<p>Another move in the oh-so-hot mobile messaging space today: South Korea's Kakao Inc, which owns the KakaoTalk cross-platform mobile messaging app, has inked an agreement with digital marketing company IGAWorks to bring its mobile ad product, adPOPcorn, to the messaging app.</p><p>IGAWorks will also provide adPOPcorn to game developers whose products integrate with KakaoTalk. In a press release, the pair said the adPOPcorn advertising platform provides "in-game/in-app incentivized ad offers, including integrated advertising pop-ups, higher conversion rates and traffic, to social and mobile media channels while offering in-game items and other incentives to players".</p><p>Mobile messaging companies are using a variety of strategies to monetise the large user-bases they have built up by offering free messaging services. It's worth flagging that messaging giant (and KakaoTalk rival) WhatsApp has taken a public stance against advertising but the company does (generally) charge yearly subscription fees to monetise its service, after a first free year. Other messaging apps, such as Line, have been using in-app entertainment-focused purchases such as stickers and game-related content to generate revenue.</p><p>KakaoTalk, which now has 90 million registered users, booked a profit of $6.3 million for fiscal 2012 on revenue of $45 million, according to Forbes. Building out its ad platform is an obvious way to supplement revenues from the 100 or so gaming apps on its platform (KakaoTalk takes a 20% cut of game sales). The bulk of KakaoTalk's 2012 revenue came from game sales, according to Forbes so today's news means it's adding a mobile advertising string to its bow.</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/10/kakaotalk-adpopcorn/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/05/10/2681249/igaworks-mobile-advertising-platform.html">IGAWorks' Mobile Advertising Platform, adPOPcorn, Heading to Messaging App ...</a> (Fort Mills Times)</p><p><a href="http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/05/10/korean-chat-app-kakao-talk-partners-with-igaworks-to-add-in-app-adverts-to-its-connected-video-games/">Kakao Talk Readies In-App Adverts For Connected Video Games - The Next Web</a> (The Next Web)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dahDrTRu2nBoGcMZTfRbLFkqBitpM&ned=us">3 additional articles.</a></p>