J. G. Navarro
Research expert covering advertising and marketing with a focus on South America
WhatsApp marketing in Brazil – statistics & facts
Since its release in the late 2000s – and even more so after its purchase by Meta in early 2014 – WhatsApp has played a unique role in the lives of most Brazilian consumers. The mobile app has become a means of exchanging more than messages: voicemails, conspiracy theories, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls, and money. That, along with the 2018 launch of WhatsApp Business, a solution focused on companies' communications with shoppers, soon attracted marketers and advertisers to the platform. A global survey among marketing professionals released in early 2023 revealed that half of them intended to keep their budget for WhatsApp, while little more than one-third planned to raise their spending on the app. For comparison, more than 50 percent of respondents wanted to invest more in exposure on TikTok, YouTube, and Google.
However, WhatsApp's numbers in Brazil impress the marketing industry, and brands have started to catch up. The South American giant is home to an estimated 147 million users, many of whom show interest in using the app to build and strengthen their relationships with advertisers. During a May 2023 study among Brazilian WhatsApp users, seven in 10 stated the platform was a great channel to communicate with companies. Almost half said they did not mind receiving advertisements through the app as long as they had authorized the brands to access their mobile phone numbers.
This phenomenon's flipside is that businesses often reach out to random accounts. In 2023, roughly 80 percent of users reported receiving sales offers via WhatsApp from companies they had never contacted through the app. Yet this sort of online guerrilla marketing tactic can pay off. During the same study, half of the responding users said they read WhatsApp messages from unknown brands and replied to them if they were interested in their offer. Less than one-fifth blocked the spamming account before checking the message, indicating that many Brazilian consumers keep their phones and pockets open for an eventual good deal.
However, WhatsApp's numbers in Brazil impress the marketing industry, and brands have started to catch up. The South American giant is home to an estimated 147 million users, many of whom show interest in using the app to build and strengthen their relationships with advertisers. During a May 2023 study among Brazilian WhatsApp users, seven in 10 stated the platform was a great channel to communicate with companies. Almost half said they did not mind receiving advertisements through the app as long as they had authorized the brands to access their mobile phone numbers.
WhatsApp as an ad medium
The app enjoys an impressive penetration rate in Brazil. As of 2022, 99 percent of Brazilian smartphone owners reported having WhatsApp installed on their mobile devices. The massive reach has turned the platform into a pocket-size billboard (with relatively lower maintenance costs) and a recurring tool for direct marketing strategies. According to that 2023 survey, about four in five WhatsApp users in Brazil used the app to communicate with brands. They also approved of advertisers unilaterally and unprovokedly spreading their messages. More than half said they did not mind receiving ads through WhatsApp, provided the frequency was not too high.Widespread use and loose targeting
Companies in Brazil seem aware of the instant messenger's capabilities. An April 2023 survey asked sales professionals which channels their teams used to contact leads – potential clients a brand can approach once it has some of their data. Nearly nine out of 10 respondents mentioned WhatsApp. For comparison, less than two-thirds of the interviewees picked the other top methods (telephone, email, in-person visit, videoconference).This phenomenon's flipside is that businesses often reach out to random accounts. In 2023, roughly 80 percent of users reported receiving sales offers via WhatsApp from companies they had never contacted through the app. Yet this sort of online guerrilla marketing tactic can pay off. During the same study, half of the responding users said they read WhatsApp messages from unknown brands and replied to them if they were interested in their offer. Less than one-fifth blocked the spamming account before checking the message, indicating that many Brazilian consumers keep their phones and pockets open for an eventual good deal.
