As Threads introduces ads, it’s time for advertisers to consider an all-Meta strategy 

As Threads introduces ads, it’s time for advertisers to consider an all-Meta strategy 

By Justin Chase, EVERSANA INTOUCH Media

As Meta’s new microblogging platform, Threads, is set to feature advertising starting next quarter, this is the perfect time to consider what an all-Meta paid social strategy could look like. Threads, which is a direct competitor to X, had one of the most successful product launches of all-time. Then, like most platforms in the post-launch honeymoon phase, it saw a dip. But now monthly active users are back up, surpassing 200 million. This is exciting news for Meta, advertisers, and ad buyers looking for new ways to employ data-driven strategies. The following are three reasons why an all-Meta strategy makes sense for smart pharmaceutical brands.

1. A far less controversial X alternative. As X moves further and further towards free speech at all costs, the spirit of moderation (or what Musk calls censorship), is all but lost. Put another way, anything can, and will be said on X, short of what is actually deemed illegal. Threads on the other hand, might as well have been invented by pharma marketers, as the platform skews much further towards proactive moderation, inclusive behavior, and brand safety. “The goal is to keep it friendly,” something Mark Zuckerberg has said repeatedly.
2. Meta all but ensures future scale for Threads. This scale is a direct result of the orbiting bodies held in place by Facebook’s gravitational pull. Standalone apps, or apps that are not part of an app ecosystem, always run the risk of disappearing, no matter how popular they are at a given moment. Remember FourSquare? To that point, Meta will never let us forget Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and now Threads.

   Advertisers may wax and wane on X, and aside from cursing Bob Iger or filing suit against GARM (Global Alliance for Responsible Media), there isn’t much Elon Musk can do about it – while Mark Zuckerberg has an almost infinite number of levers to pull to drive traffic between his apps. This ultimately bodes well for advertisers seeking to gain reach and engagement on any one of those apps.

3. Facebook’s buying platform is one of the best in the business – Threads will make it better. The ability to buy audiences across Facebook, Instagram, and soon to be Threads, cannot be understated. For small to mid-sized brands wanting to get into photo-sharing, microblogging, and social community building, one option is to run on TikTok, X, and Snapchat. But that can be cost prohibitive and time consuming. Buying out of a single platform will save time, money, and help buyers gain a significant amount of efficiency. True, they may be sacrificing the cache of a TikTok, but if performance and return-on-spend is greater, this becomes a very compelling alternative.

This type of all-Meta strategy seems even more timely as CMOs continue to divest from traditional media and linear TV, and into more data-driven channels, like paid social. The risk runway of pharma advertisers is decreasing as the mantra, “do more with less,” echoes resoundingly throughout the industry. By investing in a single social platform that provides exposure to so many different tactics, behaviors, and ultimately ad types, the risk for both buyers and pharma advertisers, is significantly mitigated.

To sum it all up, Threads’ introduction of advertising is a major boon for small-to-midsized brands seeking to scale on paid social but lacking the necessary budget to buy across individual social platforms. As Threads is part of the Meta ecosystem, it offers central insights, buying efficiencies and ultimately more inexpensive scale, so much so, our buying team estimates a 40 percent decrease in cost when buying different tactics out of a single platform.

It’s something brand marketers need to be aware of and build into their plans moving forward.

Justin Chase is executive vice president with EVERSANA INTOUCH Media.