As consumers increasingly turn to messaging apps for more than just chatting with friends, platforms are evolving to meet them where they are in their conversations.
In Asia, for instance, Viber is seeing strong adoption among small and medium-sized businesses by offering tools that align with how people prefer to interact with brands: casually, directly and on their own terms. With features including carousel messages, full-screen video ads and generative-response formats, Viber is helping businesses create experiences that feel more like conversations than campaigns. This shift reflects a broader trend: Consumers want personalized, low-friction interactions with brands, and messaging apps are becoming the preferred channel. Viber’s success in markets including the Philippines and Vietnam shows how local behavior — mobile-first, chat-driven and commerce-enabled — is shaping the future of advertising.
Meta is responding to similar signals with updates to Messenger, allowing brands to send promotional messages to opted-in users using CRM data and custom audiences. The platform’s new metrics, such as cost-per-click delivered message, help marketers understand how these interactions perform. Importantly, Meta limits promotional messages to one per user per day, acknowledging the need to balance engagement with user comfort.
On WhatsApp, Meta is introducing promotional features in the Updates tab, including ads in Status, paid channel subscriptions and channel promotions. These tools are designed to support discovery and retention without disrupting the private, encrypted nature of personal chats.
Snapchat is also adapting to conversational behavior with Sponsored Snaps in the Chat Feed, offering branded backgrounds and auto-responses that integrate naturally into users’ messaging experiences, particularly appealing to younger audiences that value authenticity and immediacy.
Across platforms, the message is clear: Consumers are shaping the future of advertising, and brands that listen — by creating opt-in, conversational experiences — are more likely to build lasting relationships. And early adopters including Nestlé Philippines are already exploring these formats, offering valuable insights into what works in a messaging-first world.
Want to learn more and continue the conversation? Rise can help.
