Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — If a picture is worth a thousand words, then stickers — cartoonish images intended to be more expressive alternatives to emoticons and emojis — may be the best thing that has happened to messaging. And Filipinos would be hard-pressed to disagree.
On Viber alone, Filipinos send 44 million stickers each month. And as it celebrates 25 million unique registered Filipino users on its platform, the popular messaging app is introducing even more stickers for them to share in their one-on-one conversations and group chats.
Over the years, in addition to the more common stickers, such as a kiss mark and a thumbs up, and ones showing the brand mascots Violet and LegCat, Viber has been coming out with stickers featuring local slang expressions and celebrities.
Now, Viber has launched a sticker pack dubbed #ViberForChange, a product of its partnership with the Presidential Communications Office in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s #PartnerForChange campaign. In line with the new president’s first state of the nation address yesterday, the sticker pack comprises cartoon versions of the president himself accompanied by phrases such as “Just Du it!,” “Change is here,” and “May Gad!”
The singer Gary Valenciano is also one of the latest additions to Viber's collection of sticker packs. Photo from VIBER/FACEBOOK
In an effort to promote the best of Philippine pop culture, Viber has also collaborated with one of the country’s leading recording artists, Gary Valenciano, on his very own sticker pack, #GVonViber, featuring his likeness and the titles of his biggest hits.
Along with the new sticker packs, Viber public chats have been opened for the Presidential Communications Office and Gary Valenciano, with the former providing official news and announcements from the president’s team and the latter giving fans behind-the-scenes access to the singer’s life and his conversations with his close celebrity friends.
Viber is now also welcoming local influencers such as brands, celebrities, and organizations to partner with it on reaching and engaging with its 25 million strong Filipino user base through additional public chats and sticker packs.