This morning, I signed up on Threads and found myself quite surprised to find that many associates and friends were already in. It is an easy process for the sign up for anyone with an Insta account.
Soon enough, some of my Instagram followers had received notification that I am on Threads. Though I am not sure how many of them will jump in, with a few saying they have concerns on the privacy aspects. Is it something to be concerned about?
To those who are sensitive about the data that is collected and handled from their account, this is indeed a cause of concern.
I love the choice of the name ‘Threads’, especially when most of the conversations nowadays are continuations of something started earlier. In the past, I have been a late adopter of social media - but my curiosity was kindled when close associates started discussing Threads and the possibilities for marketing messaging at a later date.
The Threads’ feeds are interesting enough, and it could be the early bird enthusiasm. The question is how soon the platform will reach a critical mass. Equally important is when will the ads start rolling.
Right now the platform is ad-free but with all the user data, chances of this remaining without ads is limited. As an industry associate mentioned, once the number of users reach a minimum threshold land then the ads will roll. It remains to be seen if Threads will turn out to be a preferred platform for advertisers.
Building up the Threads community
This will primarily depend on how vibrant the Threads community is going to be. If the initial ‘threads’ are any indications, chances of widespread acceptance is a foregone conclusion. Building up the required scale will not be an issue.
It is yet another change that is happening to advertising dynamics in the digital landscape. The gain in one platform will be at the loss of another, especially when it comes to a share of the ad pie. A user can be on a multitude of platforms, but limited ad budgets will force advertisers to prefer one platform over another. That is where the challenge is going to be for advertisers as well as media buyers.
Hasn’t that always been the case with ad budgets?