The news: Messaging ads are gaining traction as a key opportunity to reach customers at critical moments after Meta debuted ads in WhatsApp.

In an exclusive conversation with EMARKETER, Grant Parker, president of omnichannel ad platform Innnovid, offered his take on the future of the messaging medium.

Key insights:

• Messaging ads’ ability to drive conversational commerce will rely on how well the format segues into an environment where consumers are increasingly “transitioning from communications with each other to communications with AI agents.”
• Remaining relevant in these interactions means brands must go beyond interruptive, push-based tactics to value-driven strategies that feel more like search: Contextual, useful, and user-initiated.
• While messaging ads promise potential, advertisers must grapple with consumer concerns. There remains “a delicate balance between opportunity and negative [customer] experiences,” Parker stated.
• Brands shouldn’t treat these ads like any other channel, but must rather adopt a careful and transparent approach that clearly communicates how sensitive data is used and protected.

Others are likely to tap in: With 30% of consumers worldwide relying on messaging apps like WhatsApp to connect with businesses, big players like Google and Apple and smaller platforms like Telegram and Signal are likely evaluating the messaging opportunity following Meta’s move.

But their next steps will depend on whether their current user experience ethically supports a separation between personal and brand communications: “If [that separation] exists, then it seems like a natural evolution. If not, it’s a bigger leap and requires a rethinking of the user experience.”

Our take: The path forward for messaging ads relies on how well the format integrates with the user experience rather than interrupting it—necessitating that advertisers invest in this opportunity while accounting for consumer attitudes.

• As users adapt to platforms like WhatsApp introducing ads, leveraging non-intrusive signals can deliver value: “There’s a lot of things [advertisers] can do that aren’t personally identifiable that create relevancy,” Parker said—think time of day, location, and general behavior.
• Aligning messaging ad strategies with what consumers are willing to accept and prioritizing high-value experiences will define the future of messaging ads. As Parker noted, “People want less ad load and they want that ad load to be relevant and add value.” Relevance over volume will build sustainable engagement without pushing users away.