Look who's chasing the ad buck

As ads hit WhatsApp updates, marketers weigh reach against risk

- GEETIKA SRIVASTAVA

WHATSAPP'S DECISION TO start generating revenue from advertising is a strategic shift. After years of operating ad-free, the world's most-used messaging app with over 853 million users in India alone is joining Meta's other platforms — Facebook and Instagram — to display ads. These short-form ads will appear in its Updates tab between user-generated statuses and channel posts.

Think of it as Instagram Stories but with a personal inbox proximity. "Even if WhatsApp captures 5-10% of Meta's estimated ₹16,000-crore India ad revenue, they're looking at ₹800 to 1,600 crore in spends," says Abhishek Gupta, joint managing director at BEI Confluence. "Much of it will come from D2C brands, edtech and government campaigns."