Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp solidified 2014 as a breakthrough year for messaging apps, but what role can brands and media owners play in the conversation? The answer lies in understanding a fragmented industry landscape dominated by a few key players with strikingly different philosophies, product offerings, and geographic and demographic strongholds. If you think apps are just a cheaper way to text, you’re missing their potential: they’re content portals enabling 1:1 interaction with friends and fans.
After extensive research and first-hand experience launching a One Direction campaign on Kik, we have produced a comprehensive white paper to help marketers navigate the evolving messaging space. In this report, we’ll explore how the battle for messaging app dominance is likely to unfold, and take a closer look at the ecosystem, case studies, and best practices to understand what brands and media owners need to know to succeed in this new frontier of social media.