NAVER DAN24: Opening New Horizons in AI-Powered Marketing Ecosystem

CEO Soo-yeon Choi's Vision: Next, N - A New Leap Forward

At the NAVER DAN24 Conference held at COEX Grand Ballroom on November 11-12, 2024, CEO Soo-yeon Choi presented a compelling vision for NAVER future through her keynote speech titled "NEXT, N: A New Leap, A Changing NAVER."

 

DAN24 NAVER

 

NAVER has been showing tangible results through its AI innovation initiatives. In 2024, NAVER significantly strengthened its platform competitiveness through AI technology adoption, with clear numerical evidence to support this progress.

Notable Achievements

NAVER AI implementation has driven comprehensive growth across multiple areas:

 

• Main Page Engagement: Double-digit increase in time spent on NAVER main page, reflecting improved user experience through AI-powered personalized recommendations and service enhancements.
• Content Creator Growth: More than doubled the number of content creators, fueled by AI creation tools and expanded monetization opportunities.
• Shopping Platform Growth: 47% increase in merchants adopting AI solutions, indicating rapid expansion of NAVER shopping ecosystem.
• Payment Service Growth: 38% increase in external NAVER Pay transactions, demonstrating stronger position in the payment market through shopping platform synergies.
• Gen Z & Millennial Engagement: Significant increase in younger user participation across Blog, OpenTalk, Maps, and Juniver services.

Building on these achievements, NAVER unveiled its evolved 'On-Service AI' strategy at the DAN24 Conference in November 2024. CEO Choi Soo-yeon presented this strategy, focusing on delivering hyper-personalized user experiences through AI and creating synergies with business partners.

 

NAVER On-Service AI

Core Strategic Initiatives

1. All-Encompassing AI Integration
   • Implementation of AI technology across all NAVER services
   • Focus on creating practical, everyday benefits for users
   • Development of seamless AI-powered experiences that enhance daily life
2. Search Evolution
   • Enhanced personalized feeds and recommendations
   • Integration of NAVER unique content assets with AI technology
   • Creation of discovery-driven search experiences beyond simple information retrieval
3. Advanced Advertising Solutions
   • Implementation of AI-powered integrated advertising platform
   • Maximized interaction between advertisers and users
   • Data-driven targeting and personalization capabilities
4. Spatial Intelligence Innovation
   • Integration of online and offline experiences through advanced spatial technology
   • Enhanced immersive experiences and interactions
   • Revolutionary approach to location-based services
5. Shopping Experience Transformation
   • AI-powered personalized shopping platform
   • Enhanced recommendation systems based on user preferences
   • Improved shopping experience through data analysis

Impact on Business Partners

The keynote emphasized NAVER commitment to strengthening collaboration with business partners through:

• Enhanced technological support
• Expanded business opportunities
• Improved platform capabilities
• Strengthened ecosystem integration

Focus on Next Generation Users

A significant portion of the keynote addressed NAVER success in attracting and engaging younger users (Generation Z and Millennials), highlighting:

• Increased platform activity across various services
• Tailored content and features for younger demographics
• Innovation in user engagement strategies

Technology Leadership

CEO Choi highlighted NAVER technological advantages:

• Proprietary core technologies across various service areas
• Capability to implement AI solutions at scale
• Strong foundation in search, cloud, and commerce technologies

Future Direction

NAVER strategy, as outlined in the keynote, focuses on:

• Building a comprehensive AI ecosystem
• Creating meaningful value for users and society
• Maintaining technological leadership in the global market
• Expanding platform capabilities and service offerings

This strategic vision, combined with NAVER demonstrated success in AI implementation, positions the company for continued growth and innovation in the evolving digital landscape.

The conference marks a significant milestone in NAVER journey, showcasing not just technological advancements but a comprehensive transformation that touches every aspect of its business. As NAVER continues to evolve, its focus on AI-driven innovation and user-centric services sets a new standard for digital platforms globally.

Implications for Marketers

1. Enhanced Data-Driven Decision Making: AI technology will become increasingly crucial for insight generation.
2. Evolution of Creative Strategy: As AI handles creative optimization, marketers can focus more on innovative campaign planning.
3. Customer Journey Redefinition: Integrated customer experience design across online and offline channels becomes essential.
4. Importance of Real-Time Optimization: AI-based real-time performance analysis and optimization will be key to competitiveness.

NAVER strategy is expected to bring revolutionary changes to the marketing ecosystem. Marketers can maximize their marketing effectiveness by actively utilizing AI technology and adopting more strategic approaches aligned with these changes.

The transformation of NAVER platform through AI technology demonstrates how digital platforms can evolve to meet changing user needs while creating new opportunities for businesses and content creators. As we move forward, the success of this strategy will likely influence the direction of digital marketing not just in Korea, but globally.