Branded Stickers Continue Growth

Messaging remains in the news this week, and the buzzword continues to be “stickers.” Today, Viber, Kik, GroupMe, and Cubie all confirmed that they are working with TextPride, a company devoted to creating branded content and stickers for messaging apps. TextPride is bringing officially licensed content from over 200 sports and entertainment brands to the over 500 million users of messaging apps. Users can access the stickers in paid packs accessible in individual stores on each app. Packs generally run at $1.99, and grant access to about 30 emoji. While traditional ad tactics like mobile banner ads often disrupt the fundamental service of the messenger, branded stickers offer a natural, almost native opportunity to monetize the space, and increase broad consumer engagement amongst a younger demographic. This partnership is good news for brands and agencies looking to expand into the messaging space.