WhatsApp has been ad-free for years but big brands such as Tinder, McDonald’s, Tide, Reebok, and Zomato have already got a workaround in place to establish their presence on the messaging app. Top consumer companies are finding a backdoor to advertise on WhatsApp through fun and quirky stickers and GIFs. GIFs, or graphical interchange formats, are animated videos of a few seconds while stickers are digital illustrations of objects or characters. While GIFs have been around for some time, stickers picked up popularity after WhatsApp opened it for third-party developers last year. The branded GIFs and stickers will be made available through keyboard applications that people can download, access and add stickers and GIFs to their messages. According to Adage, “WhatsApp has about 350-400 million users in India with no advertising tool” in that case it makes sense that these companies are hoping to make their entry onto WhatsApp as it does not allow advertising yet. Being part of daily conversations improves brand positioning and Stickers and GIFs are an innovative and non-intrusive way for brands to make their presence felt in the daily lives of their customers.