Zingu.com drops Wisenut for OpenBase

zingu drops wisenut as backfill partner--signs to come?

[GrendelKhan TSU]

Zingu.com, the local OVKor upstart, made an interesting move switching their backfill partner from Wisenut Korea to Openbase, an prominent local search solutions company (which provided Daum community its search, for example, and boasts directory and content match technology.)

This following Zingu's PPC distribution deal with Gajai.com, the korea's largest meta engine (which ironically accounts for a significant portion of Daum's search volume that OV boasts much about).

Zingu's index UI, search box and affiliate programs have since changed and expanded in coordination with the move as well (all include PPC of course).

Zingu's expanded service range, big G's opening of its Korean interface and deal with hanmir, surely mark a continued growth and trend toward PPC advertising and heated up competition in the Korean market.

OV Kor enjoys the market share now, but I have no doubts they will start to feel the squeeze in the time to come (hence their minimum bid price drop as well).

So far the PPC picture in Korea has expanded officially then by one:

Zingu.com
OV.co.kr
Big G.co.kr

Major PPC publisher expansion:
gajai.com ==> zingu
hanmir ==> google
donga ==> OV (content match)

btw, what up WebmasterWorld peeps?! miss my bloated Korea PPC market posts? (shhhh! if you don't even remember me. lol)

[bill]

Of course we missed you. Nobody can rant about the Korean SE market quite like you do ;)

How is Wisenut doing now with this switch? Do they provide results for anyone else? The English version kind of shriveled up and died of neglect under LookSmart.

[GrendelKhan TSU]

WisenutK seems to be focusing on building their own advertising products and have spun off a couple specialized search engines...

I keep saying this but...
korea may be "behind" in some respects...but in others....its light years ahead of the search game.

no really.

web search is probably the LEAST popular of the "kinds of search" you can do here.

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Alternate Search Discussion continued here [webmasterworld.com].

[edited by: Woz at 1:50 am (utc) on April 27, 2004]