[Edaily Reporter YU JIN-HEE ] As companies tighten their marketing budgets in the wake of an overall economic slowdown, the advertising industry is facing a deepening winter. Typically, the fourth quarter—which reflects the year-end shopping season—is the peak season for the advertising agency industry, while the first quarter is classified as an extremely slow season. This year, too, seven out of 18 domestically listed advertising agencies recorded negative revenue growth, and 12 suffered operating losses or profit declines, facing the economic chill head-on.

However, even amid this downturn, one company has stood out by achieving the “triple crown” of revenue growth, operating profit, and high margins all on its own. That company is the digital marketing agency Wise birds Inc.(273060).

The only one among 18 listed advertising firms to meet all three criteria of “growth, profitability, and high margins”… First-quarter operating profit up 354%

According to industry sources and the Electronic Disclosure System on the 13th, after filtering the first-quarter results of 18 listed advertising companies by key metrics, Wise birds Inc. emerged as the sole company remaining at the very end of the funnel. Among the 18 companies, 11 saw revenue growth compared to the same period last year, but only 6 of those maintained an operating profit, and the number of companies that actually saw an increase in profit narrowed to just 5. Furthermore, the number of companies meeting the high-margin criterion of an operating profit margin of 10% or higher was narrowed down to just two, and Wise birds Inc. was the only company to also meet the final criterion of “revenue growth of 20% or more.” This is a standout achievement amid an industry-wide struggle with stagnant growth and deteriorating profitability.

Wise birds Inc.’s consolidated revenue for the first quarter of this year was 11.82152 billion won, a 39.7% increase compared to the same period last year. Operating profit for the same period rose 354.7% to 2.90881 billion won. The operating profit margin also rose by 17.0 percentage points from the same period last year (7.6%) to 24.6%. This is the first time in Wise birds Inc.’s history that the company has simultaneously surpassed the 10 billion won revenue and 2 billion won operating profit thresholds during the first-quarter off-season. In effect, the company surpassed the operating profit figure from the previous peak season—the fourth quarter of last year (2.92 billion won)—during the off-season first quarter.

When these figures are compared with those of 18 other publicly listed companies, Wise birds Inc.’s standing becomes even more prominent. Wise birds Inc. swept the top spot in the industry across three of the four major indicators: operating profit margin, operating profit growth rate, and margin improvement, while ranking second in revenue growth. In particular, its operating profit margin (24.6%) demonstrated overwhelming profitability, opening a gap of a full 10 percentage points over Hanssak Co., Ltd. (14.7%).

Underpinning these strong results is a digital-centric business structure accompanied by fundamental improvements. According to the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation, the domestic digital advertising market reached 11.2619 trillion won last year, with online advertising solidifying its position as the dominant trend by accounting for approximately 60% of the total advertising market. Analysts note that Wise birds Inc., which has staked its entire business on digital advertising, is reaping the greatest benefits amid this massive structural shift toward digital advertising spending. In fact, Wise birds Inc. recorded advertising revenue of 579.2 billion won in 2025, becoming the only one among the top 10 domestic advertising agencies to achieve a growth rate in the 20% range.

Moving Beyond Simple Agency Services: Successfully Establishing the AI Automation Platform ‘Nest Ads’… Improving Business Structure with High-Margin Operations

In particular, what the market is focusing on is the company’s successful evolution beyond simple agency services into a “proprietary AI platform” provider. “Nest Ads Manager,” an AI-based advertising automation platform developed in-house by Wise Birds Inc., enables media companies to operate advertising businesses simply by installing a software development kit (SDK), without the need to build complex infrastructure. It is an innovative system where AI automatically handles everything from product planning to delivery and settlement.

Led by the portal Daum, 14 leading domestic media companies—including Saramin, Blind, Daily Shot, Regin, HANATOUR SERVICE, Lotte ON, Danawa, and Enuri.com—have already adopted this platform. Driven by this momentum, revenue for the Technology Business Division, which includes these operations, grew by approximately 100% year-over-year in 2025. The platform operates on a “revenue share” model, where the company’s revenue increases in tandem with the media companies’ advertising revenue. Since the entire process is automated, there are virtually no additional costs even as the number of participating media outlets grows. Unlike traditional advertising agencies, where costs rise in proportion to the number of staff, WiseBuzz has established a high-margin cost structure where revenue growth directly translates into profit.

It has also set a milestone as the first domestic agency to execute real-world campaigns in the emerging generative AI advertising market. Last June, Wise birds Inc. partnered with CLIO Cosmetics Co., Ltd. to successfully implement OpenAI’s “ChatGPT” ads in a marketing campaign targeting North American users—a first in Korea. ChatGPT advertising, which requires sophisticated ad delivery tailored to the context of user conversations, demands a high level of operational expertise. As OpenAI has announced plans to expand its advertising services to five countries, including South Korea, securing hands-on experience in the North American market ahead of the official domestic launch is expected to translate into strong market dominance in the future.

An advertising industry insider commented, “The solid partnerships with global Big Tech companies that Wise Birds Inc. has painstakingly built over the past 13 years are now beginning to pay off in the form of unparalleled quarterly earnings and explosive growth in new businesses,” adding, “While traditional agencies are struggling, Wise Birds Inc.’s dominance—fueled by its technological prowess and successful transition to a platform-based model—is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.”