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Tech firms are similarly concerned, with messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal suggesting they may pull out of the UK entirely than fall into line. A statement fine will be handed out by the end of the year. It may not be particularly big, and it may not be a particularly big name, but Ofcom will be under pressure to set out its stall early.

Meta is experimenting with AI agents in both Messenger and WhatsApp, envisioning them being used for business messaging and customer support. It also plans to bring AI bots to Instagram, per recently leaked screenshots, and could do the same with Facebook. What might Meta explore? More paid messaging in Facebook, following the lead of WhatsApp.

It could also transform WhatsApp into a platform for payments and shopping, given the firm鈥檚 challenges with advertising and the need to generate more revenues. Expect it to keep expanding WhatsApp Pay into more markets. Amazon:. Amazon launched Buy with Prime to improve its existing suite of checkout offerings for sellers.

Messaging penetration of 17 named apps (including WhatsApp, Apple iMessage, and Facebook Messenger) was at 89.4.%. Only a minority of users (12.0%) focused their social network and messaging usage on one or two platforms. Older users (ages 55 to 64) were more likely to fall into this category, as well as lower-income and rural users.

Additionally, Shutterstock has announced an expanded partnership with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which will use Shutterstock's image and other media libraries to develop its AI datasets and hone its algorithms. Our take: Embedding generative AI into your platform may possibly go from a seeming competitive advantage to table stakes overnight.

The big picture: The sheer size of Meta鈥檚 existing audience, combined with the convenience of being able to access Meta AI in Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, will make the company stand out in a crowded genAI market. Meta鈥檚 powerhouse ad platform also gives it a leg up in monetization as genAI search advertising gains steam.

Tie-ins with Spotify and Banco do Brasil, which enabled Pix payments through WhatsApp, will help do that. And going live in other Latin American countries should also attract more users and volume.

Yeah, WhatsApp. Gadjo Sevilla (15:27):. They can all benefit from the AI infusion. And we could really see that they're willing to spend to get to where they are. (15:35):. Google would come in third at 15%. I think it's still going to be an important player definitely.

For WhatsApp and Facebook, those figures are 9.5% and 4.8%, respectively. Worth noting: In February removed the ability for advertisers to target minors on Facebook and Instagram by gender and other demographics; targeting options were already limited for audiences that included individuals under 18 in most countries, under 20 in Thailand, and under 21 in Indonesia.

Another factor that may give Instagram an edge is Meta AI, which is now embedded in search across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. 鈥淢eta is encouraging users to rely on Meta AI for all their search needs by integrating search results from Google and Bing,鈥� said Mitchell-Wolf.

Meta is also looking to grow and further monetize WhatsApp, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg described as the company鈥檚 鈥渘ext chapter鈥� in an interview last year. In Meta鈥檚 most recent earnings call, Zuckerberg said WhatsApp鈥檚 number of daily active users and message sends in the US 鈥渒eeps gaining momentum.鈥� We expect WhatsApp to have 67.6 million US users in 2024, up 2.1% YoY.

This new functionality鈥攚hich is currently being tested with select advertisers鈥攆ollows a previous update allowing businesses to send marketing messages on WhatsApp, where AI systems recommend optimal recipients based on desired outcomes. Why it matters: This puts Meta in closer competition than ever before with messaging providers like Attentive, Klaviyo, Braze, Wunderkind, and others.

WhatsApp bucked the trend with a 2-percentage-point increase from a year earlier. Twitter stayed flat鈥攚ith the caveat that the survey was conducted prior to Elon Musk鈥檚 takeover. Beyond the chart: More than three-quarters (77%) of the digital media professionals surveyed said that eroding consumer trust in major social media platforms will 鈥渘egatively impact鈥� their media spend.

In September, Meta claimed it had no plans to use WhatsApp as an advertising vehicle, but didn鈥檛 rule out other avenues of monetization. 鈥淲丑补迟蝉础辫辫 is going to be certainly a part of [Meta鈥檚] monetization ecosystem in the year to come,鈥� our analyst Jeremy Goldman said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that Mark Zuckerberg has talked a decent amount about.鈥�.

The stat: Campaign messages sent through push notifications, SMS, and/or OTT messaging via platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger increased 30% YoY during the period between Tuesday and Friday of last week, per Salesforce.

The use case for incorporating chatbots into messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger is pretty compelling, said Enberg, especially since many companies already use chatbots on WhatsApp for customer service purposes. 鈥淏ut the chatbots that exist right now are pretty basic,鈥� she said.

Meta offers far greater reach with its many platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. At the same time, search advertising is closer tied to performance budgets鈥攎eaning many companies aren鈥檛 lowering their Google spending all that much.

It has signaled that messaging, specifically on WhatsApp, will become a crucial part of its business moving forward. Meta鈥檚 click-to-message ads that send users into conversations with brands on Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp reached a $10 billion revenue run rate in 2023, per Meta. Key Takeaway. Continued investments across platforms could lead even more Gen Zers to use social for DMs.

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Reality Labs are just some of the businesses under Meta that may be affected, and rebalancing staff in each business unit will take time. The latest Meta layoffs, which will likely be finalized before Zuckerberg takes his paternity leave, could set off another flurry of layoffs in other companies.

It will continue to decline across Western Europe, North America, and Latin America as alternative apps without the need for an account (like WhatsApp) gain traction. Western Europe is ahead of North America in WhatsApp penetration. Even France, the least penetrated country in Western Europe, will be above both Canada and the US this year.

With AR and VR device shipments expected to grow nearly 7x in just four years, the FTC is betting that Meta is as prescient with its VR ambitions as it was when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta is banking on AI-driven business messaging tools to monetize WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram DMs, but it鈥檚 still a nascent business in the US. A longer-form resurgence could be a triple win. Platforms, advertisers, and creators would all benefit: Longer videos mean greater time spent, more ad space, and fewer excuses not to share ad revenues.