Even Celebrity Ads on YouTube... Securities Industry Says "Capture 2030 Investment Sentiment"

[2030 Betting on Stocks]
Kiwoom Securities YouTube 'Channel K' Reaches 700,000 Subscribers... Doubled This Year
Mirae Asset Chairman Park Hyun-joo Also Makes Direct Appearance

(Source: Screenshot from Mirae Asset Daewoo official YouTube account)

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Competition is fierce in the securities industry to attract 20-30-year-old 'stock beginners' who are entering the stock market for the first time. Employees appear directly on YouTube, and advertisements featuring famous celebrities are also being aired, showing the effort being put in.

According to the industry on the 20th, securities firms such as Kiwoom Securities, Mirae Asset Daewoo, Korea Investment & Securities, KB Securities, NH Investment & Securities, and Yuanta Securities opened a total of 3.92 million new accounts under the names of people in their 20s and 30s last year. This accounts for more than half of the 7.23 million new accounts opened last year. Although the average assets are highest among those aged 60 and above, securities firms are focusing their efforts on capturing the 20-30 generation, who are the future 'big players.'

YouTube has especially established itself as a major attraction channel. Riding the wave of the 'Donghak Ant' craze, Kiwoom Securities' official YouTube channel 'Channel K' recorded 717,000 subscribers. It was about 300,000 at the end of last year but has more than doubled this year.

Samsung Securities' official YouTube channel 'Samsung POP' is also on a steep rise. After surpassing 100,000 subscribers for the first time on November 18 last year, it approached 600,000 subscribers within three months. The official advertisement video titled 'I Should Have Bought... No More Regrets' surpassed 690,000 views.

Mirae Asset Daewoo is gaining great popularity with Chairman Park Hyun-joo, the founder of Mirae Asset Group, appearing directly on YouTube. Unlike other securities firms where researchers mainly appear, the founder himself appears to introduce market outlooks and investment experiences, which has sharply increased interest. At the end of last year, Mirae Asset Daewoo's official YouTube channel 'Mirae Asset Smart Money' had only 110,000 subscribers, but this year it surged nearly fivefold to 536,000 as of this day.

The use of famous celebrities as advertising models is also increasing. This is interpreted as a strategy to create a more friendly image and reduce the sense of distance. Last year, Kiwoom Securities appointed singer Lim Young-woong as a model, and Samsung Securities produced advertisement videos featuring actors Son Dam-bi and Kim Sung-kyu.

The new securities firm Toss Securities has set a goal to catch up with the industry leader Kiwoom Securities' monthly active users (MAU) of 1 million by focusing on the 20-30 generation. The mobile trading system (MTS) itself is designed simply to be easy for the 20-30 generation to adapt to. It shows stock trading volumes and popular search stocks in charts similar to music rankings, and allows easy searching of interested industries and stocks through a self-developed industry classification method. Park Jae-min, CEO of Toss Securities, said at a recent online briefing, "We are targeting the 20-30 generation who are new investors, not existing securities firm users," adding, "Those who were dissatisfied with the difficult and complex investment systems of existing securities firms will find Toss Securities attractive."