Brands Can Now Promote Their Chatbots With Targeted Facebook Ads

Facebook is further integrating chatbots into the platform by letting brands buy newsfeed ads that directly link to one-to-one conversations in Messenger. During a talk today at the Web Summit tech conference, Facebook vp of messaging David Marcus said advertisers for the first time are now be able to target users before bringing them into a one-on-one conversation that has something else: identity. Today, Burberry has built its own chatbot designed for holiday shopping. The bot, which combines brand storytelling with an automated gift recommendation engine, will also allow users to chat with a human on the other end of the conversation if they have questions. Marcus said the hybrid approach of interactions with both humans and bots is “the best combination.” Facebook’s update is just the latest in chatbot rollouts this fall. Last week, Twitter announced it’s partnering with a dozen developer platforms to help brands build their own hybrid chatbots that are part human, part automated. Read more at Adweek.