Observed Signal · Sep 21, 2023 · Technical Release · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
WhatsApp Rolls Out Animated Avatar Stickers
WhatsApp is expanding personalization in chat by rolling out Animated Avatar Stickers to all chats, after a tester phase. The animated avatars serve as alter egos to convey more personality in conversations. In addition to stickers, the app outlined broader updates: Flows, which lets businesses offer services directly within chats (e.g., reserving train seats, ordering meals, booking appointments); upcoming registration for Meta Verified on WhatsApp; and Channels, now available worldwide in over 180 countries, enabling creators, organizations, and brands to broadcast updates via text, video, image, or polls. Emoji Reactions have been added to Channels. Channels function as a one-way communication tool to followers and are accessible on Android and iOS. Together, these changes reflect ongoing enhancements to engagement, monetization, and messaging capabilities across WhatsApp and the Meta ecosystem.
Major feature rollouts on a leading messaging platform (WhatsApp) affecting engagement, business flows, and creator tools; potential impact on the adtech/martech ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Animated Avatar Stickers rolled out to all WhatsApp chats (from tester availability).
- Flows enables in-chat business services such as seat reservations, meals ordering, and appointment bookings.
- Meta Verified registration on WhatsApp announced for businesses.
- WhatsApp Channels launched worldwide, available in 180+ countries, supporting text, video, image, and polls.
- Emoji Reactions added to Channels.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Google launches unified agentic AI for Gemini
At a Google Cloud event on Thursday, Google announced it is bringing agentic AI to its Gemini assistant, launching a unified agent that can autonomously plan and execute tasks on behalf of users. Aimed initially at businesses, the agent can connect to internal systems and external tools, use custom skills, and even choose from third-party models like Anthropic's Claude. It will have its own Workspace account with an email address, and will write its own audit trail. Early testers include On, Shopify, and PayPal. Gemini has over 1 billion monthly active users, and nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Gemini Enterprise.
AWNY, Jupiter Fest Spotlight Agentic Ads and Open Web
Advertising Week New York and the inaugural Jupiter Festival Miami highlighted the industry's shift toward agentic advertising and anxieties about the open web's future. Major announcements included TikTok's off-platform ad expansion and a new AI shopping agent, Meta's AI campaign assistant testing, and OpenAI's visual ads introduction. Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed, forming Skydance. Key themes were the threat of AI to publisher traffic, the rise of AI visibility tools, the early stage of agentic media buying, unsolved cross-platform measurement, and the booming sports and retail media sectors. Deals included PubX's acquisition of Compliant and a $5 million Series A, and OpenAI's reported $30 billion round talks with BlackRock and UAE investors.
ICANN Receives 1,615 New Top-Level Domain Applications
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has accepted applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) for the first time since 2012. A total of 1,615 applications were submitted by 481 applicants, with a strong focus on AI-related domains. Ten companies, including Meta and OpenAI, applied for .agent, seven for .agi, and six for .asi. Meta filed 21 applications, including .instagram and .threads, while OpenAI filed 15, including .chatgpt and .codex. German entities like Adidas, Biontech, and Allianz also applied for brand-specific domains. The application fee can be up to $227,000 per domain. The article also highlights the financial success of country-code TLDs like .ai, which earned Anguilla about €59 million by November 2025.
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