07/12/2016 Tech Time – FACEBOOK MESSENGER
Over the years Facebook Messenger has evolved from a simple messaging platform to a standalone service that now serves 1 billion monthly active users. In its first year removed from the core Facebook app, Messenger became the fastest growing app of 2015.
What makes Facebook Messenger a platform of interest is its reach and ability to directly engage with consumers through chatbots, stickers, or games. Brands are able to create simple yet fun personalized experiences that require minimal participation from users.
Since Facebook announced that chatbots launched on the platform back in April, over 30,000+ bots have been created to date and are being used by users in over 200 countries. One of my personal favorite chatbots that I’ve experienced is one for Call Of Duty (video game franchise).
The intent of the Call Of Duty chatbot was to introduce you to the new world of latest installment of the franchise that for the first time, expanded the series into outer space. The chatbot takes you on a hybrid tour of your homebase, Retribution and a new planet named Europa that mixed text with visual references (GIFs) immersing the participant into the new world of Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare before it hit shelves November 4th.
While Call Of Duty is the one example, there have been plenty of other great chatbot examples out there like Miss Piggy, The White House, and the candy brand Trolli that frequently referenced to as some of the early pioneering chatbots.
As of September Facebook put Payments into beta (currently limited to users in the United States), which allows user to make purchases directly within Messenger, whereas before, users had to leave the app to follow links.
While chatbots are currently one of the hottest topics when discussing Facebook Messenger, stickers are also one of the key pillars of the Messenger experience. Over 380 million stickers are sent daily and compared to other messenger applications there is a wider number of entertainment brands already developing sticker content for Messenger including Dreamworks Animation, Sony Pictures, and Warner Brothers.
In addition to chatbots and stickers is Instant Games. Recently launched, Instant Games are cross-platform games built using HTML5 ( standardized markup language for creating web pages and web applications). Instant Games is currently available in 30 countries. It’s only been a week since Instant Games was launched, so examples of what’s been done creatively are limited to the the 17 titles Facebook commissioned for launch, including classic titles like Pac-Man, Words With Friends and Space Invaders.
Once a message is personal, people identify with it. We see massive opportunities for film clients to use Facebook Messenger to create an experience that asks fans to participate in a personalized, one-on-one experience that brings the audience closer than never to a title.