Dive Brief: 

• Messaging app Kik, taking cues from Facebook and Snapchat, is looking to attract more publishers and brands to push content on the platform. 
• Kik recently hired former programmatic agency Accuen CEO Josh Jacobs to head up the new division of Kik Services. Jacobs plans to add 10 to 20 staff to the division to help deal directly with brands and media. 
• Kik has already begun introducing tools, including its Promoted Chats feature, to help brands and publishers connect with users.

Dive Insight: 

Kik's CEO Ted Livingston has gone on record saying he wants Kik to be the "WeChat of the West," (Tencent-owned WeChat has seen large success in China) by building out the platform to be much more than a messaging app. A big part of that strategy will have to be indentifying ways for publishers and brands to push out content through the app. By leveraging its young user base -- 42% is age 18-24 -- Kik could have enough weight to pull in some major publishers and brands looking to reach that demographic to build brand loyalty.