FILIPINOS who love social media now turn to messaging apps for more privacy.
Like many Filipinos, I use social media to connect with family and friends. Almost everyone I know is just a click away on Facebook and Instagram.
But much as we love scrolling through our feeds and sharing our lives online, we turn to messaging apps, such as Viber, Messenger, and What’sApp for group chats or for more intimate one-on-one’s.
I myself have over 20 Viber groups that keep me posted on just about everything relevant to my work and personal life. I can easily send to, and receive vital news updates from, my colleagues and clients, as well as receive messages and photos from friends and family members who may be in different parts of the globe.
Indeed, the amount of time Pinoys spend on messaging apps has increased by 69 percent year-over year, while monthly active users of these apps have surpassed social media by 20 percent. As of now, a whopping 95.3 percent of Filipinos use messaging apps—but for what reason? How different are these apps from your regular social-media chat?
One word: privacy. In this digital age when everyone could know whom you met for lunch or just went for a quick trip to Batanes, privacy has become an increasingly precious commodity.
For me, the best of these apps is Viber, which is free, convenient, and most important, private. Privacy is important and our data must be kept secure. This means that the info you share through chat is shielded from the prying eyes of third parties.
We’ve all heard the news. Powerful corporations pay megabucks to gain access to our personal data, using the information to conduct a number of targeted projects—from marketing products to winning elections. This makes us feel violated. After all, who wants their private information used for someone else’s ulterior motives?
More and more Pinoys are catching on to this realization, demanding that their data be kept secure. Eighty-five percent of Filipinos agree that their data rights should be respected, while 94 percent want to know how apps use their personal information.
Luckily, Viber uses end-to-end encryption, which means that your messages only get to be seen by you and the person you’re chatting with. No one else. Not even the folks who work at Viber can see your chat. Even if they wanted to, it’s virtually impossible—the app is so secure that everything is restricted to just you and your chat mates.
So, what else can a good messaging app give you? According to Lana Macapagal, marketing manager of Viber Philippines, the ideal app should be fast, multifunctional, localized and safe.
FAST
We don’t need the aggravation of a stalled message on a stressful workday, do we? With its simple layout and speed, Viber gets your messages across instantly.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL
During her talk at a recent social-media week, Macapagal spoke about all the exciting things Viber has in store for its users. “Soon, we’ll all be able to order food straight from the app,” she said. “Brands will be able to partner with Viber to get more people interested in their products.” Since this will all be done through chat, it will be more engaging for consumers, who can explore new brands right from their phones.
LOCALIZED
Did you know that Viber started the sticker craze now prevalent in messaging apps? Stickers make every conversation more colorful. There’s one for every occasion, from Mother’s Day to Marvel’s Avengers—and if you’re a sports fan, there are stickers for PRO Football celebration, FC Barcelona 2019, and Golden State Warriors.
“Corporations also benefit from this fun feature because it humanizes their brand for their customers, making them seem more approachable and pleasant,” Macapagal pointed out. “All you need is an attractive sticker pack to get more engagement from customers.”
Viber is actually an ideal platform for direct-to-consumer brand communication. Huge chat groups created by brands on the app make life a lot easier for us, providing instant and direct customer service. If you have a query about a product or the latest promo announcements, all you need to do is search for the brand on Viber!
SAFE
Because Viber puts a premium on privacy, you’ll soon be able to do bank transactions through the app. How will this be done, you may ask. Through the use of chatbots, of course! This makes customer service much more efficient, not to mention convenient. Imagine sending a simple inquiry about your account balance. What a luxury!
So, privacy, convenience and speed are what make Viber perfect for modern Pinoys. And with the messaging app’s upcoming new features, you can’t get on Viber soon enough!
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world. Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the president and CEO of Buensalido and Associates Public Relations.
PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.