While typically children used to send handwritten letters to the North Pole, Facebook Messenger Kids is now letting users chat with Santa virtually. Parents can now add Santa as an approved contact though for their children, however, they will message on his behalf.
As Facebook explains: "To kick off the conversation, parents can ask kids "What are you most thankful for this year?" or to share their favorite holiday tradition. To help continue the holiday magic, the Santa chat thread will stay open until January 6 so kids can say "thank you" and share photos of their favorite holiday memories."
To enable the Facebook Messenger Kids Santa chat, parents can go into the Messenger app and tap their child's profile. Next, tap 'Messenger Kids Controls,' then 'Controls,' then tap 'Santa Experience,' and 'Add Santa.'
Virtual Santa Messaging
Kids Can Chat With Santa on Facebook Messenger
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Santa Chatting - The rise of virtual messaging with Santa provides an opportunity for businesses to leverage chatbots for personalized customer service.
2. Facebook Messenger Kids - The popularity of Facebook Messenger Kids signifies the demand for safe, child-friendly social media platforms, creating opportunities for innovation in child protection features.
3. Contact Approval - The implementation of contact approval by Facebook Messenger provides an innovative way for businesses to ensure privacy and build trust with their customers through consent-based marketing.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - Retailers can implement virtual Santa chatbots to offer a personalized and immersive holiday shopping experience for customers.
2. Social Media - The success of the Facebook Messenger Kids app highlights the growing need for child-friendly social media platforms, creating opportunities for innovative mobile app development focused on child security and protection.
3. Marketing - The use of contact approval by Facebook Messenger demonstrates the need for businesses to gain customer consent in their marketing efforts, creating opportunities for trust-building and personalized communication with customers.