WhatsApp Status ads take aim at small-town India

WhatsApp Status advertisements are expected to boost brand and advertiser reach, especially in Tier-II and -III markets, with some industry experts anticipating an increase in advertising budget allocation for Meta Platforms.

- ROSHNI SHEKHAR

This comes after Meta—the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp—added, for the first time, a feature that allows businesses to run advertisements directly on WhatsApp. In contrast, Instagram and Facebook have long offered advertising features.

According to advertising industry experts, brands in sectors such as direct-to-consumer (D2C), fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), microinsurance, education technology (edtech), healthcare, and quick commerce are expected to benefit from WhatsApp Status advertisements.

In the near term, Harikrishnan Pillai, chief executive officer and cofounder of TheSmallBigIdea, a creative digital marketing agency, anticipates most brands will allocate 5-10 per cent of their existing Meta budgets towards experimental spending.