Businesses have long vouched for WhatsApp’s efficiency as a communication tool to reach out to their customers. This confidence has been bolstered by Whatsapp’s 98% open rate, outpacing email's 20% and text messages'30%.
With 80% of messages being opened within the first five minutes, WhatsApp upholds the promise of real-time consumer engagement. This capability is increasingly being harnessed by businesses for targeted promotions, order updates, shipment confirmations, and even automated cart reminders.This efficiency aligns with the booming short-form video (SFV) advertising market, projected to reach $3–6 billion by 2030.
SFVs are rapidly transforming brand outreach in India, particularly in regional markets. According to the recently released Short Video Big Impact - Festive Blueprint report, 81% of Indians actively watch short-form videos, with 67% consuming them multiple times daily.
Crucially, 86% of users prefer SFV content in their native languages over English or Hindi, as they find it more relatable and trustworthy. This linguistic preference significantly shapes brand perception and purchase decisions, particularly in Tier 3 cities, where 49% of users make purchase decisions influenced by SFVs, compared to 46% in other regions.
Integrating SFVs into WhatsApp campaigns promises a powerful synergy, allowing brands to amplify reach, drive conversions, and foster a highly interactive ecosystem for consumer interaction.
WhatsApp as a direct channel for SFV content
Saif Ahmad, Founder of Luhaif Digitech, highlights WhatsApp's unique advantages as a platform for SFV-based campaigns. Unlike Instagram or Facebook, where algorithms and timelines can bury content, WhatsApp ensures messages remain upfront and personal. By leveraging tools like Click-to-Chat, broadcast lists, and shareable links, brands are creating interactive and conversational campaigns that drive direct engagement.
For example, Jio introduced a WhatsApp-based shopping journey where customers could browse, shop, and pay entirely within the platform. The campaign achieved remarkable success, recording over a million orders within a week. Similarly, Colgate-Palmolive boosted product awareness through interactive competitions that encouraged customers to send pictures featuring Colgate products. These strategies showcase WhatsApp's ability to enhance customer interaction and regional sales while reducing retargeting costs.
Gaurav Jain, Chief Business Officer, ShareChat & Moj explains the , “Content sharing on WhatsApp and other messaging apps has become a core behaviour for ShareChat users over the years, enabled by a one-click share to Whatsapp CTA on ShareChat posts. This has led to enormous engagement via sharing - ShareChat Network users on a daily basis share about 35 million content pieces on WhatsApp. During the festive season, this number sometimes jumps to 100 million. Once the content lands in the WhatsApp universe, it is then further shared
about 25 times. Brands can run Static/GIF ads and Ad Videos before and after the Content Share, maximising their chance to achieve high-impact visibility.”
But while WhatsApp works for brands in FMCG, healthcare, and service sectors, youth-focused brands often lean toward Instagram for awareness-driven efforts. That being said, unlike on WhatsApp, SFVs on Instagram compete in a crowded feed where capturing attention is
increasingly challenging. The ability to share SFVs directly through WhatsApp offers brands a valuable opportunity to reach a trusted network. This shift allows businesses to move beyond vanity metrics, focusing instead on meaningful engagement and measurable conversions.
The rise of influencer-led WhatsApp marketing
Brands have been increasingly integrating influencers and micro-influencers into their WhatsApp strategies. These influencers produce short, authentic videos that resonate with audiences, making them highly shareable. For instance, a regional clothing brand partnered with local influencers who created engaging SFVs to showcase styled outfits. The content was linked directly to the brand’s website through WhatsApp, resulting in a conversion rate 40% higher than other channels.
Localisation, the key to resonant campaigns
Sumon K Chakrabarti, CEO & Co-founder of Buffalo Soldier notes the growing importance of regional languages and culturally tailored content in crafting effective campaigns. “Trust is everything,” he says, highlighting India’s shift toward local language content.
With WhatsApp’s extensive user base across regions, the platform is ideal for localized marketing. However, the challenge lies in brands committing resources to personalize content for diverse audiences—whether a user in Kerala or Delhi. While some brands have embraced this approach, others shy away, citing scalability concerns.
The viral edge of SFV
Kumar Saurav, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer at AdCounty Media, underscores the viral nature of shortform video (SFV) content, which drives instant engagement more effectively than Out-Of-Home (OOH) or
Connected TV (CTV) advertising.
While OOH offers location-based relevance and high visibility, and CTV provides precision targeting and compelling storytelling, neither can replicate the peer-to-peer trust and immediacy of WhatsApp forwards. Saurav sees SFVs as complementary to OOH and CTV efforts, creating an ecosystem where each platform enhances the others, driving viewers to explore deeper brand interactions.
Cost vs. Precision
Hariom Seth, Founder of Tagglabs, contrasts the cost-effectiveness of WhatsApp advertising with the precision of CTV. WhatsApp’s organic distribution relies on user shares, allowing brands to achieve significant reach with minimal production expenses. Often, brands invest only in creating engaging content, leveraging WhatsApp’s low ad placement costs and extensive user base. CTV, on the other hand, demands higher investment due to premium ad positions, targeted audience buys, and sophisticated production requirements. However, the ROI on CTV is bolstered by advanced analytics and audience segmentation, making it ideal for campaigns requiring precise targeting and in-depth storytelling. WhatsApp’s strength lies in its virality and lower costs, making it a practical choice for smaller campaigns or localized efforts.
Navigating the evolving landscape of WhatsApp advertising
Chakrabarti highlights the complexities surrounding WhatsApp advertising in light of recent regulatory developments. The Competition Commission of India’s $25.4 million fine on Meta and its directive to halt data sharing between WhatsApp and other Meta-owned platforms for advertising purposes for five years has raised questions about the platform’s future in digital marketing.
WhatsApp's unique private and user-controlled forwarding system sets it apart from public platforms like Instagram. Unlike Instagram's content discovery through algorithmic feeds, WhatsApp relies on individuals sharing messages within personal networks, making its communication inherently more intimate and trusted.
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