No matter when, the theme of nostalgia and reminiscence often attracts people of all ages. We have experienced this deeply in the waves of marketing on short video platforms. In fact, marketing products with a theme of nostalgia and reminiscence has been successful not only in the short video field but also in static photo products.

In this regard, the photo editing tool EPIK has a strong say.

By continuously topping the iOS app charts in the United States for 3 days, this photo editing app called EPIK stood out among a multitude of apps, surpassing even ChatGPT to become the number one free popular app in the United States. On October 1st, EPIK was ranked 21st in the free chart, and in just one day, on October 2nd, it jumped from 21st place to third place on the free chart. With strong momentum, EPIK reached the number one spot on the free chart on October 4th and maintained it until October 7th, when the app's popularity began to slightly decline, and it currently ranks second. How did a photo editing software achieve such rapid success?

Part 1: Retro Style as the Main Feature of the Photo Editing Tool, Yearbook Photos Are a Hit Overseas

When you open EPIK, the first thing you see on its interface is "Travel back to the 90s with AI Yearbook," accompanied by a nostalgic photo of a girl from the 90s. It's clear that EPIK is leading users on a journey into the world of 90s yearbook photos.

Embracing a retro style is not a groundbreaking technique for photo editing tools. However, what sets EPIK apart in its promotion of the "Back to the 90s" theme is the use of AI technology. EPIK's working principle involves users uploading their selfies, and then EPIK uses the uploaded photos to generate poses, hairstyles, and other elements through AI technology, resulting in nostalgic yearbook-style photos.

In terms of specific operations, users can generate 60 photos after uploading 8 to 12 selfies. These photos are categorized under different styles like "Best Dressed," covering a range of aesthetics, including sporty, emo, and elegant styles.

EPIK is free to download, but there is a fee for generating photos. EPIK explains this by stating that the cost of AI Yearbook is quite high. The paid options for the series of photos generated by EPIK currently offer two choices for users:

Standard version priced at $5.99, which generates photos within 24 hours.Fast version priced at $9.99, with a quicker generation time of just 2 hours.Although the prices may be considered somewhat high for users, EPIK offers discounts as follows:The standard package is available for $3.99.The fast package is available for $5.99.

In addition to the popular "Back to the 90s" feature, EPIK also offers AI-themed editing functions such as "AI Hair," "AI Beauty," "AI Collage," and more. Furthermore, as a photo editing tool, EPIK includes a video mosaic function, allowing it to extend its capabilities from images to video processing, showcasing the versatility of EPIK's technology.

Part 2: Ins and TikTok Join Forces for Marketing - EPIK Attracts the Youth

Why has an app that was created two years ago suddenly gained immense popularity? The answer lies in EPIK's "Back to the 90s" marketing campaign.

If you search for EPIK on Instagram, you'll find that numerous influencers have joined the trend of AI Yearbook photos. Many influencers have uploaded their own photos and expressed their satisfaction with the photo restorations. For instance, actor Timur Gabriel, who has 155,000 followers on Instagram, shared his AI Yearbook photo with the caption, "If I looked like this in high school." This not only emphasizes the significant difference between the AI Yearbook's photo restoration and the actual appearance but also highlights the enhancing effect of the photos on regular people.

Searching for EPIK-related terms on TikTok reveals a similar trend, with many influencers using this photo editing tool to upload their yearbook photos and receiving a substantial number of likes and followers. One influencer, real.liv777, who has 240,000 followers, uploaded a video showcasing her yearbook photo and garnered 480,000 likes. In the comments section, many users expressed great interest in the app, with some even exclaiming that the software was "mind-blowing." This demonstrates the high level of excitement and engagement with EPIK among overseas users. However, there are also users who are apprehensive about EPIK's pricing strategy.

The author's observation indicates that the collection of videos where TikTok and Instagram influencers upload their yearbook photos has been concentrated in the past five days, aligning closely with the period when EPIK's iOS download ranking surged. This suggests that EPIK's marketing efforts were focused during the early days of October, with its primary advertising channels being Instagram and TikTok—two platforms predominantly popular among younger audiences.

EPIK's official marketing campaign is notably active as well. Upon reviewing multiple influencer videos, it's apparent that EPIK's official account responds to user comments consistently under videos related to EPIK's AI Yearbook photos. This demonstrates their active engagement with the audience through influencers. On TikTok, the EPIK official account has amassed over 200,000 followers, and its account description directly states, "Try AI Yearbook at the link below," emphasizing the concept of "yearbook photos."

Examining EPIK's official TikTok account, it becomes evident that EPIK began posting a series of yearbook-themed photos starting from September 19th. Up until October 8th, EPIK's official TikTok account has published a total of 33 videos in this series. These videos have garnered tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands of views. Compared to EPIK's previous official videos, this data represents a significant peak in engagement and viewership.

The recent EPIK campaign promoting the '90s yearbook theme was also supported by substantial advertising efforts. Extensive data reveals that TikTok was the primary platform for EPIK's advertising campaign during this period.

However, not everyone is satisfied with this AI-powered yearbook photo-making app. Some influencers who shared their yearbook photos on the app labeled them with hashtags like #wasteofmoney, expressing doubts about the authenticity of the photos.

Doubts about the authenticity of the photos have been considered by EPIK. Before generating the photos, users can see the AI Yearbook option and a disclaimer that states, "AI results may not always be satisfactory." EPIK also warns that there may be cases of "poor results" in generating photos. It's clear that the EPIK official acknowledges the limitations of AI-generated photos.

Part 3: Major Players Embrace AI Portraits - AI+Imaging Still Holds Opportunities Overseas

EPIK's first update was released on August 14, 2021, and it has been just over 2 years since then. During this period, EPIK has undergone over 60 version updates. According to data.ai ratings, EPIK has received a total of 42,300 ratings, with over 37,100 of them being 5-star ratings, accounting for more than 87.83%. This high level of user approval is evident, and EPIK has achieved a rating of 4.78.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that EPIK has been installed over 92 million times, with downloads in the United States alone reaching 4.7 million. However, EPIK's largest user base is currently in India. Despite the need to pay for generated photos, EPIK has managed to generate consumer spending of up to $7 million. This indicates that a significant portion of consumers is willing to pay for AI-generated photos, and this photo-editing approach has monetization potential.

EPIK is backed by a South Korean company called SNOW Corporation, which was founded in September 2015. SNOW specializes in photo and video editing products, and its various applications quickly gained popularity in regions such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. SNOW Corporation is the parent company of several successful applications, including SNOW, B612, SODA, Foodie, and more. Its camera and photo editing apps are widely used worldwide, with over 1.5 billion downloads.

It's evident that prior to EPIK, SNOW Corporation had already launched successful photo and video editing applications globally. The success of EPIK can be attributed to leveraging AI technology in the company's traditional domain of expertise.

However, opinions on EPIK's success vary. While AI technology allows photo and video editing apps to offer diverse portrait processing capabilities, some users have pointed out that the pursuit of aesthetic beauty can lead to distortion. Users may quickly lose interest despite initial excitement.

Similar to EPIK, there have been several popular image editing tools in the past, including the popular MeituPic app in China. After generating a wave of enthusiasm, these apps often face challenges in retaining users. Finding innovative ways to engage users and maintaining their interest is a common challenge across industries. Short video apps like TikTok regularly introduce new trends and creative features to keep users engaged and sticky.

Additionally, EPIK's pricing model may discourage some users, highlighting the need for image editing apps to explore new avenues for revenue growth.

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