Facebook to roll out ads on Messenger

Facebook's instant chat app Messenger is to begin showing adverts to active users via its home page in a bid to capture more revenue and offer more value to advertisers.
 
Trials have been carried out since earlier this year, but it was announced yesterday (July 11th) that users in the US will begin seeing marketing messages within the next month.
 
There are some 1.2 billion active users of Messenger per month, but it has so far remained ad-free. Now, the only Facebook-owned social media portal to remain free of marketing messages will be WhatsApp.
 
In a video demo, Facebook revealed that the Messenger ads will be extensions of campaigns being run on Facebook and Instagram, with brands simply needing to tick a box if they want them to appear on the chat app too.
 
At present, video adverts will not be offered, but that could change in future.
 
However, critics are already arguing that the development will spoil the Messenger user experience and that the ads are too large for the interface they are being displayed on.
 
It comes after the behemoth said it is trialling a change in its marketing offering by giving brands the chance to build their own customised audiences through specification of criteria such as previous views of Facebook profiles, AdWeek reported.