App business-- marketing a sex app

[ganziyama]

Hey guys... So pretty ridiculous turn of events. I was in Korea and a friend of mine tells me to reply on a classified app for translating. Extra and easy cash. Sounds good. So I shoot those guys an email and instead, they want me to market a sex instructional app because they were planning a release to the U.S. iTunes store.... So basically I try my best to market the app for them given their non-existent English, terrible translation (before I fixed it all up), and their ridiculous expectations.
I'm just posting in case anybody was interested in international business on some key points that I learned...
1. Culture matters a lot regardless of product
Everyone probably knows this, but I didn't really know until I experienced it. I thought the app was kind of mediocre, but they were top 10 on the Korean app store and I had no idea how. They just said they used social networking, but without a website, I did not understand exactly how they garnered so much attention. I attribute it to the Confucian conformist ideology of Korea perhaps because they are very trend-oriented. Furthermore, they have an inferiority-complex (I guess like all cultures), but they try to diffuse that by seeking the approval of others which is not to say is good or bad, but I think in the business aspect, this can certainly be exploited.
2. Some people just don't listen
I told them from the get-go that they need a website to first establish credibility and for advertising. Since they were so successful, they expected me to get 2000 followers on Twitter. I have no idea how I can do that without a website, or without any framework in place for me to build off of. At the same time, I felt like I had no response since they have almost 6000 followers for the exact same product given the exact same circumstances. I think some of it is riding on me as I am in charge of marketing here, but part of it has to do with their adamant stance on going with only a facebook page....

Anyway, not to advertise or anything because I care more about what I learn... but do you think the app has potential? I didn't explain the app at all but here is the link to the website: http://www.hereshecomesapp.com ... It is so frustrating because I made the website myself and bought the domain, but they are (although they are thankful), kind of seeing it as unnecessary effort on my part. Furthermore, I am pissed off because I got paid 70 000won which is around 60 dollars CAD but they keep throwing English buzzwords like 'viral marketing' and keep communicating to them their disappointment... despite the fact that I am getting paid almost nothing and they dont' listen or fix what I tell them to fix... So basically what I am asking is for advice (namely, do I just quit... or is there enough potential for me to keep going and succeed?) I am leaning toward the latter, only because I can get valuable experience in case I would like to work in Korea.... sorry for the long post!

 

[Nereis]



Hey guys... So pretty ridiculous turn of events. I was in Korea and a friend of mine tells me to reply on a classified app for translating. Extra and easy cash. Sounds good. So I shoot those guys an email and instead, they want me to market a sex instructional app because they were planning a release to the U.S. iTunes store.... So basically I try my best to market the app for them given their non-existent English, terrible translation (before I fixed it all up), and their ridiculous expectations.
I'm just posting in case anybody was interested in international business on some key points that I learned...
1. Culture matters a lot regardless of product
Everyone probably knows this, but I didn't really know until I experienced it. I thought the app was kind of mediocre, but they were top 10 on the Korean app store and I had no idea how. They just said they used social networking, but without a website, I did not understand exactly how they garnered so much attention. I attribute it to the Confucian conformist ideology of Korea perhaps because they are very trend-oriented. Furthermore, they have an inferiority-complex (I guess like all cultures), but they try to diffuse that by seeking the approval of others which is not to say is good or bad, but I think in the business aspect, this can certainly be exploited.
2. Some people just don't listen
I told them from the get-go that they need a website to first establish credibility and for advertising. Since they were so successful, they expected me to get 2000 followers on Twitter. I have no idea how I can do that without a website, or without any framework in place for me to build off of. At the same time, I felt like I had no response since they have almost 6000 followers for the exact same product given the exact same circumstances. I think some of it is riding on me as I am in charge of marketing here, but part of it has to do with their adamant stance on going with only a facebook page....
Anyway, not to advertise or anything because I care more about what I learn... but do you think the app has potential? I didn't explain the app at all but here is the link to the website: http://www.hereshecomesapp.com ... It is so frustrating because I made the website myself and bought the domain, but they are (although they are thankful), kind of seeing it as unnecessary effort on my part. Furthermore, I am pissed off because I got paid 70 000won which is around 60 dollars CAD but they keep throwing English buzzwords like 'viral marketing' and keep communicating to them their disappointment... despite the fact that I am getting paid almost nothing and they dont' listen or fix what I tell them to fix... So basically what I am asking is for advice (namely, do I just quit... or is there enough potential for me to keep going and succeed?) I am leaning toward the latter, only because I can get valuable experience in case I would like to work in Korea.... sorry for the long post!

You must communicate to them the difference between marketing in Korea and in a deeper market.

Personally, I wouldn't work for a firm where they paid me $60 to do their marketing for them without some sort of significant upside later on, such as share options.

 

[yjeezle]

it's a culture thing....

working for a korean company is like working under a dictatorship where you have to always think about what you're saying, who you are and your position.

 

[ganziyama]

yjeezle did you work for a Korean company before? I remember a friend of mine telling me that when you want to enter a Korean company you have to start young otherwise you won't have enough time to move up the ranks.