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The Evolution of APAC: Reflecting on TUNE’s Journey in Seoul

Becky Doles

We recently reached the one year anniversary of our official Seoul launch, and it seemed like a good time to reflect on the journey and growth of TUNE’s APAC initiative.

The decision to open an office in Seoul began as a casual conversation over sushi with Lucas Brown (TUNE Co-founder and Chief Product Officer) and Micah Gantman (VP of Strategy and Business Development). Our discussion centered on the amazing opportunity APAC presented and the possibility of me leading the charge in the region for TUNE. The precise location of the new APAC office had not been determined, but the expectation was that I would eventually be moving to a new country for an indefinite period of time.Seoul_TUNE

After taking the leap over to TUNE (HasOffers at the time), vetting each region’s market dependencies and opportunities, and establishing a small yet confidence-inspiring book of business, I packed up and moved from San Francisco to Seoul in February  2014.

Factors in the decision

There were several components that influenced the decision to open an office in Seoul, but the defining factor boiled down to this: In order to be successful in any region in APAC, it’s essential to gain the trust of local companies. Establishing a presence in a new region is not only about offering support in local languages, it’s about substantiating your brand and consistently demonstrating that you’re committed to the success of local companies and the greater region.

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Evolution of the market

Every market in every country behaves and reacts differently. As a company, we needed to not only provide a product for the status quo but be able to absorb our surroundings, identify market needs, and help influence the market for the better.

Over the past year, we’ve seen Korea radically shift from a market dominated by publishing platforms to a market that has made remarkable contributions to advances in supply-side technologies that provide significant value to the demand market. We’re humbled that our local office was able to play a role in promoting this evolution.

TUNE_Seoul_Team

Our commitment to APAC

TUNE is genuinely committed to helping organizations in APAC be successful. We’re not here to just sell a tool/platform but to establish relationships, garner support and change the mobile ad space in a way that wouldn’t have been possible years ago in APAC. We look forward to further establishing the relationships we have now, building new relationships, and helping APAC grow for years to come.

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Author
Becky Doles

Becky is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at TUNE. Before TUNE, she led a variety of marketing and communications projects at San Francisco startups. Becky received her bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest University. After living nearly a decade in San Francisco and Seattle, she has returned to her home of Charleston, SC, where you can find her enjoying the sun and salt water with her family.

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