Cheongram Communications

What Cheongram Communications does

Cheongram Communications (청람커뮤니케이션즈) is a South Korean B2B membership and affiliate marketing services company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Its core business is operating and managing membership and loyalty platforms on behalf of large enterprise clients — most prominently OK Cashbag, Korea's largest integrated mileage service with approximately 21 million registered members and 93,000+ affiliated merchants, and T Membership, the SK Telecom membership reward program offering benefits across 100+ domestic top brands with 5 million+ monthly visitors. The company also provides targeted SMS/MMS advertising (타겟문자) that leverages SK Telecom and card-company big data for precision audience segmentation, alongside local commercial district activation programs (Our Neighborhood Together, Alley Merchant Festival, Our Alley Festa) operated in collaboration with municipal governments in Seoul, Incheon, and Busan.

The underlying platform combines merchant onboarding and management, member engagement, promotional campaign execution, and data-driven ad delivery, with operations delivered via dedicated internal teams per enterprise client (OK Cashbag operations, Syrup operations, T Membership operations, SKT advertising sales). Cheongram does not own consumer-facing IP outside the platforms it operates on behalf of partners; its value comes from operational incumbency, accumulated affiliate and merchant relationships, and privileged access to SK Group and card-issuer data assets.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: affiliate referral fees and commissions from merchant transactions via loyalty programs, managed-services fees for building and operating membership platforms on behalf of corporate clients, and targeted advertising fees for SMS/MMS campaign delivery. The customer base is concentrated in Korean telecommunications (SK Telecom, SK Planet), financial services (Shinhan Card, Samsung Card), and adjacent enterprise clients (T Map Mobility, Korean Ginseng Corporation, Daemyung Lifeway), with pricing negotiated directly and not publicly disclosed. The company's most recent strategic expansions include contracts for T Map Mobility parking operations (2022), direct-operated retail via Two Up Coffee (2021), and SKT metaverse 'ifland' and BizChat SMS advertising (2020).

Name

Cheongram Communications

Legal name

(주)청람커뮤니케이션즈

Website

https://cheongram.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cheongram Communications is a Seoul-based B2B membership and affiliate marketing services company that operates Korea's largest mileage platform (OK Cashbag), SK Telecom's T Membership, and targeted SMS advertising for major telecom and card-issuer clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loyalty Program and Affiliate Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Loyalty, Rewards & Retention Platforms (BPAFAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT) (MPAAAIAB), Customer Communications Management (CCM) & Transactional Messaging (MPAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Affiliate marketing services
• Loyalty program management
• Mobile advertising platform
• Membership marketing solutions
• Local commerce activation

Headquarters

HQ city

Yeoksamdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Marketing Services: Manages affiliate partnerships for telecom and card companies, earning referral fees and commission from merchant transactions. Operates and manages loyalty programs like OK Cashbag and T Membership.
2. Membership Platform Operations: Builds and operates membership programs for corporate clients including platform management, member acquisition, and promotional campaign execution.
3. Targeted Advertising: Provides precision-targeted SMS/MMS advertising services leveraging telecom and card company big data, charging for ad delivery to targeted consumer segments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cheongram Communications operates membership and loyalty platforms (notably OK Cashbag and T Membership) on behalf of enterprise clients such as telecom operators and card issuers, runs targeted mobile advertising (MMS) campaigns, and executes local commerce activation programs. The company combines big-data-driven precision targeting with affiliate marketing to drive customer transactions and engagement for partners across Korea.

Product overview

Cheongram Communications is a B2B membership and affiliate marketing company operating a platform-plus-services model. Its core offerings span loyalty/mileage services (OK Cashbag), telecom membership platforms (T Membership), targeted digital advertising (Targeted MMS), and local commercial district revitalization programs (Our Neighborhood Together, Alley Merchant Festival, Our Alley Festa). The company connects enterprises (telecom operators, card issuers) with consumers through a network of affiliate brands, while also operating regional activation programs that link small merchants with consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OK Cashbag

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 million+ registered members for OK Cashbag loyalty program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered key, minor and core.

• T Map Mobility (티맵모빌리티)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership established in 2022 for parking and agency business operations. Company handles operational management of T Map Mobility parking services and related agency functions.
• Two Off Coffee (투오프커피)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Company-operated coffee shop brand. Gangnam location opened in 2021. Represents company's expansion into direct retail operations.
• Daemyung LifeWay (대명라이프웨이)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Affiliate sales partnership established in 2016 for Daemyung LifeWay services.
• SK Telecom (SK텔레콤)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Long-standing strategic partnership for T Membership platform operations since 2015. Manages affiliate partnerships, member benefits programs, and promotional campaigns. Also handles SKT metaverse platform 'ifland' operations (since 2020) and BizChat SMS advertising (since 2020).
• SK Planet SyrupkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Since 2015, operates Syrup financial company membership service for SK Planet. Manages membership services and affiliate partnerships for the Syrup platform.
• Hilton Grand VacationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Sales partnership established in 2015 for Hilton Grand Vacation timeshare services in Korea.
• Samsung Card (삼성카드)keyGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Premium S affiliate sales partnership since 2014. Manages affiliate marketing programs and member benefits for Samsung Card Premium S customers.
• Korean Ginseng Corporation / Daewoong (한국인삼공사/정관장)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Since 2007, developed and operated integrated membership site for Korean Ginseng Corporation. Built and operated membership point redemption program for JeonGwanjang products.
• SK (주식회사) / OK CashbagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Since 1999, has managed OK Cashbag affiliate marketing operations including online/offline affiliate development and management. Operates as the exclusive operator of OK Cashbag zone marketing and represents Korea's largest integrated mileage service with 21M members and 93,000 merchants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hyundai Department Store (H.Point): Hyundai Group's integrated mileage program covering Hyundai Department Store, Hyundai Home Shopping, and duty-free. Mirrors OK Cashbag's offline retailer-anchored loyalty model and competes for premium consumer spend.
• Kakao Corp: Operates KakaoTalk Membership and KakaoTalk Channel as a messaging-anchored loyalty and CRM platform. Competes directly for Korean merchants' affiliate marketing budgets and benefits from KakaoTalk's near-universal Korean reach.
• Naver (Naver Plus Membership): Naver's integrated membership program anchored on its dominant search and shopping platforms. Competes with Cheongram for affiliate marketing and consumer-loyalty contracts, particularly in retail and content verticals.
• CJ ONE (CJ Membership): CJ Group's integrated loyalty platform operating across CJ ENM, CJ Foodville, and CJ Logistics. Directly comparable to OK Cashbag in scale and member-base, competing for the same Korean consumer wallet share across dining, entertainment, and retail.
• L.POINT (Lotte Group): Lotte's integrated mileage and loyalty program spanning Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart, and 7-Eleven Korea. Closely mirrors OK Cashbag's offline-affiliate mileage model and is a primary competitor for Korean consumer loyalty mindshare.
• Channel Corporation: Korean affiliate marketing and performance-based advertising agency. Directly comparable to Cheongram's affiliate marketing services business and competes for the same telecom and financial services clients.

Others

• Innocean Worldwide: Hyundai Motor Group's global marketing communications and affiliate marketing arm. Adjacent peer offering similar affiliate, CRM, and loyalty-related marketing services for a different conglomerate ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• SK Planet (Syrup): SK Group's mobile services arm and platform owner of the OK Cashbag infrastructure that Cheongram operates. Competes in the same loyalty/membership space and operates Syrup as a competing financial-services membership program.

Regional players

• Shinsegae (SSG Membership): Shinsegae's e-commerce and integrated loyalty platform anchored on SSG.com and Emart. Comparable Korean retail-anchored loyalty model, though its online focus differentiates it from Cheongram's offline-affiliate-heavy approach.

Emerging players

• DigiCAPS: Korean digital marketing and ad-tech firm providing data-driven targeted advertising solutions. Comparable to Cheongram's Targeted MMS Advertising business, with overlap in telecom-data-driven audience targeting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cheongram Communications