Facebook Brings AR Adverts to Messenger Bots 13Apr

Facebook Brings AR Adverts to Messenger Bots


Still the feature is in its beta stage, retailers like Nike have already signed on as early partners.

The footwear brand launched a new pair of limited edition shoes to coincide with its new Messenger AR advert through which customers are allowed to view a virtual render of the shoe when chatting with Nike’s chartboat and make a purchase.

“When a person interacts with your business in Messenger, you can prompt them to open the camera, which will be pre-populated with filters and AR effects that are specific to your brand,” Facebook said.

“This feature leverages the nature of messaging to help people get valuable, instant feedback about purchases, customizations, and more, without ever needing to set foot in a store.”

1.3 billion People have understood the usage of the Messenger app and the social media behemoth has said that as part of the long-term revenue growth strategy ads within the app will be important.

Facebook said it also planning to sell adds to brands on its news feed that can be connected to messenger conversations, creating a “flywheel” feedback loop for advert sales.

This comes amid increasing controversy over data privacy at Facebook, growing opposition both internally and from the public over the use of targeted adverts.

Earlier in the week co-founder and chief executive of the Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Jan Koum announced plans to step down on the disagreements with its parent company.

The reason for his departure is yet to know, Koum has been a critic of targeted advertising, stating in 2012 that adverts were “a disruption to aesthetics, an insult to your intelligence, and the interruption of your train of thought”.