Why you are not a true ‘global’ creator(2)
Interview with Daehyun Ahn, COO (Chief Operating Officer) of adoba
You were the project manager developing the ‘adobaro’ service launched on October 10. What is adobaro?
Ahn: adobaro is a service to support creators’ entire activities on Chinese platforms from channel opening to profit settlement. The service provides the following: ▲channel opening and profit settlement ▲platform guideline and manual ▲Chinese trend newsletter ▲Materials applicable on Chinese platforms like music, font, images, etc ▲channel data dashboard
Through our service, creators can enter 6 main video platforms and SNS. We plan to increase the number of platforms to 12.
An ideal outline that we pursue is a customized solution after entering China through adobaro.
What is a customized solution for creators?
Ahn: The solution includes specialists of each platform, marketing tips, etc. Multiple channels can be opened after a creator signs a management contract with adoba. If some issues occur in terms of channel opening and operation, we can resolve them by directly communicating with the platform managers. This is possible because we are an official partner of the platforms. That is the biggest difference between Chinese platforms and YouTube, as there are not any communication tools on YouTube.
In particular, adoba has specialists assigned to each platform. They give platform-customized feedback to creators based on their deep understandings of the platform features.
Marketing tips are offered and operated through ‘adobalang’, the assembly of all adoba services. adobalang provides IP business opportunities for creators. Creators can utilize their own IPs in the Chinese market by selling merchandise collaborated with brands or releasing music.
Great delicacy is shown in the services ‘adobaro’ and ‘adobalang’. Which points were considered important in service development?
Ahn: Personal information is required to open the channel, so we have put much stress on security enhancement, followed by channel operation guides. Although adoba opens channels and settles profit for creators, creators have to do basic operations by themselves such as content design and production. The guide contains countless questions and answers because Chinese platforms are different from YouTube in respect of language and operations.
However, there were unexpected moments in the very beginning when creators asked some questions that we did not prepare. Those cases reminded us that the viewpoint of the corporation can be different from that of the creators. We will concentrate on updating guides to resolve the creators’ questions and making steady improvements to the service website.
You made great efforts to develop the service. Didn’t you have any difficulties?
Ahn: It took 3 months to develop the service. We spent quite a lot of time in the preparation process. A lot of information had to be provided to the creators before releasing the service. We made and got well-acquainted with education materials.
We also had trouble with communication while developing the service. Because most developers were in our headquarters in China, all opinions and pictures had to be delivered by messenger, which could end through a simple conversation. Visiting China was not a viable option due to Covid-19.
Do you think of expanding beyond the Chinese market?
Ahn: Certainly. We are currently paying attention to America. MCNs originated from America, but now there are many MCNs in Korea, Japan and Taiwan. As the influence of individual creators became stronger, MCNs started to disappear. Creators’ interest in profit generation has increased dramatically. In conclusion, we consider America as our primary target.
Furthermore, some inquiries have come from many countries including America even though we did not place an advertisement. We recently got a call from an Indian MCN. India is a country where potential for growth is second to none.
I’m looking forward to adoba’s successful entry into America. What are adoba’s plans and goals in 2023?
Ahn: First of all, we will expand the service addressable market. We are steadily cooperating with foreign MCNs like Japan, Russia, Finland, etc in terms of creator management. Utilizing this network, we will focus on pioneering new global markets by launching the global version of the service ‘adobaro’ in 2023.
adoba’s ultimate goal is to establish a perfect ecosystem for creators. That means building up a coexisting business with creators, not simply helping creators enter the Chinese platforms.
Finally, is there anything you want to tell creators interested in entering China?
Ahn: I hope they can build a positive perspective about China. Some comments or Youtube content will give negative impressions of China, but I had not suffered ostracism when I resided in China for 3 years. There have not been any conflicts between Chinese and Korean coworkers in adoba as well. I am convinced that the Chinese are not different from the Koreans in terms of viewpoints or preferences.
I think that adoba can resolve misunderstandings and stereotypes about China. Wouldn’t it be possible to contribute to improving relationships between the two countries if we continue to produce great outcomes?
There is a saying “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”, which became famous for an essay title. There is no reason to hesitate or give up because there are countless things to do all over the world. People have trouble changing their situations or environments, so most of them focus on ‘the task at hand’. However, adoba made it possible to expand the scope of creators’ content distribution. From now on, creators can branch out through adobaro.
