WhatsApp has reaffirmed its commitment to user privacy in a new global campaign, following controversial policy changes earlier this year.
The Facebook-owned messaging platform revealed earlier this year it would be sharing certain data with Facebook as a condition of use, with the potential for this data to be used for targeted ads.
The changes sparked outrage around the world, with users blasting the app for failing to respect privacy.
And while WhatsApp did launch a publicity blitz after announcing the changes to clarify what the new privacy policy would mean for users, ‘Message Privately’ marks the first major campaign from WhatsApp since the controversy.
The campaign has been developed by BBDO and uses real-world scenarios to illusratrate the value of privacy.
https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/1404470234774450180
WhatsApp’s director of brand and consumer marketing Eshan Ponnadurai confirmed the campaign had come in response to the recent privacy concerns around the app.
“We know how important privacy is to our users. This year as a company, we’ve seen first hand how we created a bit of confusion and uncertainty for our users, how concerned they were about their privacy and the worry that people might be reading their messages,” Ponnadurai said, according to Marketing Week.
“This campaign is very much coming out in the world to address some of that, and ensure people really understand and continue to understand that what they communicate on WhatsApp – the powerful things they say, the relationship they have – are always protected and truly theirs.”
WhatsApp is not the first global tech brand to leverage the importance of privacy in its marketing material.
Apple is continuing with the ‘Privacy. That’s iPhone‘ campaign following the launch of the App Tracking Transparency framework.
