Have you ever felt the power of a character? Just seeing your favorite character on the coffee mug that wakes you up in the morning, the notebook you’re constantly writing in, or the charger you plug in every night is enough to bring a smile to your face. Let us introduce the story of Wadiz Fansmaker Inteko, a brand that infuses the power of characters into everyday essentials to make life more enjoyable.
, the creator ofWadiz hit product, the “Jinro Dispenser”
We are Inteko, an IP lifestyle tech company
Source: Inteko website
Hello. We are Lee Han-na, who handles marketing at Inteko, and Eom Tae-yoon, who handles design. To put it simply, Inteko is an “IP lifestyle tech company.” We create everyday products by leveraging intellectual property (IP), such as corporate mascots and logos. We produce products based on requests from our clients, and we also develop our own private-label (PB) products.
We’re living in an era where IP-based marketing is more important than ever. We’ve been creating products using the IP of global companies such as Samsung Electronics, Shinsegae, and Kakao. We handle every stage of the process—from deciding what kind of product to create based on a specific IP, to conceptualizing the design, and finally bringing it to life as a tangible product.
Last April Wadizlaunched a crowdfunding campaign for a soju dispenser and cooler featuring the “Jinro Toad” character. Thanks to over 6,500 supporters, we achieved a funding rate of 102,797% and raised approximately 510 million won. Even before the project launched, the number of people signing up for notifications grew every day, and as soon as it went live, the funding amount skyrocketed. (Laughs) I remember the reaction within the company was incredible.
▶ Click here to see the 510 million won funding round led by Jinro Toogabi (Click)
We’re exploring ways to improve our products, and
and present the results to you again
As we mentioned earlier when introducing Inteko as a lifestyle tech company, our slogan is “A company that understands life’s needs.” Researching what products our customers want and need is one of our top priorities. Wadizis a platform that allows us to quickly gauge supporters’ reactions during the funding process. We decided to launch a campaign on Wadiz because of this advantage, and it has indeed been a huge help.
Our supporters often leave comments in the news section or community forum about how they’d like to see our products improved. For example, with the Jinro Cooler, while the response was incredibly enthusiastic, we also received some constructive criticism. (Laughs) They gave us feedback saying they’d love a product that could be charged with a power bank when used outdoors. So, we’re currently preparing an encore campaign with a product that incorporates that feedback. I think the biggest appeal of crowdfunding is that we can gather genuine reviews from our supporters, identify ways to improve, and showcase those improvements in the next campaign.
Wadiz Fansmaker,
This is a great opportunity to use characters that everyone knows.
*What is“FANZ MAKER”? It is a project in which Wadizpartners with IP companies to directly match makers online and develop products.
Our most recent project is FansMaker, our second collaboration following MapleStory. First of all, the “Jinro Toad” character is widely recognized as a major success story in the market. It has become a character that’s incredibly familiar not only to the MZ generation but also to anyone who enjoys alcohol. So, I saw the opportunity to utilize this character through FansMaker as a huge chance in itself. I also believed that if we successfully combined Inteko’s unique technology and design, we could generate a strong response from our supporters.
While many people enjoy drinking, the target audience for this project was “solo drinkers.” Even though COVID-19 restrictions have been significantly eased, the culture of drinking alone at home in comfort remains strong, and the trend of making and drinking your own unique concoctions has been gaining attention.
So, with solo drinkers in mind, I kept asking myself, “What kind of products would they find useful while drinking?” As a result, I narrowed my focus down to a dispenser that automatically pours drinks so they don’t feel lonely even when drinking alone, and a cooler that keeps soju chilled.
This is an essential step for creating a unique product
With the character market growing so rapidly these days, we’re seeing a lot of products based on these characters. The most important thing when designing these products is to avoid making them look like the character has simply been slapped onto the product.
You need to fully understand a character’s unique charm and traits so that its distinctive qualities can be effectively incorporated into the product. One tip is to try incorporating props from the character’s story into the product as much as possible. Those small details can really help elevate the product’s overall quality.
To create such a distinctive product, it’s essential to understand as much as possible—from the character’s personality to the overall world-building. I believe the quickest and most accurate way to do this is to carefully review the guidelines and assets provided by the IP holder. After all, it goes without saying that the IP holder who created the character knows it best.
It’s also helpful to view that guide from the perspective of “This character would pair well with this product line.” If you feel that this approach isn’t enough, you can proactively request additional materials or look for them yourself . No matter the method, the most important thing is to make an effort to understand the character.
If you have a story you’d like to bring to life through IP, contact us at
Give Fansmaker a try
We never miss an opportunity to participate in Fansmaker whenever it takes place. The reason is that it allows us to fully integrate IP into our storytelling. By leveraging the IP and stories we value, we can create projects that are uniquely Inteko’s own. It also enables us to quickly identify consumer needs. Personally, I’ve engaged in various collaborations while working on these projects, which has given me a great sense of accomplishment. I believe it has been a valuable experience both for the brand and for me personally.
With so many characters flooding the market—to the point where it’s often described as a “flood of characters”—various companies are actively pursuing character marketing. To avoid getting swept up in this flood , Inteko plans to continue researching what products our supporters actually need in their daily lives, and we’ll strive to collaborate with characters to ensure our products offer both functionality and a unique edge. We’ll be back soon Wadizas a new Fan Maker, so please look forward to it.
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