The news: Meta announced numerous updates to its messaging ad options, with a heavy focus on WhatsApp. Meta is expanding Ads Manager to include WhatsApp campaigns, centralizing multi-campaign management across its platforms. The feature allows businesses to upload subscriber lists to use Advantage+ to optimize ad budgets or manually choose messages for additional placements. Our take: The ongoing potential for divestiture could have significant implications for advertisers that rely on Meta’s ecosystem—but the new features will still make WhatsApp a more appealing option for those that haven’t considered it as a key ad channel.

The news: Meta’s Threads is adding direct messaging (DM) and a “highlight” feature to show trending topics related to a user’s feed. Our take: DMs will allow consumers to interact directly with brands and could open up a new customer service channel, while brand social media accounts could become part of the narrative as new “highlight” trends arise. Marketers and social media managers should boost brand presence on Threads by engaging with followers and posting on relevant trending topics.

The news: US adults are increasingly dependent on digital platforms for news, with social media and video overtaking traditional news outlets for the first time. 54% of US adults get their news from social media, per the Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, compared with 50% from TV news and 48% from news websites and apps. Our take: Linear platforms could offer personalized news digests and mobile- and social- friendly content to reengage younger users, while advertisers should diversify their campaigns across social media platforms to follow fragmented user engagement.

The news: WhatsApp will begin showing ads for the first time since Meta’s 2014 acquisition, starting with the Updates tab’s Status feature. Sponsored search placements and optional paid subscriptions will also be added to WhatsApp Channels. Ads won’t appear in encrypted chats or groups, and targeting will rely only on minimal metadata unless users opt in to link accounts. Our take: Meta is threading a careful line—monetizing WhatsApp while keeping privacy promises intact. With over 3 billion global users and deep consumer trust, the platform’s subtle shift into ads and subscriptions could deliver big returns if Meta avoids sparking user backlash over commercialization.

XChat introduces file sharing, disappearing messages, and calls—but user skepticism over privacy and vague “Bitcoin-style” encryption may hinder adoption.

Separating research from product lets Meta build faster, think longer term, and prove it’s serious about becoming more than a social media company.

Meta's antitrust trial over Instagram and WhatsApp deals winds down: But the trial’s outcome could reshape tech M&A for years to come.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Meta’s capacity to weather the tariff climate, how Meta plans to redefine advertising, and what happens if it is forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Senior Analyst Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Meta revenues up 16% YoY in Q1: The company started the year off on a positive note, but tariffs could foreshadow strife.

WhatsApp’s importance to Meta goes well beyond social messaging: A forced divestiture could disrupt customer service, commerce, and loyalty worldwide.

Social sharing aims to boost usage, yet without real-time info or buzz, it may struggle to stick

Meta defends past acquisitions in FTC trial: The case could force Instagram and WhatsApp divestitures, disrupting ad buying and reshaping tech merger norms.

An EU tax on Meta could mean higher ad prices: The EU may take retaliatory measures against Trump’s tariffs that could shake up the advertising world.

The FTC’s challenge to Meta’s deals could fracture the social media giant's empire and signals that no acquisition, no matter its age, is safe from antitrust scrutiny.

Inside the Meta and UFC partnership: The deal—both strategic and political—makes Meta UFC’s “official fan technology partner.”

The Latin American consumer banking market is vast, yet over 40% of consumers are currently underbanked. Foreign banks looking to enter the market can tap this audience, but they should learn from and partner with local fintechs to do so.

The EC weighs soft enforcement on Apple and Meta to sidestep tensions with Trump, risking weakened regulatory leverage.

Government missteps turned into a viral ad for privacy, giving Signal a rare shot at user loyalty in a market crowded by data-hungry giants.

Latin America’s digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region’s digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.​

As social messaging takes off, marketers are trying to figure out how to show up within that context, whether through advertising, shareable posts, or customer service.