Kik paid Promoted Chats symbolize a new form of bot advertising. Bot advertising is not the best way to communicate because usually the messages are stiff, awkward, and sometimes not relevant. However, Kik’s Promoted Chats lets marketers set automated messages in a way that seems one-to-one, and it’s called “chatvertising”.

I think that messaging can be a powerful marketing medium because consumers spend more time on apps like Snapchat, WeChat, Line, and WhatsApp. If a brand can send out an authentic message that seems real, I wouldn’t mind.

Funny or Die, a digital comedy crew, co-founded by Will Ferrell, gets a 10 % click rate on videos sent through the Kik app using Promoted Chats and messaging only twice a week. However, when they post videos on Facebook or Twitter, six to eight times a day, they only receive a 0.5% click rate. This tells me quality over quantity. I personally don’t like when a brand bombards me with numerous messages that I feel aren’t interesting or relevant. I would much rather receive a message of that is fascinating and of quality. Plus if the messages are only twice a week, it makes me look forward to what’s coming up next.