KaKao

Open to change, the charm of Kakao Friends and Niniz

 

They were born to express emotions on behalf of users. They made a debut in the KakaoTalk chatroom.

. Each character had its world view and mirrored egos and stories of users. This way, the Kakao Friends characters became powerful by stretches of users' imagination. And a lot more things than we intended happened.

 

The above is an account for Kakao Friends, the Koreans' No.1 choice, and Niniz, Kakao's second character IP. We may frequently see these characters in a chatroom but may not be well aware of their behind-the-scenes stories since they used to serve as a chatting method or emotional agent. We met with Kakao Intellectual Property (IP) Content Team and asked about the two prominent character IPs.

 

Editor (hereinafter, "E") _ I guess the inferiority complex is repeatedly told in almost every narrative for all Kakao Friends. Ryan has additional traits like comfort or reliability. Such elements waked the echoes among users.

 

Chase (hereinafter, "C") _ As frequently said, the personality part seems least important to users because those recognizing a character's personality are definitely in the minority. Instead, the so-called 'kitsch appeal,' familiar but a bit slack, matters in the context of a chatroom. Considering the messenger's characteristics, we are likely to interact with and put our own stories into a particular character.

 

E _ Speaking of KakaoTalk, the messenger medium, as you may know, Kakao Friends have been on a roll in the overseas markets in recent years. In other words, Kakao Friends are fighting well in the overseas markets without their most potent weapon, the KakaoTalk chatroom. How could they tide over harsh conditions in a disadvantageous position?

 

C _ Unlike KakaoTalk, emoticon markets in foreign messenger apps are almost open type. Anyone can enter the markets, whose environments remain challenging for those who want to become a "major." Also, many parts differ from the Korean sentiment. That's why we can't expect Kakao Friends to gain quick and enthusiastic responses on foreign messenger apps as we did in Korea, even though it's been two years since we introduced the characters on alien messenger apps. However, that does not mean that we should 'start from scratch.' Fortunately, people always refer to Kakao Friends as "popular in Korea," which, in many cases, leads to adding a premium image to our characters. That's why we witness Kakao Friends stores in the Sinosphere, Southeast Asia, and Japan receive dynamic responses. However, we can't get help from the media called KakaoTalk in Korea, so we think we have to find ways to keep telling the narratives in different ways.

 

Short-form contents about Jordy or Choonsik are an integral part of the plan. We can storify our characters' experiences that left emoticons unable to express to overseas fans and Korean users. Besides, we're planning to develop more ideas about storytelling and diversify platforms so that people can commune with our characters across generations and borders.

 

 

 

E _ It took a long time of 3 years and 2 months for Ryan to join as the 8th member of Kakao Friends. Please tell us what happened.

 

C _ Kakao Friends were born to help users express their emotions in a small chatroom. That's why their actions are inevitably exaggerated compared to the previous characters. We know it can be tough having introverted personality types or senior generations use the characters in the chatbox. It is Ryan that helps those people feel easy when expressing themselves with emoticons. Initially, Ryan was supposed to play a supporting role of adviser among Kakao Friends. So many worries and discussions precede creation. However, we can never really know how user reactions would be. Ryan has now become the lead role indisputably.

 

E _ It is safe to say that we can see Ryan in every corner of Korea. Do you have any strategy to get over the exhaustion of images and pursue long-term growth?

 

C _ Just because you see a lot of images doesn't mean they're all consumed. There is no way to reverse the reality that they are already reproduced in many different forms. However, we all are most wary over having character-based content and merchandise produced without any context. In the meantime, we keep telling people a story ― why does Ryan aspire to have a lion's mane? In other words, we create a particular context that let you know about each character's life story.

 

E _ It has been 8 years since we first met Kakao Friends. There must have been a lot of things. Could you pick a few memorable moments?

 

 C _ I like to point out that the industry's perspective on characters has changed. Regardless of the success or failure of character products, Kakao Friends led many companies to present their characters as a flagship series. It is also memorable that "~ Friends" is becoming more common as a way of naming characters. I guess Kakao Friends would be the first and maybe the last made into a character set, not as a single character. Kakao Friends became involved in the unprecedented growth process of KakaoTalk and rapidly grew up due to few competitors. Could it ever happen again? Now is the time that should demand a decisive role spearheading a group of characters. Kakao Friends could leap forward thanks to Ryan's leadership. For Niniz, Jordy takes the leading role.

 

E _ Can we talk about Choonsik, the recently introduced character? It made a debut in Ryan's Instagram. When will it be able to expand the scope of movement?

 

C _  The seven Kakao Friends have been with us for eight years, Ryan for five years. They have shown us so many things they could. Choonsik introduces new narratives and infuses life into them. Unlike other characters, it first appeared bashfully in a short toon, not as an emoticon.

 

"I found an abandoned kitty. Should I bring it home or not?" "It's my first time raising a cat. What does a cat like?" "What should I call him?" Kakao Friends fans reacted to the questions, and we reflected their feedback in developing Choonsik's ego. Lan-Butlers and Lan-Aunts have raised Choonsik, advising via comments. If the reaction wasn't good enough during the short toon series, Choonsik might have been on his way like a street cat. Now, we're not afraid it is going to leave us.

              

Nothing is set. No one knows about what stories Choonsik will tell us. It will meet you soon in the form of an emoticon and merchandise.

 

E _ Let's get into the stories of Niniz. The Niniz characters made a debut in November 2017 when Kakao Friends enjoyed sky-high popularity. Niniz seems to have been under heavy pressure from birth due to hotsy-totsy seniors. Please tell us how Niniz was born and is doing these days.

 

C _ We were overconfident about Niniz's success. We believed the power of KakaoTalk would give it the enormous popularity it deserved like Kakao Friends. An error of judgment. There were many substitutes, unlike those days when Kakao Friends made its debut. Moreover, Niniz was not optimized for emotional expressions as emoticon since Niniz characters do not express general feelings. Confusingly, it became embroiled in a controversy that 'violence was played up' as soon as it went out into the world. I think we've learned a big lesson that producers and users may differ widely in their stances. Inside the company, we just thought that the Niniz characters were all making a little fuss and kerfuffles like Tom and Jerry. We just missed the point that people tended to apply high standards to an established company, saying how things were OK for Kakao to do it that way.

 

 

The Niniz characters' personalities have been fine-tuned throughout such process and now cover niche areas that Kakao Friends can't express. On a side note, Jordy was the last character we expected to rise to the top among the Niniz characters. We thought Angmond, Scappy, Kero, and Berony would gain the most popularity. However, Jordy successfully introduced an image of a 'pitiful job-seeker' that youngsters and teenagers can easily relate to. Our creators could move one step forward from the initial design ideas. That feature could only apply to Kakao characters since we are developing characters' narratives with users. We delicately responded to every breath of users, which may make a sloppy impression. However, ironically, users have felt strong affinities with such a loose impression. We got to distance ourselves from the image of a cold-hearted IT company and build up a more friendly image in a broader context.

 

 

E _ The secret forest where Kakao Friends live. The snow town, a home for Niniz. How did these backgrounds come about?

 

C _  They were sort of a fantasy set-up, which got to have realistic parts, reflecting user responses. That's why Jordy is often found in the context of searching for jobs or working part-time at a convenience store. You can rarely find Kakao Friends in the background of Secret Forest. In contrast, you can easily spot Choonsik in every corner of Seoul. We hope that Kakao character's IPs encourage users to commune with Seoulites' hipness or Koreans' enthusiasm.

 

E _ I heard that Niniz's main fandom is composed of younger women compared to Kakao Friends. Do you have any plan to expand Niniz's fandom?

 

C _  We try to communicate with the MZ generation intensively. We are keenly aware of the power of a narrow and deep fandom. The perfect example is 'KakaoBank mini,' which has quickly nestled down as juvenile's must-have check card. The familiarity representing our very lightly eventful life and a niche charming all make Niniz's staying power. If we say that Kakao Friends are performing well based on a vast fandom, I guess the role of Niniz lies elsewhere.

 

E _ Niniz makes a sound of "Nini~ Nini~," but the two characters are non-speaking, which, I guess, makes it severely constrained to construct a narrative. Will these characters keep speechless now and forever?

 

C _ They just haven't said anything so far. No one has ever made it sure that they can't (Laugh). In a broader context, the possibility is wide open. That the two character IPs are in the same frame is considered taboo, but there was a case where Ryan and Jordy together made an emoticon set. One thing important that we've learned from all these experiences is that making rash judgments about whether it works or doesn't work is meaningless. Every opportunity is up for grabs, but no one knows what it is like. That's the charm that Kakao Friends and Niniz have.

 

E _ The two characters have already achieved a lot, but there are many challenges ahead to leap forward. What is the priority at the moment?

 

C _ Creating more opportunities to meet users outside the emoticon world. It's been only a decade since the mobile universe was born, but we have witnessed so many changes. Things to see or enjoy have increased dramatically, and the emoticon market has become tremendous and complicated. The previously big hits may not gain any response from users now. Therefore, various plans to show our attractive narratives are on the drawing board, such as collaboration with external IPs, not characters.

 

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Chase depicted the IP Content Team as an "organization creating values with little things people may laugh off." Those 'little' things enable Kakao to build up its strength unwittingly. Character IPs provide a foothold where Kakao can keep its distance from the conventional state-of-the-art, thereby cold-hearted and secluded IT company image. They are hilariously engaging with users without set plans.