Insights >
The differences between advertising on LINE Japan and other social media platforms
New: 2025 Japanese Marketing Calendar | download for FREE >>
If you are considering online advertising in Japan, you may have come across LINE Japan and wondered how it compares to other social media platforms in Japan. LINE is Japan’s no.1 messaging app with 95 million MAU (monthly active users). You can reach 80% of the entire Japanese population. As the most popular social media app in Japan, it is the best digital platform for reaching Japanese mobile users. For those who are unfamiliar with the app and its advertising features, here is a list of the differences between LINE Ads and advertising services on other top social media platforms in Japan.
YouTube is massively popular in Japan; however, users interact with the platform differently than with LINE (learn how Japanese internet users use the top social media platforms). Most notably, YouTube is the best channel for video content, and LINE Advertising is the most effective mobile app for promoting products and services. Video ads on LINE, however, have a very low CPM, making it a cost-effective way to get your brand in front of millions of Japanese mobile users.
Did you know that over 70% of Twitter users in Japan are anonymous users? In contrast, LINE users are only connected to friends they have added and have no need to create anonymous profiles. In addition, Japanese people on Twitter are mainly there for updates from accounts they follow and engage well with organic posts. On the other hand, users do not respond well to Twitter Ads, which tend to have low CTRs. LINE Ads, however, have several different formats and locations. The ads that appear unobtrusively, such as in Smart Channel and First View, do very well as brand awareness campaigns that get very high impressions.
>Learn more about the features and different types of LINE Ads
In general, Instagram Ads are quite similar to LINE Ads in appearance and targeting options. The two platforms are also great for fashion and cosmetics brands and retail goods. The main difference is that LINE Ads can appear anywhere within the LINE app and other apps in the LINE Ads Network. Advertisers cannot control where LINE Ads will appear within the LINE app, much like Instagram’s automated ad delivery via Facebook.
Facebook may be the most popular social media platform in other countries, but in Japan there are fewer users every year and most people use it for business networking. Therefore, Facebook Ads are best for B2B campaigns and LINE Ads for B2C. With Facebook Ads, you can choose between CPM (cost per thousand impressions) and CPC (cost per click) whereas LINE Ads are all CPC.
>Learn how LINE Ads might work better for your B2C campaigns than Facebook Ads
For further reading on social media marketing in Japan, make sure to reference our social media UX/UI guide as well as distinct solutions for social media marketing in Japan.
Ready to start advertising on LINE Japan? Our bilingual Japanese digital marketing experts can help you with account creation, ad creative, campaign strategy and account management. Be sure to contact us for your initial free consultation.
