Kakao vs Kao

Investor Presentation Released: Kakao

AI parsed presentation narrative: Kakao is driving growth through its high-margin advertising business and expanding its AI-integrated ecosystem while simultaneously executing a significant efficiency-focused restructuring. The company is focusing on its core 'Talk Biz' advertising and commerce products to improve operating margins while navigating a period of traffic stabilization in its content divisions. Key tailwinds mentioned: Feed-based Advertising Adoption, Fintech and Mobility Growth.

Kaia: Merged Klaytn–Finschia EVM Layer‑1 for Developers

Kaia is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain formed in August 2024 by merging Klaytn (Kakao's chain) and Finschia (LINE's chain). Kaia uses BFT proof-of-stake consensus with ~1-second block times and immediate finality (no reorgs) and retains chain ID 8217. It exposes both the standard eth_* JSON-RPC namespace (recommended for Ethereum tooling) and the legacy klay_* namespace for Kaia-native features. A standout protocol feature is fee delegation, which lets a separate fee-payer account sponsor gas to enable gasless UX via Kaia-native transaction types built with the Kaia SDK. SwiftNodes provides a flat-rate Kaia RPC endpoint (HTTP + WebSocket) for developers to connect to the network.

• Kaia was formed in August 2024 by merging Klaytn and Finschia.
• Kaia mainnet uses chain ID 8217 (inherited from Klaytn).
• Consensus is BFT proof-of-stake with ~1-second block times and immediate finality (no reorgs).

John Frieda Launches Campaign with Rossmann Partnership

Kao's haircare brand John Frieda is launching a new campaign titled "Generations by John Frieda" at the end of July, featuring testimonials Veronica Ferres and Lilly Krug in three video episodes. The campaign again teams the brand with the drugstore chain Rossmann as exclusive retail partner and uses Rossmann's retail-media and in‑store channels alongside social placements (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), print (Gala) and digital integrations (Brigitte newsletter, banners on Rossmann's John Frieda page). Media planning and buying are handled by the Publicis agency Starcom. Kao emphasizes a strategy combining social-first content, influencer/creator collaborations and integrated retail activations to reach consumers along the full customer journey.

• Kao's John Frieda brand is launching the campaign "Generations by John Frieda" at the end of July 2026.
• The campaign features Veronica Ferres and Lilly Krug as testimonials across three video episodes.
• Rossmann is the exclusive retail partner for the Germany-wide in‑store implementation and supports the activation with its advertising and retail‑media channels.