Recently, Will Cathcart, leader of WhatsApp, revealed that the messaging application may start showing ads. This information comes weeks after Cathcart denied rumors published by the Financial Times about the possibility of the company, owned by Meta, adding advertising.
Guaranteed ad-free space
Cathcart assured, in an interview with a Brazilian publication, that WhatsApp’s main inbox will remain free of advertising. However, users may start to see ads in places like the Status page and in Channels.
He highlighted the idea that placing advertisements in the inbox would not be appropriate, as when people open the inbox they generally do not want to see advertising.
The strategy behind the decision
Although there are no ads in the inbox, Cathcart indicated that other areas of the messaging service, such as Channels or the Status page, could be better suited for advertising. These spaces could include paid subscriptions or be exclusive to paying members, or Channel owners may want to promote their services.
The idea of integrating ads on WhatsApp is not new; As early as 2018, Meta had plans to add advertising to the Status page, but this initiative was abandoned in 2020, possibly due to the unpopularity of the strategy.
Controversy and concerns
This decision raises questions about privacy and user experience, especially considering that Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, was against the idea of filling the app with ads in a 2018 interview with Forbes.
It is not yet clear how WhatsApp plans to introduce ads without becoming a nuisance or what data will be used to target ads, given that conversations on the service are end-to-end encrypted.
Cathcart did not confirm a specific date for the introduction of ads on WhatsApp, nor did he detail how they will be managed so they do not become intrusive. So, we just have to wait and see how the platform will balance this new revenue strategy with the experience of its users.
By Vitor Urbano