Have you played ZEPETO? A marketer’s perspective on this popular app
⛳️ This article was originally published on the “Marketers” website
If you frequently hang out on Facebook or Instagram, you must have seen a bunch of cartoon dolls that look like the real characters of your relatives and friends lately! These cute dolls look similar to Apple’s Memoji, but they are actually products launched by a Korean Internet company.
(Recently, you can often see dolls that look like relatives and friends on social media/Picture: taken from ZEPETO Official YouTube)
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Don’t envy others, you just need to download this social app called ZEPETO. After simply taking a photo, you can quickly create a lifelike doll based on your facial features or preferences. After you complete your exclusive cartoon doll, you can share it on social media such as Facebook and Instagram, not only to express yourself, but also to show off and attract attention.
▲ ZEPETO official introduction video (the video is taken from YouTube, please forgive me if it is removed.)
Exquisite and delicate exclusive doll, originally from the same family as LINE
Because the ZEPETO cartoon doll’s facial features, clothing, and scenes can be matched to a very delicate level, the Korean SNOW Corporation, which launched this app, has also seen its value rise, and the number of players currently exceeds the 10 million mark.
(The facial features, clothing, and scenes of ZEPETO dolls can be very similar/Photo: Marketer Reporter System)
The previously popular B612 Selfie Camera APP is also one of the company’s masterpieces. Since SNOW is also part of the Naver Group and can be said to be from the same family as the familiar instant messaging software LINE, it is not surprising that they have outstanding performance in doll design and community management!
In addition to exquisiteness, the social element of “gamification” is a powerful key
In fact, the concept of ZEPETO is not new. In the past, QQ Show or many Yanhua and Avatar products on the other side have used the customization of player avatars as their appeal, allowing netizens to create a virtual image with a personal style. The biggest difference is that ZEPETO has a more delicate grasp of many design details. Not only does it allow players to choose their preferred face, hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyes, nose and other shapes, but also the freckles on the cheeks can also be fine-tuned.
(Players can choose the shape of their face, hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyes and nose, and even freckles can be fine-tuned. / Picture: taken from ZEPETO Official YouTube)
What’s even more amazing is that ZEPETO combines social elements such as games and interactions, allowing players to dress up their dolls and “take photos” with friends or celebrities. In addition, the company is also actively forming alliances with other industries in an attempt to explore greater business opportunities.
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(ZEPETO incorporates social elements, players can “take photos” with friends or celebrities. / Picture: Marketer Reporter)
The world-famous Gamification (Gamification) Teacher [Zhou Yukai] (https://game.udn.com/game/story/10454/2549520) once proposed the “Octalysis” ideological structure in the book “The Complete Book of Gamification Practice”. He believes that if “scarcity” and “urgency”, “uncertainty” and “curiosity”, or “loss” and “avoidance” can be created, people will become fascinated, anxious and even addicted to certain things.
Make good use of the “freemium” profit model to increase membership
ZEPETO’s profit method is not difficult to understand. They adopt a freemium (Freemium) business model, allowing players to use it for free first. If they are interested, they can add to their wardrobe through the system’s built-in virtual gold coin system. If you don’t want to pay, players must actively participate in various tasks (such as inviting new players, visiting other players, or watching advertisements) to obtain gold coins. ZEPETO’s management team understands people’s hearts well and makes good use of gamification mechanisms to drive players. It also combines its past experience in developing related apps, and its intentions can be seen in member recruitment and retention.
(Image: Players who do not want to pay can obtain gold coins through various tasks. / Picture: Marketer Reporter System)
Popularity factor: Satisfies the personal image and star-chasing dreams of the young generation
ZEPETO’s cartoon dolls are not only lifelike, but also moderately beautify the personal image (just like the “beautiful skin” effect of many previous photography apps). I think this is one of the reasons why they have become so popular. Not only do many netizens love them, but they are also happy to share their beautiful images on social media. It is said that some players have created exclusive virtual characters based on their favorite artists’ looks, which also satisfies the young generation’s dream of chasing stars.
(Satisfying the personal image and star-chasing dreams of the younger generation is what makes ZEPETO so popular. / Photo: Marketer)
To maintain “high popularity” you need to consider: difficulty, involvement, and pleasure threshold
However, although ZEPETO has recently set off a wave of popularity around the world, it does not mean that they can sit back and relax and sing triumphant songs all the way. After all, there are not many cases of “generation boxing champions” (editor’s note: companies that succeeded in becoming king too quickly, but did not last long) in the app circle. For example, “Travel Frog” (游かえる) previously developed by the Japanese game company Hit-Point was also a hit; but ZEPETO Whether it can maintain its high popularity like Pokemon Go without falling is still unknown.
(It is still unknown whether ZEPETO can maintain its high popularity without falling. / Picture: taken from ZEPETO Official YouTube)
For example, Andrew. Przybylski (Andrew Przybylski/) said that if you want to create an engaging classic game, you must consider a wide range of aspects, such as: the difficulty of the game, the player’s level of investment, and the threshold for players to feel happy. It is true that all of this tests the wisdom of the management team. Not only must the product itself be constantly iterated and updated, but it must also be able to deeply understand human nature and scenarios, and then find elements that make players willing to continue to invest and interact, and carefully maintain and manage the relationship between the product and members.
Only by gaining insight into the market context can we effectively utilize the concept of “gamification”
In recent years, the concept of gamification has become quite popular and has been cited by many companies or academic institutions. However, adding game elements to everything does not mean that it can be collectively called gamification. Only by extracting the truly exciting or interesting elements of the game can it be effectively applied in various scenarios, thereby motivating or driving users to take action according to instructions.
(The concept of gamification has become quite popular in recent years, and ZEPETO is a clear case. / Picture: taken from ZEPETO Official YouTube)
For marketers, we not only need to keep up with the trend of fashion, keep abreast of and understand the hot issues in today’s market, but we also need to be able to analyze calmly, and then dismantle and integrate the key factors behind popular products to gain insight into the real context. This time ZEPETO cartoon dolls have set off a trend on social media. Has it brought you some new inspiration?
Source of the first picture: ZEPETO Official YouTube
Further reading:
This article Author Zheng Weiquan (Vista Cheng is the co-founder of the Taiwan E-Commerce Entrepreneurship Association (TeSA) and the founder of the “Content Hacker” (https://www.contenthacker.today/) website. He served as the product director of “Wind Media” and the editor-in-chief of “Digital Times” magazine. He is also the author of “WordPress Blog Setup and Management”, “Facebook Embracing the World”, “[Slow Reading and Understanding] (https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0010973827?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202605)” and other books.
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