"2000% Sales Efficiency Compared to Advertising Cost"... Marketing Company Recognized Overseas First

[Solution Report] Their Startup and Future ? Eom Suwon, CEO of Adriel
"Helping SMEs and Small Business Owners with Big Data Advertising Solutions"

Adriel applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automate users' ad campaigns on platforms such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube, and provides a dashboard that comprehensively analyzes their performance. CEO Eom Su-won explained that dedicated managers for each client advise on reallocating budgets by ad creatives or channels to help execute the most efficient advertising. Photo by Kim Hee-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "Since startups understand startups best, I was always curious and somewhat unsatisfied with the results of advertising campaigns while running a company, which inspired me to start a marketing agency service."

Um Suwon, CEO of the digital marketing solution company Adriel, is embarking on his second startup. The motivation to develop an advertising agency service that solves marketing challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) wanting efficient results on a limited budget stemmed from the needs he felt while managing his first company, which provided big data-based financial solutions.

Adriel applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automate users' advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube, and offers a dashboard that comprehensively analyzes the performance. Additionally, dedicated managers advise clients on reallocating budgets by ad material or channel to help execute the most efficient advertising. CEO Um explained, "When users sign up and connect their currently running ad accounts, Adriel’s dashboard analyzes and displays all ongoing ad data," adding, "Because it provides comprehensive analysis of ad budgets and media plans, even beginners who are not marketing experts can measure ad efficiency, making it very popular among those just starting advertising." Currently, Adriel manages marketing for over 4,000 client companies.

Adriel’s service, aimed at advertising automation solutions for small businesses such as startups, SMEs, and small merchants, soon received market response. CEO Um said, "Shortly after launching the service, we had clients like a lawyer in the U.S. and a small cosmetics shop in Chile running ads through Adriel," adding, "I felt that we accurately diagnosed the advertising needs of startups and small merchants who found it difficult to use existing advertising agencies due to their small business scale." Recently, as similar services have emerged one after another, this judgment has become a firm conviction, Um added.

Adriel's dashboard. It analyzes all ongoing advertising data and provides a comprehensive overview of budget and media plans, allowing even beginners to easily understand advertising efficiency at a glance. Photo by Adriel

Offline Store Ads Decline and Online Classes & Delivery Ads Increase Due to COVID-19 Impact

With the expansion of online commerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, advertising demand has also grown. This trend was reflected in the advertising sector among SMEs using Adriel. CEO Um stated, "Before COVID-19, offline businesses like bakeries, cafes, and restaurants used the service extensively, but recently, ads for home training, online classes, hobbies, home meal replacements (HMR), and delivery sectors have increased," adding, "It is said that SMEs and small merchants are the hardest hit by COVID-19, but seeing many entrepreneurs not giving up and starting new businesses moved me deeply."

Adriel, which participated as a ComeUp Stars exhibitor at ComeUp 2020 held last month, confirmed its potential in the global market by handling various meeting requests from foreign investors. Designed as a global marketing solution from the planning stage, 20% of Adriel’s advertisers are currently overseas companies. CEO Um said, "Through participation in ComeUp, we received various contact points from foreign investors and had many conversations especially with investors from Singapore," adding, "For global expansion, we have established subsidiaries and officially launched services in the U.S. and the U.K. TechCrunch, an IT specialized media, recognized Adriel as an excellent intermediary that helps SMEs find online customer touchpoints despite economic constraints caused by COVID-19, which attracted significant attention in overseas markets."

Adriel gained global attention by being selected as the Innovation Hero in the Marketing API category at the 2020 Facebook Partner Awards. Photo by Facebook

Achieving 2000% Sales Efficiency Compared to Advertising Costs; If Investment Is Difficult, Advertise Consistently with Small Amounts

Adriel was recently selected as an innovative company in the Innovation Hero - Marketing API category at the Facebook Partner Awards. CEO Um cited the case of Gideon Sonic, a small manufacturing company that was an advertiser, saying, "Using Facebook’s Marketing API, we promoted Gideon Sonic’s home dishwasher through crowdfunding, achieving a ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) efficiency of 2000%, raising a total of 400 million KRW in funding."

Recognized worldwide for its efficient advertising execution, Adriel expects sales of 6.5 billion KRW this year, nearly triple that of the previous year. CEO Um advised, "For SMEs and startups that want to do online advertising but find it difficult to invest large amounts immediately, it is better to consistently invest a daily budget of 20,000 to 30,000 KRW. Adriel also invested steadily with 50,000 KRW per day in the early days and achieved results," adding, "Although the economy is tough due to COVID-19, I believe this crisis is actually the best time to start a business. Since investments are actively being made, I hope entrepreneurs from various fields will emerge, expanding the innovation ecosystem and creating opportunities for challenges."