According to the Digital Report France 2024 from the agency We Are Social, WhatsApp was the app with the most active users in France in 2023. In a digital world that keeps shifting, traditional communication channels are often complemented by innovative solutions suited to new consumer behaviour — WhatsApp among them.
What makes this tool interesting is its capacity to offer personalised communication with direct reach. For event organisers, where participant experience and engagement are crucial, WhatsApp opens new opportunities to enrich the interaction before, during and after the visit. Used alongside other channels, WhatsApp is now an essential part of a sound omnichannel strategy.
After a decade of extraordinary growth in user numbers, the world's largest companies are adopting WhatsApp as a communication lever and reaching their contacts in an entirely new way. In this article we look at relevant examples of how major brands use WhatsApp, and how they can be adapted to the events sector.
Why make WhatsApp part of your communication strategy?
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For its reach
WhatsApp is the most used instant messaging app in the world.In 2023 it counted more than two billion monthly active users. The channel is also a real opportunity in France: close to 24 million French people use WhatsApp at least once a month, one in three.
- For its effectiveness
With an average open rate of 98%, this channel is undeniably effective at reaching your target audience and getting a message through with near certainty.
How do major brands use WhatsApp to improve their customer relationship?
Back Market sharpens its customer service
The marketplace for refurbished products decided to use WhatsApp for customer support, a strategic choice that proved extremely beneficial. By adopting the channel, Back Market sharpened its customer service, cutting response times fivefold compared with email and raising customer satisfaction. That speed comes from the instant, personal nature of WhatsApp exchanges: customers can ask short questions and get quick answers, without the delays often associated with email. The fluidity and simplicity of WhatsApp interactions let Back Market provide a more responsive and effective service, improving satisfaction and strengthening the bond between customer and brand.
Do you often get questions from your audience on different channels before, during and after your event? You can adopt Back Market's approach and invite your audience to contact you on WhatsApp for all the information they need to make the most of the event.
Absolut attracts new customers
Absolut ran a pioneering WhatsApp campaign to promote a new limited-edition vodka line. The campaign featured a fictional bouncer named Sven. For the new line, the brand was throwing an exclusive party, and to get in, participants had to convince Sven over WhatsApp to let them through. The aim was to raise awareness of the new product while establishing direct, playful communication with the brand.
More than a thousand images, videos and audio messages were sent to Sven. This bold approach generated wide media coverage and greater visibility for Absolut, proving that WhatsApp can be an effective and innovative way to connect brands with their public.
Could you give away places at your event? Take the concept and invent your own character.
KLM shares practical information effectively
The tourism and transport sectors have widely adopted WhatsApp for passing on practical information and service messages. The Dutch airline KLM, a pioneer since 2017, uses WhatsApp to send customers their booking confirmations, boarding passes and everything relating to their flights.
The channel gives quick, convenient access to crucial information, improving the customer experience. Through WhatsApp, KLM delivers smooth, effective interaction.
Already sending practical-information emails to your audience? Like KLM, you can send your service messages over WhatsApp and secure an open rate close to 100%.
Carrefour sends coupons
Carrefour uses WhatsApp to send vouchers and promotional codes to its customers, a choice with many advantages. The channel allows direct, instant communication, making sure customers receive promotional offers quickly without the risk of them being lost in an email spam folder.
Do you send promotional campaigns by email?
Why not do it on WhatsApp? You can send exclusive invitations, special offers and ticket discounts to your audience.
Netflix keeps its community alive
Netflix ran an innovative campaign to engage users and keep its community active. Playing on WhatsApp's popularity, Netflix invited customers to click an « I'm in » button on the platform to start receiving personalised film and series recommendations directly on WhatsApp. This interactive approach let Netflix keep a constant dialogue with subscribers, reminding them of what the platform had to offer and building loyalty.
Do you offer a wide range of events, and know your audience's interests through your CRM? You can adapt this strategy by automating personalised WhatsApp messages about upcoming events and other offers.
Jimmy Fairly collects satisfaction
Jimmy Fairly uses WhatsApp to check customer satisfaction after a purchase.
Two weeks after buying a pair of glasses, customers receive a message asking them to choose between three answers: « perfect », « fine, nothing more », « no, I have a problem ».
Depending on the answer, an automatic response follows. This personal experience illustrates the advantage of WhatsApp for collecting customer satisfaction. The speed and simplicity of the exchange captures customers' impressions effectively and answers them instantly and automatically, letting the brand react quickly to what its customers need and expect.
Want to collect your audience's satisfaction after a concert, a visit or a match? You can message the participants of your event on WhatsApp, asking them to rate their experience and give feedback through predefined answers.
This lets you collect valuable views quickly, improve participant satisfaction and build an ongoing relationship with your audience.
In conclusion
Bringing WhatsApp into the communication strategies of major brands offers a range of significant advantages. Examples such as Back Market, Absolut, KLM, Carrefour and Netflix show how WhatsApp can be used creatively to engage, retain and satisfy consumers in a direct and personalised way. For cultural venues and event organisers, adopting WhatsApp is an opportunity to enrich the participant experience through proactive, interactive communication. WhatsApp is clearly becoming an essential pillar of a modern omnichannel strategy, capable of increasing the impact and effectiveness of marketing in a digital world that never stops changing.