence by stating, "We are the undisputed number one in digital advertising agency transaction volume and number of advertisers."

PlayD started in 2000 as the Search Marketing Center within Naver's search advertising division. In 2010, it established an independent corporation as NHN Search Marketing, and in 2016, it joined the KT Group.

PlayD, which operates both an advertising agency and a media rep, oversees everything from digital advertising strategy planning, ad production, ad operation, to executing advertisements by contacting advertising media. It provides comprehensive marketing solutions.

PlayD is leading the market with industry-leading integrated marketing capabilities. CEO Heo explained, "Integrated marketing is continuously increasing, and we believe we have strengthened in line with that demand," adding, "We expect to continue to lead this market." The proportion of advertisers requesting integrated marketing proposals has gradually increased from 0% in 2016 to 41% in 2017, 64% in 2018, and 75% last year.

PlayD also maintains ongoing contractual relationships with numerous advertising media such as Naver and Kakao. Over 20 years, it has accumulated successful cases by executing projects for leading domestic companies. The number of high-value advertisers increased from 34 in 2016 to 60 last year.

Revenue and profit growth are accelerating through securing medium to large advertisers and expanding volume with existing advertisers. Transaction volume increased from 205.9 billion KRW in 2015 to 370 billion KRW in 2018. Operating revenue also grew from 28.8 billion KRW in 2015 to 34.7 billion KRW in 2018. The cumulative operating revenue up to the third quarter of last year was 29.9 billion KRW.

PlayD also plans to enter the Japanese digital advertising market. It established a Japanese branch last December. Since digital advertising accounts for less than 30% of the total Japanese advertising market, it is seen as having significant growth potential. Given the increasing share of global media such as Google and Facebook, which have continuously collaborated with PlayD, it was concluded that the initial entry is suitable. Some of the funds raised through this offering will be used to operate the Japanese branch.

PlayD is offering a total of 3,689,320 shares, all newly issued. The desired public offering price range is 6,800 to 7,700 KRW per share. After demand forecasting on the 24th and 25th, subscription will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of next month. The scheduled listing date is the 12th of next month. The lead underwriter is KB Securities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.