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`(./tow-center)
`
`Guide to Chat Apps
`
`Image: Getty
`
`Executive Summary | Introduction:The Dawnofthe Social Messaging Era | Key Players and Case
`Studies | Conclusion | Further Reading| Glossary | Interviewees| Citations
`
`Executive Summary
`
`Messaging apps now have moreglobalusers thantraditional social networks—which meanstheywill
`play an increasingly importantrole in the distribution ofdigital journalism in the future. While chat
`platformsinitially rose to prominenceby offering a low-cost, web-basedalternative to SMS,over
`time they evolved into multimedia hubsthat support photos, videos, games, payments, and more.
`
`While manynewsorganizations don’t yet use messagingapps, digitally savvy outlets like BuzzFeed,
`Mashable, The Huffington Post, and VICE have accompanied a moretraditional player in BBC News
`by establishing a presence on a numberofthese platforms.
`
`To complementourresearch, we interviewed leadership at multiple newsoutlets and chat platforms,
`thereby synthesizing key lessons and presenting notable case studies reflecting the variety of
`creative and strategic work taking place within the messaging space. Most publisherefforts around
`messaging appsarestill in a formative, experimental stage, but even those have often proven
`effective in diversifyingtraffic sourcesfordigital content.
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`Drawing upon ourinterviewsand casestudies, we identify a numberof opportunities and challenges
`for organizations using—or hoping to use—messaging appsfor news. We arguethatto devise a
`successful messaging appstrategy, publishers must understand regional strongholds, user
`demographics, and popular features of each app. Advantagesto the chat ecosystem include huge,
`untapped audiences; high engagementthroughpushnotifications; unique productslike stickers and
`“chatbots”(see glossary for definitions); and the opportunity to build community through chat
`roomsand crowdsourcedstorytelling. Meanwhile, challenges include limited analytics tools and a
`fragmentedsocial landscape boasting roughly a dozen messagingapps, each with over 50 million
`registered users.
`
`Ourcasestudiesillustrate a numberof waysin which major newsoutlets haveutilized various
`messaging apps, each with its own niche characteristics. In the past two years, many platforms—
`including Snapchat, Viber, Kik, LINE, WeChat, and Telegram—introducedofficial channels that
`publishers like CNN, The NewYork Times, The Huffington Post, and Cliff Central now leverage for
`contentdistribution and user engagement. Otherplayers,like WhatsApp,havenoofficial offering for
`media owners,but this has not deterred organizations—mostnotably the BBC—from launching
`experimental campaigns.
`
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`
`Ourresearchindicates that one of the greatest benefits of chat apps is the opportunity to use these
`platformsas live, sandbox environments. The chancetoplay anditerate has helped several news
`organizations develop mobile-first content and experiential offerings that would have proved
`difficult in other digital environments.As these services primarily—and in somecases exclusively—
`exist on mobile phones,editorial teams have learned to focus purely on the mobile experience,
`freeing themselves from considerations about how contentwill appear on desktop websites or other
`broadcast mediums.
`
`As happenedafter the early days of social media, before whicha proliferation of services (some with
`regional strengths) led to intense competition for user attention, we expect to see some eventual
`consolidation amongchat apps. While Facebook Messenger and Skype do not garner muchfocusin
`this report, we believe they could becomesignificantplayers in this space over the comingyearas
`they figure out the right proposition for their platformsto partner with media organizations.
`
`Elsewhere, we concludethat issues around information,privacy, personal security, and mobile data
`penetration will unfold in different ways around the world; apps like Telegram and FireChat are
`amongthoseat the forefront of addressing and solving these problems. They,in conjunction with
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`similar applications,are likely to see an increasein user uptake as they meet needsthat other major
`chat appsare unableto serve.
`
`In developingeditorial strategies for some of these wide-ranging messaging platforms, news
`organizationsare notjust helping to future-proof themselves, they are also venturinginto online
`spacesthat could enable them to reach hundredsofmillions of (often young) people with whom they
`have never engagedbefore.
`
`Key Observations
`
`The key findingsof this report can be summarizedas follows: Messaging appsoffer strong
`opportunities to engage newordifficult-to-reach demographics. For example, Snapchat, a very
`popular app among millennials, has been credited with engaging and informing young audienceson
`complexissueslike the Iran nucleardeal.
`
`Innovationssuch as bespoke (or customized) stickers and emojis can help newsoutlets quickly build
`significant audiences via messaging apps.
`
`Messaging apps enable newsoutlets to gather(potentially exclusive) user-generated content and can
`becomea major source during breaking newssituations(e.g., as in the BBC’s coverage of the second
`Nepal earthquake in 2015).
`
`Newsoutlets may need to experimentwith a variety of chat apps to decipher which contenttype best
`suits the audiencesof each app. BuzzFeed, for example, had considerably more success using LINE
`for soft newsthanfor hard news.
`
`Messagingapps can provide unique opportunities for giving audiencesdirect access to content and
`publishers,be it through tailormade WeChatplatforms(Cliff Central) or Public Chats on Viber (The
`Huffington Post).
`
`Messagingappsprovide a space for newsoutlets to engage their audienceswith different—possibly
`lighter—typesof content(e.g., The Washington Posthas usedKik to distribute games, quizzes, and
`chat adventures).
`
`Evenappsthat are not as geared toward publishing as someof their competitors, such as WhatsApp,
`hold great potential for newsoutletsif used strategically.
`
`Messagingappsnotonly facilitate communication with eyewitnesses in areas where other formsof
`communication aren’t functioning(e.g., during extreme weatherconditions), they can also provide a
`platform for people who don’t feel safe speaking on the telephone. Additionally, apps such as
`Telegram focus strongly on encryption andsecurity.
`
`Messagingappsare notusedsolelyto drivetraffic to websites (e.g., BuzzFeed is using LINEaspart of
`amoredistributed strategy and aimsto provide as muchinformationaspossible inside the app,
`rather than direct users to its website).
`
`Whensourcing user-generated content, apps like WhatsApp, whicharetied to a user’s phone
`number,can significantly speed uptheverification processas they providea direct line to the content
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`creator/eyewitness.
`
`Messagingappsare relatively new and evolving at a rapid pace. Consequently, many newsoutlets are
`still in the processof establishingstrategiesto bestutilize these platforms.
`
`There is emerging evidence that messaging apps maydrive traffic back to outlets’ other, more
`traditional platforms(e.g., CNN’s Snapchat Discover drove people to seek out longer-form content
`on CNN’s TV newschannel).
`
`PDFsandprinted copiesof this report are available on the Tow Center’s Gitbook page
`(https://www.gitbook.com/book/towcenter/guide-to-chat-apps/details).
`
`Introduction: The Dawn of the Social Messaging Era
`
`“The social media phaseofthe Internet ended,” declared Fred Wilson—aleading venturecapitalist
`and early investor in Twitter, Foursquare, and Tumblr—in his 2014 “What Just Happened?”year-in-
`review. He continued:
`
`Entrepreneurs and developersstill build social applications. Westill use them. But there isn’t much
`innovation here anymore...messagingis the new social media...families use WhatsApp groupsinstead
`ofFacebook. Kids use SnapchatinsteadofInstagram. Facebook's acquisition ofWhatsApp in
`February ofthisyear wasthe transaction that defined this trend.”
`
`Messaging Apps Have Caught Up To Social Networks
`Monthly Active Users For Selected Tap 4 Social Networks * And Mesagging Apps**
`
`2,500
`
`2,000
`
`1,500
`
`1000
`
`500
`
`0
`
`—Big 4 Social Networks
`—Big 4 Messaging Apps
`
`So AD
`NS
`AS
`ANY
`
`nd
`AY
`
`nD
`OS
`
`KD
`OY
`
`RD
`aw
`
`0D
`OY
`
`2D
`AY
`
`nm
`OY
`
`Am
`OY
`
`AD AR
`OY
`BY" 2
`
`OOOO OPO AP AO” OO” AO” 0D” WO" o>
`
`INTELLIGENCI
`,
`,
`Source: Companies, 8) Intelligence. “Social networks: Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, **Messaging! WeChat, Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger
`(http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/tow-content/uploads/2015/11/CHATAPPSPage6_Chart.png)
`While Wilson’s views maybe surprising to some,statistics support them. Business Insider
`Intelligence released an infographicin April titled “Messaging Apps Have CaughtUpto Social
`Networks,”indicating that major chat apps (WeChat, Viber, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger)
`now have more combinedusersthanthe top social networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and
`Instagram).” And according to Mary Meeker’s “Internet Trends 2015”report, messaging apps make
`
`Bl
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`up 60 percentofthe top 10 global apps by both usage and numberofsessions.° Like any presumed
`overnight success, WhatsApp’s rise wasactually part of a broader movementthat took years to
`coalesce within a zeitgeist moment. Facebook’s $22-billion purchase of the app merely marked the
`day that everyone,even thosewith limited interest in technology, learned thatthe era of social
`messaginghadarrived.
`
`Any user now downloadingthe world’s 10 biggest chatappsforthefirst time maybestruck bytheir
`similarities. Dig deeperinto their histories, though, and you'll see that each company conquered the
`globe with one unique,core innovation before incorporating someof its competitors’ strongestideas:
`LINEpopularized stickers, Viber perfected free mobile calling, Snapchat invented ephemeral
`messaging, Kik pioneered mobile chat anonymity, Telegram supplied chat encryption, Tango
`delivered mobile video chat, WhatsAppintroducedthe simplicity of free texting, and WeChat
`created the messaging app as mobile web portal. Facebook Messenger,forits part, forged an
`amalgam ofall those apps, and nowlookstodifferentiate itself with the introduction of M, an
`artificial intelligence chatassistant.
`
`Objectives and Methods
`
`In this guide, we explorethecritical role chat apps canplay in the distributionof digital journalism
`today andin the years ahead. As mobiletraffic and referrals from social platforms continue to grow
`for the majority of newsorganizations, chat apps present a profound opportunity for audience
`development and engagement.
`
`According to Pew Research Center’s “State of the News Media 2015”report, 78 percent ofthe top
`50 digital news websites receive morevisits from mobile devices than desktop computers. And
`analytics firm Parse.ly, which delivers audienceinsights to over 400 newsorganizationsincluding
`Wired, TheAtlantic, and Reuters, claims 43 percentofreferrals to its publisher network now come
`from social media (outpacing search at 38 percent).
`
`Messaging has emergedas the newfrontier of social on mobile, and the sheersize of audiences on
`the top global chat appsis too big to ignore. These appsalso present an opportunity to diversify
`mobile traffic sources and to minimize vulnerability should Facebookorother platforms decrease
`traffic for publishers.
`
`For our research, we conductedinterviewswith leadership at numerous major messaging app
`companies,as well as early-adopter newsorganizations. We selected companiesandcasestudies
`that demonstrate the diversity of opportunities within the ecosystem,while also highlighting the
`uniquenessof each chatapp platform.
`
`While publishers generally indicated optimism and excitement for their work on chat apps,nearlyall
`pointed outthat as an industry wearestill in an early, exploratory phase. Most major chat apps spent
`the last few years perfecting their user experience, only recently turning their attention to media-
`ownerpartnerships. With that in mind, weurge readersto not only learn from the case studies
`presented,but alsoto initiate experimentsof their ownto find the right strategy for any editorial
`team.
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`A Brief History of Chat Apps
`
`Moderninstant messaging and SMSboth begantheir march to prominencein the early and mid-
`1990s. The difference betweenthe twois subtle: SMS(the acronym for “short service message”)
`allows mobile phoneusers to send each other text messages without an Internet connection,
`whereasinstant messaging enablessimilar functionality via the web. Thefirst SMS message wassent
`over the Vodafone GSM networkin the United Kingdom on December3, 1992, with the words
`“Merry Christmas.”Israeli firm Mirabilis released thefirst widely used online messenger, ICQ (short
`for “I Seek You”), in 1996.
`
`Precursors to ICQ date as far back as 1961 when MIT’s Computation Center built the Compatible
`TimeSharing System (CTSS), allowing upto 30 usersto log-in concurrently and share text messages.
`CompuServe’s CB Simulator, released in 1980,is generally recognizedas thefirst dedicated online
`chatservice; it required users to pay monthly fees for membership.
`
`In 1985, Commodore launched Quantum Link(or “Q-Link”), an online service for Commodore 64
`and 128 that enabled multi-person chat,file sharing, electronic email, games, and news via modem
`connection. Quantum Link changed its name to America Online (AOL) in 1991, and by the mid-90s
`wasthe leading U.S.Internet service providerandportal to the web.
`
`The company launched AOLInstant Messenger(AIM) in 1997 and purchased competitor ICQ in
`1998 to consolidate its primacyoverinstant messaging. Along with a few competitors,it also
`pioneered chatrobotslike StudyBuddy and SmarterChild that provided information and played
`gameswith users.
`
`In 2006, AIM controlled 52 percentof the instant messaging market,butit struggled to monetize
`and wentinto rapid decline in the face of competition from services like Google Talk, Yahoo! Chat,
`MSNMessenger, and Skype. The growing popularity of BlackBerry Messengerin the late 2000salso
`pointedto a bright future for mobile messaging.
`
`By the time mobile chat apps like WhatsAppand Kik arrived in 2009, SMS wasking. Mobile texting
`became a key modeof global, personal communication, earningbillions of dollars for
`telecommunications companies.
`
`But time and technology did not prove kind to telephone-service companies. As smartphones began
`to proliferate, messaging apps werean increasingly accessible solution to a simple problem: SMSis
`expensive in most countries, so whynottext or call much more cheaply,orforfree, via the mobile
`web?
`
`SMSvolumepeaked in 2012, and chat apps surpassed SMSin global message volumeforthe first
`time in 2013.* By January 2015, WhatsAppalone hosted 30 billion messages per day compared to
`about20 billion for SMS.°
`
`As Wi-Fi and high-speed mobile networkshit critical mass in many markets, chat apps quickly
`became multimedia hubswhere users could easily share videos, photos, stickers, games,articles, live
`streams, and more. Between 2013 and 2014, many messengersturnedtheir attention to monetizing
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`their massive audiences,andin doingso introducedtools for publishers and brands.
`
`Facebook: A CompanyReinvented for the Messaging Era
`
`Facebook Now Has More Accounts On
`Chat Apps Than OnIts Social Network.
`
`bsa teueli bede MsBee ae
`
`iB]
`
`ee|
`re)
`
`Charting Facebook's Rapid
`Reinvention at The End of
`the Social Networking Era
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`: a en rey = ne
`eidoleilceeleleel
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`Created by Block Perty ond Percolate
`
`(http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/tow-content/uploads/2015/11/CHATAPPSPage9_Graph-1.png)
`
`With a mix of foresight and irony, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has done more than most to
`close the era of social networking and usherin oneof social messaging. In 2014,he placed two
`massive bets on messaging: a $22-billion purchaseof the world’s leading chat app, WhatsApp,and a
`new requirementthat Facebook users download a standalone Messengerappto converse with
`friends.
`
`By September 2015, WhatsApp and Messengerhad 1.6 billion active, monthly accounts combined—
`outpacing Facebook’s 1.49 billion active, monthly accounts. The companyalso launched an open
`API for Messenger, encouraging developers and publishers to build custom appsfor the ecosystem.It
`simultaneously began beta testing Businesses on Messenger,a toolfacilitating e-commerce and
`customersupport. In August 2015, Instagram, another of Facebook’s acquisitions, launched
`enhanced one-to-one messaging—encouragingusersto share photos and videos from the newsfeed
`within private chats.
`
`A Flow from East to West
`
`Despite the boldness of Zuckerberg’s repositioning, Facebook wasrespondingto trends more than
`shaping them.A large swath of chat app innovation continuesto originate in Asia on platformslike
`WeChat and LINE, and Western appsoften appropriate those platforms’ best products.
`
`WeChat,in particular, has a monolithic presence in China reminiscentof late 1990sInternetportals
`like AOL and Yahoo(with a modern mobile twist). Users not onlytalk to friends and consume news
`on the app, but also make purchases,payutility bills, book taxis and doctors appointments,enroll in
`brandloyalty programs, monitortraffic andair pollution, and report incidentsto the police.
`
`That dominanceof the mobile webin countrieslike China mightnotbeaslikely in other markets,
`butit has servedasinspiration for ambitious Western chat apps plotting roadmapsfor growth and
`monetization. Like WeChat, Japan’s LINEis also incredibly advancedinits productofferings,
`grossing $656 million in revenue in 2014. By contrast, while leading Western messenger apps may
`boast multibillion-dollar valuations, they often have profit and loss sheetsin the red.
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`Timewill tell if the same winningstrategies will work halfway around the world. But for news
`organizations in North America and Europelookingfor a glimpse of how the market maylook in one
`to two years, downloading WeChatand LINEis the bestplace to start.
`
`Regional and Demographic Strongholds
`
`Whendevising your ownstrategy for messaging apps,it’s vital to selectthe right platform mix for
`your organization, based onthreecorecriteria:
`
`Regional Strongholds: Only a small group of apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Viber
`can besaid to be truly global—and eventhoseplatformsstruggle in certain countries. Meanwhile,
`messengerslike WeChat, LINE, and KakaoTalk completely dominate specific markets but have
`negligible traction in others.
`
`Demographics:It’s a common misconception that messaging appsare a uniformly millennial
`phenomenon. Someappslike Snapchat and LINE skew both youngand female,butothers like Tango
`(which boasts 100 million monthly, active users, by our estimate) predominantly appeal to those
`aged 25-54 andstrongly over-index with Hispanic and African-Americanusers.
`
`Product Features:If your primary goalis to drive traffic directly back to your website, that won’t be
`possible with appslike Snapchatthat don’t support clickable URL links. And if you want to launch a
`sticker/emoji-pack campaign, LINE and Viberare great options, but you can rule out both WhatsApp
`and Snapchat. Each app hasa particularset of features, so make sure to choose one that supports the
`activation you have in mind.
`
`Industry Challenges
`
`Fragmentation:The social media landscapeis entering a period of hyper-fragmentation that may
`be a challenge to publishers: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram continueto loom large, butsocial
`media managers can now launchofficial channels on roughly 10 chat apps with over 50 million
`monthly, active users each.BuzzFeed, a perennial innovatorin digital audience development,
`provides a great example of whatit looks like to be on nearlyall of these platforms. Starting with the
`launchof a share-to-WhatsAppbutton on mobile in February 2014, BuzzFeed hasalso built an
`official presence on seven additional major messengers,as seen in the timeline below.
`
`Analytics: For organizations accustomedto robust, real-time data, the lack of good analytics tools
`for messaging apps remainsa major deterrent to adoption. The challengeis twofold: Strong analytics
`dashboardstake time to build, and many messengersare privacy-centric by nature.Thelatter issue
`hasled to an existential crisis for apps keen to remaintrueto theirroots while also attracting brands
`and appeasinginvestors. To thefar left, companieslike WhatsApp and Telegram have made public
`promisesto shun personaldata collection and advertising. Closer to center, Snapchat and Kik collect
`basic informationlike age andlocation for ad targeting, but denounce “creepy,” hyper-targeted ads.
`Otherplatformslike Pinger seem moreinclinedto offer rich data collection and hyper-targeting of
`anonymizedusers.Specifically, Pinger leverages keyword datato let advertisers reach users based
`ontheirinterests.Still, in a landscapeincreasingly driven by programmatic ambitions and data-
`centric decision making, chat apps currently deliver comparatively limited information in basic
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`dashboards,or in somecasesvia analog reporting. Most are mobilizing to remedythe situation
`quickly, and a hostof third party services are also beginning to create dashboard solutions based on
`the major apps’ willingness to grant API access.
`
`GrowingPains: As messaging apps respond to the demandsof spectacular growth, publisher
`partners we’ve spokento haveat times foundit difficult to get consistent support or answers to
`questionsaboutplatform capabilities.Appslike Tango have also madelarge changesto their channel
`format for publishers— starting with a newsfeedthat helpeddrivetraffic to content, but
`transitioning to chat roomsgeared toward discussion. While changeslike this are understandable as
`partof a processfor lookingto find experiencesthat resonate withusers,the volatility can be
`unsettling.Other platforms like WhatsAppcurrently havelittle interest altogether in providingtools
`for publishers. Their emphasis, for the time being,is purely on connectingusersto friends and
`family. And while this may not technically qualify as a growingpain,it certainly poses logistical
`challenges for companies attempting to adaptthe appto their needs.
`
`Industry Opportunities
`
`Higher Engagement: Since manychat apps provide publishers with push notifications or chatbot
`experiences (programmable robots that converse with users—see glossary), they can deliver
`significantly higher engagementrates than Facebook and Twitter. For example, LINE’s Euro-
`Americas CEO Jeanie Han claimsthat 55.8 percentof push notifications sentto followersofofficial
`accountsare read.° This advantage mayerodefromits current levels as new publishers compete for
`attention on each platform, but message openratesarestill likely to supersede social network news
`feeds.
`
`Audience Development:With billions of active users across multiple major chat apps, publishers
`have been successfulin building large audiencesfairly quickly on several platforms.
`
`A Chance to Connect With Users in a New Way:Messagingappsoffer a host of features not
`unavailable on social networksor other platforms. Publishers can creatively leverage these tools to
`tell stories in new ways. For example, Snapchatlets users write and draw ontop of content from
`publishers before sharing with friends. Companieslike BuzzFeedare also experimenting with
`publisher-branded emojis that followers use to enhance personal conversations on appslike LINE.
`
`Building Community: Chatappsoffer an opportunity for readers and viewersto easily connect,
`share, collaborate, and discussa range oftopics. Platformslike Kik and Tango,for example,let
`companieshost their own chat roomswherereaders and viewers can meet and discusstopics of
`interest. And Snapchat’s Live Stories allows people in a specific geolocation to contribute eyewitness
`mediato a crowdsourced videopiece the entire Snapchat community can view.
`
`Key Players and Case Studies
`
`For publishers acting as early adopters, 2014 and 2015 has beena period of great experimentation.
`In addition to learning the strengths and weaknessesofvarious platforms, news organizations have
`also explored different strategies for adapting their professionalvoice to an ecosystem filled with
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`emojis, stickers, games, memes, and more.
`
`We've taken a look at some of the main messaging platforms and how newsorganizations use them.
`
`LINE:Japanese Chat AppSpins FunVisualsinto Big Profits
`
`Audience: 211 million monthly, active users
`Top Markets:Japan, Taiwan,Thailand, Indonesia, Spain
`Demographics: Majority aged 16-34 years
`Key Features:Free to use; multimediafile-sharing capability; works across all major mobile phone
`platforms and PCs;timeline newsfeed;official brand accounts with CMSandone daily pushalert
`limit; stickers, coupons and gamesforfree and paid.
`
`LINE(the official trademarkis capitalized) is a Japanese messagingappinitially created in response
`to the Tokyo earthquake in 2011 as a meansfor employeesof parent company NHNJapanto stay in
`touch.It was releasedto the public later in the year and experiencedsignificant growth across the
`country andin the region,particularly in Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
`
`It stands out as the most profitable messaging app on the market, with a recent App Annie report
`suggesting LINEas the mostprofitable of any app in June 2015.’ Thisis in large part dueto its hugely
`popular gamesandstickers market, which drive roughly 60 percent and 20 percentof revenue,
`respectively. The company reported $656 million (JPY 86.3 billion) in gross revenue for 2014, far
`outpacingits competitors.®
`
`LINEhasofficial accounts for brands and publishers, offering them a dedicated CMSbrowserto
`create and managedaily pushalerts and content on the account’s homefeed.
`
`BuzzFeed Builds LINE Audience with Push Notifications, Stickers, and Comics
`
`BBC Newsandthe The Wall Street Journal are amongthe newsorganizationsthat have a million-
`plus subscribers to their LINE accounts, experimenting on different content models around video
`(BBC) anddaily alerts and breaking news(The Wall Street Journal). BuzzFeed, a more recent entrant
`to the platform, has taken a very different approach.
`
`Bryant Hua,associate social media editor at BuzzFeed, explained the company’sthinking:
`
`LINEisprobably oneofthe most exciting messaging apps, becauseyou can send globalpush
`messages, but there’s also afeed on the home channelthatyou can publish to. We were moreable to
`curate the channel in a BuzzFeed way. Comicsare one ofthe big areas that we’repushing into—we
`have comics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—andthisplatform in particular seemsto be a place
`wherethe audienceis reacting well to them.
`
`LINEhasits own web browser-based CMSandprovidesthe ability to schedule posts, which makes
`managing the account much moreefficient.
`
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`The BuzzFeed channelrarely links back to its main website, a similar strategy that it employs on
`social mediaplatforms, too. Hua added: “We have a moredistributed strategy in 2015 and we’re not
`totally focused on drivingtraffic back to the site, so we provide as much informationwith the feed as
`possible.”
`
`Oneof the mosteffective ways to attract new subscribers on the platform (as is the case with several
`other chat apps) is by using stickers. BuzzFeed debutedits ownsticker set, enabling LINE usersto
`download themfor free as long as they subscribed to the BuzzFeed channel. This helped BuzzFeed to
`acquire a following of over 200,000 within a few monthsof launch.
`
`GQOAii@ wW © © .¢
`
`22%0 12:31 PM
`
`Sticker Details
`
`BuzzFeed
`BuzzFeed
`
`Valid I] Tou Uays
`
`<i
`Add this friend, get this free!
`
` Download
`
`LOL, OMG, CUTE and morewith BuzzFeed! Friend
`BuzzFeed's Official Account to get them! Available until
`August 24, 2015.
`
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`
`
`(http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/tow-content/uploads/2015/11/CHATAPPSPage15_BF2.png)
`
`LINEalso allowsusersto interact with content using emojis. Instead of clicking a “like” button, users
`can choose from a selectionofsix different emojis to express how theyfeel abouta story or piece of
`content (Facebookbegantesting a similar approach called Reactions in October).” Interactive polls
`and a commenting system alsolet users respondin text and with stickers, which Huasaid is a unique
`waythat LINE engages with audiences.A recent feature asked usersto select the house from Harry
`Potter’s Hogwarts which they mostfit into; it was one of BuzzFeed’s most engaged posts since the
`channel launched.
`
`eecoo Verizon LTE
`
`(ibe rae
`
`BuzzFeed
`belong in?
`
`Which Howarts house do you
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`Which Howarts house do you belong in?
`
`
`
`Slytherin
`1.240
`
`Gryffindar
`4,548
`
`
`
`Ravenclaw
`1.509
`
`Hutfleputt
`110
`
`(http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/tow-content/uploads/2015/11/CHATAPPSPage15_BF3.png)
`
`Huaopenly admitted that hard news hasn’t particularly worked on the LINE channel—headline
`bulletins from the newsapps team haven’t generated much engagementlike they do on someother
`social media channels.
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`The experienceis in direct contrast with the LINE channels of BBC News and The Wall Street
`Journal. Both of these accounts passed the one-million-subscriber markearlier this year. The
`difference in how audiences engage with newsontheir channels, comparedto that of Buzzfeed’s,is
`potentially attributable to subscribers’ different expectations from the brands, with Buzzfeed more
`typically offering large slices of humor and viral memesalongside some newscontent.
`
`WeChat: China’s Tencent Reinvents the Web Portal for Mobile
`
`Audience:600 million monthly, active users
`Top Markets: China, Malaysia, Hong Kong,India, Taiwan
`Demographics: Majority of users aged 16-34 years
`Key Features: Connectto friends via nearby “radar”; “shake” phone(see glossary for definition)
`and connect with whomeverelse is shaking at that moment; enter walkie-talkie mode(see glossary
`for definition); official brand platform with CMS;free and paid stickers and coupons; share
`multimediafiles; works on all major mobile platforms and PC/Macs.
`
`Launchedin 2011 as Weixin inside China, WeChatis the global version of the chat app, owned by
`parent companyTencent.It has 600 million monthly, active users,‘° the vast majority of whom call
`China home. While Tencent doesn’tsplit out the figure for the numberof users WeChathosts
`outside of China, we understandthefigure is between 100 million and 150 million active users.
`
`It is undoubtedly very appealing to try and reach a Chinese audience through WeChat, and several
`newsorganizations have launched channelsinside the platform with this intent. However,it is
`importantto stress that WeChatand Weixinare separate entities. People inside China don’t have
`a