How Does a Tortoise Catch up a Hare? : The case of Instant Messenger in Korea

Abstract

SK Communications entered Korean instant messenger market as a late-mover in 2001 and its instant messenger service “NateOn” was placed in competition with Microsoft’s “MSN Messenger”, the leading service provider at the time. NateOn studied the nature of users accurately and gradually increased its market share through various services, and in September 2005, it succeeded in overtaking MSN as No. 1 in the market. The success of NateOn is a case where a late-mover overcame the buddy-list network, a powerful competitive advantage, of the incumbent. By studying the changes in the instant messenger market of Korea, we try to examine the causes of NateOn’s victory and MSN’s loss. Through this, we wish to give implications for managers who endeavor to discover the internal and external strategies the leading business has to implement to remain ahead, and how a late-mover can overcome the lack of resources and capacity to leave a mark in the market.