Mobile App take Over

Quiet Brands

As one of my previous blog post has mentioned, the promotional mix has six different areas and digital/media marketing is one of them. With the millennials taking over the work industry as the Baby-boomers are starting to retire, technology and media outlets have become essential to the marketing industry.

When it some to messaging, Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Messenger are the go-to apps of millennials and marketers alike. But increasingly, a new crop of messaging apps in growing in popularity. New players in the social media world are WeChat, Line, Kik and Viber, who are quietly capturing the attention of brand marketers through sponsored stickers and chat bots reaching millions of millennials and teens. With the development of media outlets through applications increasing everyday, it is difficult to keep up with every single app and noticing their difference. Technology has continuously impeded the marketing industry, in order to stay on top of the trends marketers need to act upon the movement.

Four Mobile Message Apps:

Kik:

Kik's data-based ads, which target users using such information as age, location and gender, stand out in a world of blanket advertising on other messaging apps. The Waterloo, Ontario-based app is a favorite among teens, offering video and its Promoted Chat formats that let brands talk to individual users. Since launching last year, 16 million consumers have swapped 500 million messages via sponsored bots.

Line:

After taking over Japan, Line has its eye on the U.S.—and the budgets of U.S. marketers—in 2016. The app sells sponsored stickers users can send to their friends. Brands can also set up their own accounts, similar to a Facebook or Twitter page. Line is also working with Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Kodansha to create mini content hubs akin to Facebook's Instant Articles and Snapchat's Discover platform.

WeChat:

This app is a mobile powerhouse in China, boasting more than 600 million monthly users who shop, play games and order takeout via their smartphones. E-commerce players like Michael Kors, Nike and Burberry are best at nailing WeChat because they produce their own content to drive sales, said Thomas Graziani, co-founder of WalktheChat, a Chinese agency that specializes in WeChat marketing.

Viber

After launching its first major U.S. campaign last month, Viber wants to be known as more than a chat app. Similar to Line, marketers can design custom stickers and build a network of fans by setting up official accounts. For example, Brooklyn's Barclays Center uses Viber to push out information about concerts and sports events. To differentiate itself, games will be a major focus in 2016, with brands able to sponsor.