WeChat adds friend alerts to Moments advertising

WeChat has made tagging friends in the comment section of Moments ads available to all users, with the aim of increasing interactions while exposing creative advertising to more people.

Users can tag their friends by typing an “@” symbol followed by a friend’s name. Upon receiving a notification, identical to that in common posts, the person being tagged can click and enter the advertisement to respond.

The function is automatically available for all paid ads in Moments, WeChat’s social-networking function, which allows users to share and get access to WeChat friends' information, creating a private socialising circle.

Users commenting on the new function generally seemed positive. One named Penton said, “Why not promoting [sic] a Lamborghini ad to me so I can @ my friends?” Another user said, “Awesome! WeChat Moments adverting breaks with traditional function of informing and shifts to friends’ interaction. @ I admire you.”

Moments advertising was officially launched in August 2015, when WeChat stressed that the app still prioritised user experience and hoped to reach a balance between user experience and commercial exploration. WeChat strictly controls the quantity and frequency of Moments advertisements. Only one advertisement could appear in users’ Moments until last summer, when the number was raised to two.

WeChat is hoping that advertisements can spark more interaction among users, but ad effectiveness still remains an enduring issue for advertisers. While creative advertisements win many likes, fewer people act on them, which remains an ongoing challenge for Moments advertising.