The number of advertisers in the Maks messenger has increased 18-fold

The blogger advertising market is showing a rapid increase in placements on the Maks platform and continued interest in Telegram amid a possible advertising ban at the end of the year. This is evidenced by research data from the Association of Bloggers and Agencies (ABA) and the eLama platform, which were reviewed by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

According to the report, from January to May 2026, the number of companies ordering integrations from influencers at Maks increased 7.5 times, and the average receipt increased 4.7 times. At the same time, the volume of expenses also increased 37 times. The site's share in the total volume of labeled content increased from 0.8% in January to 5.35% in May.

"The platform has actually moved from the "small" category to the "medium" category," commented Kristina Boroda, head of public research at Brand Analytics.

Experts note the overall transformation of the market: with the share of advertisers growing from 35% to 37% compared to 2024, the number of new segment participants decreased from 49% in 2025 to 43%. The main trend has been a shift in brand interest towards micro- and nanoinfluencers due to the high engagement of their audience and the low cost of entry.

"The influencer marketing market is going through an important transformation: the period of extensive growth is coming to an end, and efficiency is becoming the main driver. Market volume forecasts for 2026 are noticeably more restrained than in previous years, which indicates the transition of the industry to a more mature phase of development," said Tanya Ivanova, head of Hello Bloggers agency.

The study pays special attention to Telegram. Despite the prospect of a ban on advertising in the messenger at the end of the year, brands continue to actively use the platform. Experts attribute this to the fact that by the end of 2026, it was decided not to fine for the placement of such integrations.

"Limiting the channels of interaction with the client in advance due to fear of uncertainty means underutilizing the potential available to the brand today," said Alexey Nikitin, Director of Attraction at Smile of the Rainbow.

According to experts, the market is adapting to new regulatory conditions through the diversification of platforms and the search for new marketing models. At the same time, the interviewed business representatives emphasize that Telegram remains a key tool for quick access to the target audience.

"When planning the budget, we try to take into account all the risks. However, we regularly expand the media mix and constantly test new traffic sources/channels in order not to depend on any one site. We do not plan to reduce the number of tests in Telegram, but we are attentive and taking into account all changes in legislation," added Pavel Kudinov, Director of Strategic Marketing at the FOXFORD online school.

Smart MAX: will VK's national messenger be able to repeat the success of Chinese WeChat

Machine learning technologies have been introduced in the new product to improve call quality.

Testing of the channel comments feature began in the Maks messenger on June 11. Users will be able to reply to each other in the comments section, as well as see the number of messages left without going to the section itself.

On May 13, the largest telecom operators agreed on technical cooperation with the Maks messenger. Now SMS notifications will be duplicated in the app. Registration confirmation codes, alerts from banks and other services, as well as information about mobile account replenishment will be sent to Russians in the application. They will be available even if there is no connection or Wi-Fi.