Information technology companies are using marathons as a marketing tool to connect with new customers. Kakao is focusing on promoting its membership program, while Naver Cloud aims to enhance its visibility in the public sector collaboration tools market.
According to the IT industry on October 27, Kakao and Naver Cloud recently held marathon events. Approximately 11,000 people participated in Kakao's 'Kakao Friends Run 2026,' while around 5,000 joined Naver Cloud's 'Sejong Run.'
Kakao hosted the 'Kakao Friends Run' on October 10 at the Tancheon Sports Complex in Seongnam. The entry fee was set at 80,000 won, which is relatively high, but participants received commemorative items such as T-shirts and keychains featuring Kakao Friends characters, along with pre-delivered products that included vitamins and protein drinks.
Included in the participant package was a one-month free membership voucher for Kakao, valued at 4,900 won. This initiative aims to increase awareness of the membership program launched in September by allowing participants to experience the service firsthand.
Naver Cloud organized the marathon to target the public sector. The 'Sejong Run,' held last Saturday in Sejong, was designed as an event for civil servants and citizens to run together. The goal was to promote 'Naver Works,' a collaboration tool primarily used by civil servants, and to expand connections with public sector clients.
The entry fee for general participants was 40,000 won, with a 10,000 won discount for civil servants. Civil servants and their families accounted for about 41% of all participants, while residents of Sejong and Daejeon made up approximately 68%.
Naver Cloud's focus on the public sector aligns with its efforts to expand its collaboration tool business. Naver Works is participating in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 'On AI' project, contributing to the public sector's transition to artificial intelligence. In the civil servant collaboration tool market, it competes with Samsung SDS's 'Briteworks.'
Both companies have previously conducted product demonstrations and feature explanations targeting government departments to secure public institution clients. Naver Cloud's addition of a marathon event for civil servants and citizens is seen as a strategy to enhance service awareness and broaden connections.
Naver Works is also showcasing its competitiveness through user metrics. Recently, Naver Cloud announced that Naver Works ranked first among domestic collaboration tools in key mobile usage metrics, including user numbers and total usage time. Securing additional adoption in the public sector based on its existing user base is the next challenge.
In November, evaluations of collaboration tools for the second round of adoption target institutions are expected to conclude. The decision-making process regarding which service to choose between Naver Works and Samsung SDS's Briteworks is of particular interest, especially for large institutions like the Korea Post and the Ministry of Justice.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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