Meta Rolls Out Test Ads on Threads Social Platform
Meta Platforms is initiating a test launch of advertisements on its Threads social media platform, targeting a select group of brands in the United States and Japan.
The move comes as the app surpasses 300 million monthly active users. Image ads will be displayed in the Threads home feed, interspersed between user-generated content, for a limited number of individuals during the initial testing phase.
Meta emphasized that it will closely monitor the test before expanding it, allowing businesses to extend existing Meta advertising campaigns to Threads. Additionally, the platform will implement an AI-powered inventory filter for ads, empowering advertisers to manage the sensitivity level of adjacent organic content.
Jasmine Enberg, Principal Analyst at Emarketer, commented, "The introduction of Threads ads shortly after Meta's content moderation revisions will pique advertiser interest. Volatility at TikTok is driving brands to consider alternatives, and Meta recognizes the opportunity to incorporate Threads into the mix."
Meta recently discontinued its fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, platforms with a collective user base exceeding 3 billion.
Launched in 2023, Threads aims to compete with X (formerly Twitter), leveraging the chaos surrounding billionaire Elon Musk's acquisition to attract users from the microblogging platform.
CFO Susan Li has stated that Meta does not anticipate Threads to be a substantial revenue generator by 2025. However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company intends to invest up to $65 billion this year in expanding its AI infrastructure, solidifying its position against competitors OpenAI and Google in the race for technological dominance.