Can’t say we didn’t see this coming. Facebook is testing sponsored ads in its popular Facebook Messenger. The first countries that will be receiving this new feature will be select groups in Australia and Thailand.
Eddie Zhang, Messenger’s Product Manager, detailed how this is going to work. Similar to most apps that feature advertisements, Messenger will be employing an ad banner below the recent conversations page. Zhang promises that ads won’t appear in a conversation without the user clicking on an ad experience on Messenger home screen or starting a conversation with a brand.
Facebook Messenger presents itself as a huge platform for businesses looking to gain exposure and monetization. At the time of writing, it’s installed on over 38 million devices worldwide.
It’s unclear when the rest of the world will start seeing these ads. Facebook also owns WhatsApp Messenger, another extremely popular instant messaging app. It’s possible that if the new sponsored ads in Facebook Messenger goes well, WhatsApp may also receive the same treatment, but that’s not for certain-yet.
Source: Messenger Blog
