Advertising Business: How will an integrated advertising platform provide more precise and comprehensive solutions for advertisers? How can LINE's social graph data and Yahoo's search intent data be utilized?

Okay, no problem. Let's discuss this in plain terms.

Ad Business: How will the integrated ad platform provide advertisers with more precise and comprehensive solutions?

Imagine you're choosing a birthday gift for a friend.

Before, you might have only known some basic details about them, like "He's a 30-year-old office worker living in Shibuya." This is like traditional advertising, which could only target people based on vague segments like age, location, or gender.

Now, it's different. You not only know their basic info, but you also learn (through LINE chats) that they've recently gotten really into camping, even joining a "Weekend Camping" group. Plus, you've also glimpsed (covertly, but legitimately) their "wishlist" (via Yahoo search history) and discovered they've been frequently searching for things like "single-person tent recommendations" and "portable coffee makers."

With all this information, wouldn't your gift be much more likely to hit the perfect spot?

That's the principle behind the integration of the LINE and Yahoo ad platforms (under the new company LY Corporation). It brings together two incredibly powerful sources of insights.

LINE's "Social Graph": Understanding "Who You Are"

Think of LINE as a "social intelligence agent."

It doesn't know your private chats, but it does know your "profile" and your "network."

Who are you? Your age, gender, approximate location.
What do you like? What brand official accounts you follow (like Uniqlo, Starbucks), what sticker themes you prefer (cats, humor), what interest-based groups you've joined.
Who are your friends? What does your social circle look like?

This information, woven together, forms a massive "Social Graph". It paints a picture of your lifestyle, long-term interests, and social status.

Simply put: LINE knows your life preferences and enduring interests.

Yahoo's "Search Intent": Knowing "What You Want Right Now"

Yahoo, on the other hand, is like a "demand detector."

It excels at capturing your "immediate" needs and intentions.

What are you looking for? Every word you type into the Yahoo search box, like "Hokkaido ski guide" or "good ramen nearby."
What interests you? The articles you read on Yahoo News, like a review of the latest electric car.
What do you want to buy? The products you browse and compare on Yahoo Shopping.

These behaviors all represent strong "Search Intent". It doesn't necessarily reflect your long-term hobbies, but it reveals the problem you're actively trying to solve or the thing you desire most right now.

Simply put: Yahoo knows what you want here and now, immediately.

When "Who You Are" Meets "What You Want": The Magic of 1+1 > 2

Now, here's the crucial part. When the data from these two platforms is integrated (while strictly protecting user privacy), advertisers gain an unprecedented bird's-eye view.

Before, advertising worked like this:

LINE Ads: Promote a new SUV to all "men aged 30-40 following car brand accounts".
Yahoo Ads: Promote a new SUV to everyone "who searched for 'SUV recommendations'".

Both methods were okay, but not perfect. People following car accounts might not be looking to buy right now, and those searching for SUVs – we don't know their purchasing power or lifestyle.

Now, the integrated platform can do this:

Precisely target users who are: "30-40 years old, follow luxury car and outdoor brand LINE official accounts, AND have searched on Yahoo for '7-seater SUV reviews' and 'family camping gear' in the past week." Then, deliver them a highly relevant ad for this new SUV model marketing its family-outdoor concept.

See the difference? Advertising stops being intrusive and instead feels like a timely suggestion.

Some examples make it even clearer:

For a newly opened coffee shop:
- Before: Could only advertise to everyone within 3 km of the shop.
- Now: Can target people within 3 km who also follow lifestyle aesthetics or specialty coffee LINE accounts, and have recently searched Yahoo for "pour-over coffee beginner's guide," pushing them a coupon for "Grand Opening! Get 50% off pour-over coffee with this message."
For a travel package:
- Before: Cast a wide net promoting Okinawa travel deals to everyone.
- Now: A user reads a Yahoo News article about Okinawa's remote islands. Later, when they open LINE, they might see an ad (or even receive a coupon directly) from a travel agency's official account for an "Okinawa: In-depth tour of hidden islands" experience. This is "full-funnel" marketing, where the platform can engage the user from the moment interest sparks, all the way through to the final purchase.

So, to summarize, what's in it for advertisers?

Pinpoint Targeting Precision: Moving from "fishing with a giant net" to "precision sniping." Every advertising dollar is spent reaching the most likely potential customers, drastically reducing waste.
Complete Consumer Profile: Gain simultaneous insights into a person's long-term interests (from LINE) and immediate needs (from Yahoo). This tells advertisers exactly when, through which channel, to whom, and what message to deliver.
End-to-End Coverage: Enable a complete marketing funnel: from generating interest or "planting the seed" (seeing content on Yahoo/LINE), to conversion or "harvesting" (seeing the precise ad and completing the purchase), through to post-purchase engagement and repeat business (maintaining customer relationships via LINE official accounts).
Higher Return on Investment (ROI): Because the targeting is more precise (less waste) and conversions improve, the advertiser's investment naturally yields better business results.

Ultimately, this integration is like giving advertisers a pair of super-powered "infrared + night-vision" goggles. They can clearly see the user's overall profile and instantly capture their latest activity, enabling truly "right message, right time" advertising that resonates deeply.