Can Kik Beat Snapchat With New Targeting Capabilities for Brands?

A hot messaging app is starting to get more targeted with its fledgling ad business. Kik said today that it is giving brands the ability to deliver promoted messages based on gender, country and device—Apple or Android.

These are the first steps to building a more dynamic ad product in the messaging world, which has grown explosively with users. Kik is a popular but still underestimated messaging app that works like a hub of contacts and content on mobile devices.

Kik has registered more than 200 million downloads, and is consistently near the top of app ranking charts, just below a top echelon that includes Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Snapchat.