Over a decade has passed since Meta acquired WhatsApp, and until now, the company has been relatively quiet about how it plans to monetize the app. Considering the hefty $19 billion investment at the time, one might have expected Meta to pursue monetization efforts sooner.

While advertisements have long been a staple on both Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp had remained an ad-free zone. However, that looks set to change in the near future.

New Features… and Advertisements!

In recent months, Meta’s messaging service has been actively announcing the launch of new features. Just recently, WhatsApp revealed that it would soon be introducing message summaries powered by artificial intelligence, enhancing the existing Meta AI integration within the app.

On Monday, June 16, WhatsApp made another announcement on its blog about integrating additional features into its ecosystem, including advertisements.

With Meta having recently rebooted its artificial intelligence training in Europe this past April, the introduction of advertisements comes at an opportune time for marketers looking to reach audiences via WhatsApp.

For this purpose, WhatsApp plans to leverage the very nature of its application, with ads centered around conversations.

Advertisements Under Status Updates

One of the upcoming features in WhatsApp includes placing advertisements under status updates, where users can directly engage with businesses regarding specific services or products.

This goes beyond traditional advertising by theoretically allowing businesses to communicate directly with consumers. However, Meta has not provided further details on how these interactions would be structured.

See also  Facebook Alert: Disable This Feature Now to Keep Your Photos Private!

Sponsored Channels

The introduction of sponsored channels marks a significant update in the new version of WhatsApp. Moving forward, administrators will have the opportunity to promote their channels directly within the app, although Meta has not elaborated on how exactly this will be implemented.

While this advertising format may seem surprising at first, it actually makes perfect sense with the introduction of a new feature related to this area…

Channel Subscriptions

In its press release, WhatsApp also announced a new economic model for channels. Specifically, channel administrators will be able to pay for subscriptions to channels and receive exclusive content. However, Meta has stated that channels should remain free and accessible to all users.