Meta rolls out ‘Imagine Me’ in India
Meta has launched ‘Imagine Me’, an AI feature for generating personalised images on Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Users can create visuals based on text prompts after uploading photos for AI to analyse their appearance, enhancing creative engagement within conversations.
Meta has officially rolled out its latest AI-powered feature, ‘Imagine Me’, for users across India. Available within Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp chats, the tool allows individuals to generate creative, personalised images of themselves using simple text prompts.
With this feature, users can interact directly with Meta AI in personal or group chats. By sending messages such as“Imagine me as a 90s rockstar” or“Imagine me as a comic book hero”, users can receive AI-generated visuals that reflect their chosen theme, all based on their own appearance.
Snapchat Delivers Better Results for E-Commerce Brands
Snapchat has shared some new data on the performance of e-commerce brands in the app, and how Snap ads can help to drive purchase activity.
In order to glean more insight on this element, Snapchat recently commissioned Triple Whale to conduct a study of 20,000 ecommerce advertisers, with a cumulative $3 billion ad spend across platforms, in order to get a better understanding of how Snap ads are performing for online retailers.
The results? As per Snap:
“The research reveals that despite being a smaller platform by spend share, Snapchat achieved a 7.5% ROAS improvement while most platforms declined. And, for this cohort of advertisers, Snapchat had the lowest CPA across all platforms.”
So better bang for your buck than other apps, despite Snap being a smaller platform, in terms of overall reach.
The data also showed that apparel advertisers saw the highest ROAS across platforms, with visual storytelling being the key driver of Snapchat engagement.
Instagram tests frame-specific like counts for carousel posts
Instagram is experimenting with a new analytics feature that breaks down like counts for each individual frame within a carousel post. The update, currently in testing, aims to offer users more granular insights into which parts of their content are resonating most with viewers.
First reported by Lindsey Gamble and showcased by Adina Jipa, the new feature attributes likes based on which image was visible when the user hit the like button. Each frame in the carousel then displays a separate like count, providing a potential indicator of frame-level engagement.
While the method doesn’t guarantee pinpoint accuracy, likes may still reflect appreciation for the overall post rather than a single image, a noticeably higher count on one frame could highlight stronger viewer preference or interest in that specific piece of content.
WhatsApp starts rolling out status ads and promoted channels, but only for select users
Meta is gearing up to monetise WhatsApp further, as its latest Android beta update introduces Status Ads and Promoted Channels. These two long-anticipated features are aimed at helping businesses and creators expand their reach on the world’s most-used messaging app. These tools are now rolling out in WhatsApp beta version 2.25.21.11, and are currently available to select Android beta testers, according to WABetaInfo.
What are Status Ads?
Think of them as the WhatsApp equivalent of Instagram Stories ads. The Status Ads feature will allow business accounts to display sponsored content in users’ Status feeds. These ads will appear in between the usual updates from friends and family but will be marked as sponsored, so users can distinguish between personal posts and promotional content.
What’s more, users will retain control over what they see—there’s an option to block advertisers, preventing their ads from popping up again in the future.
Promoted Channels
Next up is Promoted Channels, designed to help public channels gain more visibility within WhatsApp’s directory. Much like Status Ads, promoted channels will carry a “sponsored” label to differentiate them from organic suggestions. When a business or creator pays to promote their channel, it gets bumped up in the visibility rankings, making it easier for potential followers to discover and engage with their content.
WhatsApp’s new rates force marketers to rethink every ping
WhatsApp’s July 2025 switch to per-message billing is a wake-up call for India Inc. The country alone accounts for over 580 million active WhatsApp users and more than 15 million businesses on WhatsApp Business, many of whom were used to sending unlimited promotional messages for a flat fee. The spike in pricing sensitivity couldn’t come at a worse time, or is perfectly timed, depending on your creativity.
Under the new rules, each marketing template costs ₹0.78, utility and authentication templates ₹0.11 each, all billed per message. Volume players sending over 300 million utility messages a month can dip to ₹0.08 each. The 24‑hour free window for customer‑initiated chats remains, as does the 72‑hour window triggered by Click‑to‑WhatsApp ads. What’s gone is the illusion of unlimited conversation, and every template punch now lands a charge.
“Bulk messaging used to be cheap,” says Rohit Agarwal, founder of Alpha Zegus. “Now, ₹0.78 adds up fast. Cart abandonment reminders or mass festival greetings will suddenly come with a real bill. That forces brands to think: is this message worth the money?”
This shift comes at a pivotal moment. According to a Deloitte-IMAI report, business messaging in India is expected to surpass $1.1 billion in 2025, up from $810 million in 2024. WhatsApp, with its 98% open rates, has become the default utility channel for not just brand offers but metro ticketing, customer support, appointment scheduling, and even public service announcements. It’s not a social app; it’s infrastructure.
And infrastructure isn’t free.
OpenAI Planning To Monetize ChatGPT With Payment Checkout System
ChatGPT maker OpenAI is all geared up to integrate a checkout system in the AI tool for users’s ease so that transactions are done without leaving the platform.
Per FT, citing anonymous sources, the Sam Altman company will earn commissions from merchants on the fulfillment of orders made on ChatGPT. This will help the company earn from users who are not subscribed to the paid tier of the app.
Per Reuters, OpenAI and its partners, like Shopify, an e-com platform, have already teased the first draft. However, there hasn’t been an official word yet. Both the companies had earlier entered into a partnership for an enhanced shopping experience on ChatGPT.
Reactions poured in over the report. One user quipped, “AI Shopping is gonna be an industry standard eventually.” Another user wrote, “Not totally convinced this move will go over well, feels like it could annoy more users than it helps revenue.”
OpenAI unveils ‘ChatGPT agent’ that gives ChatGPT its own computer
OpenAI isn’t letting the delay of its open source AI model slow it down on shipping other features.
Today, the company is unveiling ChatGPT agent, a feature that allows its AI chatbot to autonomously browse the web, conduct extensive research, download and create new files for its human users using its own virtual computer.
Come again? ChatGPT now gets its own PC? And it can use that PC to log into your, the human user’s, accounts and download or send stuff for you?
That’s correct, at least in a virtual sense, according to OpenAI. As the company explains:
“The model can choose to open a page using the text browser or visual browser, download a file from the web, manipulate it by running a command in the terminal, and then view the output back in the visual browser. The model adapts its approach to carry out tasks with speed, accuracy, and efficiency.”
How to use ChatGPT agent
Users can engage the agent by clicking on the ‘Tools’ button in the ChatGPT prompt entry box, opening the dropdown menu, and selecting ‘agent mode’ from the available options.
CTV is Gen Z’s new crush
For years, Gen Z has baffled marketers, selective in what they watch, resistant to traditional advertising, and notoriously quick to switch platforms. But Connected TV (CTV) may finally be changing that. Once an experimental format, CTV is now gaining ground as the preferred medium to engage India’s youngest and most digital-savvy audience, with marketers calling it “non-negotiable” in today’s media mix.
According to the Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2025, CTV advertising in India grew nearly 35% in 2024, reaching around ₹1,500 crore. By the end of 2025, India is projected to have 50–60 million CTV households, with ad revenues expected to touch ₹2,300–2,500 crore.
“It’s now the centrepiece of our brand-building strategy”
Aatika Ansari, head of marketing and digital at Pernod Ricard India, sees CTV as central to how the company now approaches brand building, especially for its fastest growing whiskey label in India.
“CTV is no longer a test platform. It is now the centrepiece of our brand-building strategy,” said Ansari.
Referring to Gen Z, she explained,
“They don’t really watch cricket regularly. But they showed up during the World Cup, especially when India was winning. So, we ensured Jameson was visible during the semi-finals and finals, supporting India, and that worked well for us.”
In a category where regulatory constraints limit advertising, the ability to appear in culturally significant moments is a game changer. Pernod Ricard used static and GIF creatives—contextual, subtle, and visually cohesive—to appear during live sports, like the World Cup and English Premier League.
“CTV adds a layer of credibility, especially in our category. In India, if you’re not on TV, it’s often assumed you’re not a credible brand by consumers and trade alike,” said Ansari.
CLOSING:
Tiger Balm Case Study for Yoga Day
And before you sign out from D-Talks, do check how with creator partnership we spotlighted the power of yoga and Tiger Balm in managing stress and pain.
https://youtu.be/BL5PqHAwEmk
Want to get more out of digital marketing? Reach us and we will have someone reach out to you at the earliest.
