FACEBOOK IS ABOUT to make Messenger app users view adverts in the midst of their chat threads.
After testing Messenger ads in Thailand and Australia, Facebook has announced that advertisers will be able to buy advert slots within the app.
The adverts won’t be shown in conversations, but will be visible on the home screen of the app.
“People already spend time on Messenger interacting and conducting commerce with businesses and brands they love, and now with Messenger ads, they have an opportunity to discover experiences directly on their home tab,” a statement from Facebook said.
Facebook said it will begin a slow roll-out of ads, with a small percentage of users around the world seeing them pop up in their app within the next few weeks.
“We will gradually look to extend this to more people over the coming months,” Facebook said.
When people tap on an advert in the app, they will be sent to the website of that advertiser.
The social media giant is claiming that viewing adverts within the app could spark users to begin conversations about the products with each other.
Advertisers will be able to purchase Messenger, Facebook news feed and Instagram ad slots within Facebook’s advert manager.
“For developers, having a variety of ways to surface the conversational, visual and social experiences they’ve built for businesses and people is crucial.” the statement said.
“Messenger ads offer developers and businesses a way to use Facebook targeting to extend their reach to people around the world,” Facebook claims.
Facebook revenue
Facebook quarterly profit in the first three months of this year surged as its ranks of monthly users swelled, but the firm warned of rising expenses and slowing revenue growth.
Facebook revenue growth was expected to throttle back “significantly” this year as the social network runs out of room to post ads, Facebook’s chief financial officer David Wehner said during an earnings call with analysts.
Meanwhile, expenses are expected to surge 40 to 50% compared with last year as Facebook invests in data centers, research and more, he said.
The world’s biggest social network and a powerhouse in online advertising, Facebook has been working to diversify its revenue base as it expands into new areas.
But advertising still accounts for the vast majority of revenues, with most of that money made from people connecting to the social network on smartphones or tablets.
With reporting by AFP
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