WhatsApp is initially moving away from years of smoldering plans to introduce advertising to the chat service. Most recently, work has been carried out on placing ads in the so-called “status” area, where users can share photos and videos with their WhatsApp contacts for a day.
Now a spokesman said that they still see a long-term opportunity – but there is no detailed schedule for it. Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported that the team that was supposed to draft the ad plans had been dissolved.
WhatsApp has long struggled to find the right business model. The WhatsApp founders originally categorically rejected all advertising and originally wanted to fund the chat service with a subscription fee of one dollar a year. Then, in 2014, they sold the company to Facebook in a deal that ended up being around $ 22 billion. The online network – which is almost entirely financed by advertising – opted for a free WhatsApp and took the time to consider how the chat service could make money.
Current plans include asking companies to checkout for additional features when communicating with their customers via WhatsApp. Work is also underway to introduce a payment function in several countries.
Internal dispute over the advertising plans is considered a central trigger for the departure of the two WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who initially stayed on board after the takeover by Facebook.
Source: Apa / dpa
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