In a move anticipated since the app's launch, Meta officially announced the start of a new phase in the life of its Threads platform: full commercialization. After spending more than two years building a solid user base and developing interaction tools, Mark Zuckerberg decided it was time to open the doors to advertisers worldwide. This announcement, made on Wednesday, is not simply about adding a new ad slot; it signifies the platform's maturity and its transformation from a "substitute app" into a new backbone of Meta's advertising empire, putting additional pressure on competitors, most notably X.
The "Calm Launch" Strategy and Zuckerberg's Wisdom
Contrary to expectations that ads would be rolled out immediately upon launch in July 2023, Meta opted for a more cautious approach. This policy, repeatedly praised by Zuckerberg, aims to ensure that new users are not bombarded with excessive advertising before they become accustomed to the app's environment.
The company confirmed that the global rollout of ads will begin next week, but interestingly, it emphasized that implementation will be "gradual" and may take months to complete. This reflects Meta's desire to monitor user behavior and adjust its ad algorithm to ensure that ad frequency remains "low" in the initial stages, maintaining a more relaxed user experience compared to the X platform.
The Numbers: Threads' Meteoric Rise
Official data shows that Threads was not just a passing fad; the app has achieved growth that is being studied in the history of social media:
- July 2023: The major breakthrough.
- Mid-2024: Reaching 200 million users.
- January 2025: The leap to 320 million users.
- April and May 2025: Surpassing 400 million monthly active users.
These figures put the platform halfway towards Zuckerberg's stated goal: reaching one billion users. With its user base reaching this size, it became difficult for Meta to postpone monetizing this content, especially given the increasing demand from advertisers to reach Threads' audience, which is considered more "elite" and engaged than audiences on other platforms.
Integrating Threads into the Advantage+ Advertising System
Meta's true strength lies in its unified advertising system. The company has simplified things for advertisers by offering an "auto-posting" option through the AI-powered Advantage+ platform. This means that an advertiser running a campaign on Instagram or Facebook can, with a single click, extend their reach to Threads.
Supported Formats: Meta will not only support text links but also:
- Image and Video Ads: High quality.
- Carousel Ads: Allowing horizontal image browsing.
- 4:5 Aspect Ratio: Designed specifically to suit Threads' vertical interface. This diversity makes the platform an ideal place for brands that rely on visual storytelling alongside textual interaction.
Brand Safety: Betting on Trust
Amid the brand safety crises plaguing the X platform and the proliferation of misleading content, Meta moved wisely to offer Threads as a safer alternative. It announced the expansion of its third-party verification services to include the Threads feed.
This move ensures that advertisers' ads won't appear alongside hate speech, fake news, or deepfakes. Through these certified partners, Meta provides advertisers with transparent reports on their ad display environment, something many competitors currently lack. This makes Threads the top choice for large corporate budgets concerned about their reputation.
Threads as Part of Metaverse Management
One of the most important aspects of global ad launch is centralized management. Advertisers can now manage Threads campaigns alongside Facebook, Instagram, and even WhatsApp through Meta's Business Suite. This integration reduces operating costs for advertisers and increases spending efficiency, as Meta's AI can direct the budget toward the platform that generates the best real-time engagement.
Future Challenges... Will Threads Lose Its Charm?
The question experts are now asking is: Will ads erode the user base? Meta is well aware of this risk, which is why it has emphasized that the frequency of ad appearances will be carefully considered. The real challenge isn't the presence of ads, but their quality and how well they fit into Threads' discussion-based nature. If Meta succeeds in making ads feel like part of the conversation, it will have opened a goldmine for itself. But if the platform turns into a noisy advertising board, users may migrate to quieter alternatives.
The Future of Text-Based Social Communication
The global launch of ads on Threads marks the end of the app's "innocence phase" and the beginning of its "capital growth" phase. Mark Zuckerberg is betting that Threads will become the primary driver of Meta advertising revenue growth within the next two years, capitalizing on the instability of competing platforms and a user base that is growing by 30-40 million users every few months.
Today, having surpassed 400 million users, the question is no longer: Will Threads succeed? It has become: How quickly will it reach one billion users, and how will it reshape global advertising budgets? Next week will be the first real test, and as the months pass, we will see how the browsing experience on the app, which aimed to be the most civilized and profitable "digital public square," will change.
