Meta’s WhatsApp launches ‘Privacy Matters’ campaign in collaboration with Minute Media’s The Players’ Tribune and leading Hearst UK titles

Partnership content focuses on the importance of private messaging and features top British entertainers and athletes including Miquita Oliver, Adam Peaty, Dina Asher-Smith and Jesse Lingard.

WhatsApp has today launched a content partnership with The Players’ Tribune, a Minute Media company, and Hearst UK in the next phase of a global brand campaign focused on personal message privacy, and WhatsApp’s multiple layers of protection for users.

Meta’s media agency, Spark Foundry, in collaboration with Publicis Media Content, brokered the partnership which will run on The Players’ Tribune, as well as across Hearst UK’s portfolio of brands. The campaign showcases talent within the sports and entertainment industry whose personal experiences highlight the importance of message privacy. Live on The Players’ Tribune and Hearst UK brands today until Sunday 20th November, the campaign follows the roll-out of new privacy-focused features on WhatsApp announced earlier this month - leaving groups silently, controlling who can see when you're online, and screenshot blocking for ‘view once’ messages.

The Players’ Tribune, a first-of-its-kind digital media platform that developed the blueprint for athlete-driven storytelling, will feature interviews with top British athletes Adam Peaty, Dina Asher-Smith and Jesse Lingard who will speak about what the concept of privacy means to them, how that has changed since being in the public eye and the effect it has had on their relationships with family and friends.

Hearst UK, a leading premium content and experience publisher, has created a series of bespoke videos with WhatsApp. These feature well-known faces such as Miquita Oliver and Malin Andersson who share their personal stories and perspectives on how WhatsApp’s growing list of privacy features provides much needed protection throughout their private conversations. These will run across the digital channels of Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Digital Spy and ELLE UK.

Jeff Fang, Strategic Planning (EMEA) at Meta said: “Messaging is such an integral part of our day-to-day lives. We’re proud that users can connect on WhatsApp with complete confidence that what they share will be private and protected. We are thrilled to be working with media powerhouses Minute Media and Hearst to share our commitment to privacy.”

Laura Keogh, Managing Partner at Spark Foundry said: “It’s great to see WhatsApp engaging with superstars of the sporting world, and supporting this message by connecting with trusted titles. This collaborative way of working, with the campaign running across both platforms in tandem, is a fantastic way to drive the message home to these audiences.”

Sebastiano Rossi, Brand Partnerships Director at Minute Media said: “Working with WhatsApp to promote privacy really leans into the essence of what we stand for at The Players’ Tribune. We have built the brand on a foundation of trust with athletes which enabled us to secure three tremendous stars who were the perfect fit for this execution. Leveraging our extensive publisher network and out of home partnerships allows WhatsApp to amplify these athlete stories and the importance they put on privacy amongst millions of fans across the UK.”

Katy Latta, Group Creative Partnerships Director at Hearst Connect said: “We know that Hearst audiences benefit from using WhatsApp regularly and privacy is important to them when messaging online. We have loved working with some of our favorite celebrity influencers, hearing their perspectives and personal stories on privacy and how the WhatsApp features give them peace of mind. We’re excited to leverage the impact of trusted Hearst UK brands, tapping into multiple passion points, to create a campaign with WhatsApp and MM that is relevant, wide-reaching and original.”