Tag: snapchat

Snapchat Revamps Stories Layout And Adds More Mid-Roll And Post-Roll Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following its decision to open up its ad API for programmatic ads last week, Snapchat has rolled out some changes to its app. The layout of its Stories section has been revamped to put updates from friends first, followed by the Discover and subscription sections. This change prioritizes user-generated content over content from publishers and brands. Moreover, Snapchat is also ditching its Auto Advance feature in favor of a Playlist mode, which allows users to select the snaps they would like to see. The company also says it is adding more mid- and post-roll ads to its content. The ads will appear in between snaps in Playlist mode as they did with Auto Advance.

What Brands Need To Do
With over 150 million daily active users, surpassing Twitter’s 140 million, Snapchat is reportedly planning for an IPO. The updates could help users manage the content overload on the ever-growing platform and provide brands with more options in terms of where they would prefer to surface their video ads. As Snapchat continues to improve its ad products to match its rapid growth, brands need to consider getting on Snapchat to reach its young-skewing users.

 

Source: AdWeek

 

Snapchat’s Ad API Open For Programmatic Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Snapchat has officially opened its advertising API to third-party partners for programmatic ad sales. Brands including McDonald’s, Unilever, Nissan, and Gatorade are among the first to try out programmatic buying on Snapchat. Its API also includes targeting via email matching, performance visualization tools for real-time tracking, and the ability to do A/B testing for in-app campaigns.

What Brands Need To Do
According to eMarketer, Snapchat is expected to expand its user base by 27.2% this year, surpassing its rivals such as Twitter and Pinterest. Now with the added support for programmatic buying, Snapchat took another big step in improving its ad products to match its rapid growth. Brands need to consider getting on Snapchat to reach its young-skewing users via not only standard video ads, but also more unconventional ad units such as custom Geofilters and branded selfie lenses.

 

Source: AdAge

How Brands Can Better Utilize Snapchat’s Snapcodes And Influencers

Posted on by Richard Yao

What Happened
Snapchat is offering brands a new way to engage with consumers in the real world as it debuts an ad format called Snap to Unlock. Brands can work with Snapchat to create branded “Snapcodes,” QR codes shaped like the Snapchat logo, to put on billboards, on products, or in stores for interested customers to scan to gain access to extra content. Universal Pictures is among the first to test this new ad unit to promote its new movie The Girl On the Train.

In related news, brands can now use Snaplytics, a social analytics startup dedicated to Snapchat, to identify and track how their influencer campaigns are doing by using their new Influencer Tracking Platform. The tool is designed to provide marketers with data on how many Snapchat users saw an influencer ad and for how long, helping brands to adjust their campaigns accordingly.

What Brands Need To Do
Both products should be of great use to brands trying to reach customers on Snapchat in ways besides conventional video ads. Snap To Unlock offers brands a chance to bring mobile-based interactivity to their out-of-home campaigns or product packaging, and Snaplytics’ Influencer Tracking Platform provides brands with a measurement tool to better understand their sponsored influencer content performance.

 

Sources: AdAge & Realwire

 

Fandango Starts Selling Tickets On Facebook & iMessage, Soon On Snapchat

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Fandango is embracing the omnichannel approach as it starts to allow users to buy movie tickets on some of the hottest mobile platforms. Over the weekend, the ticket-booking service started allowing U.S. customers to purchase tickets to select movies without leaving their Facebook News Feed. Previously, Fandango had enabled iPhone users to buy movie tickets directly from its iMessage app. And the company says it is working on an interface that allows Snapchat users to buy tickets without leaving the app.

What Brands Need To Do
More and more consumers are growing accustomed to making purchases on their phones, spelling opportunities for brands to sell directly on mobile. Fandango’s strong push into selling movie tickets on these three popular mobile platforms is a smart move that caters to changing consumer behavior and reaches customers in apps they spend the most time in. Therefore, other brands, especially those in retail and entertainment, should take note and consider integrating those social and messaging platforms into their sales channels.

 

Source: New York Times

 

Snapchat Introduces New Targeting Options For Video Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Snapchat is introducing three new targeting options to its vertical video Snap Ads as the company continues to improve its ad products. Now brand advertisers can choose to target Snapchat users based on email address-matching or target users that share similar characteristics with those defined groups. Later this fall Snapchat will also allow brands to target ads based on the type of content users view.

What Brands Need To Do
According to comScore, Snapchat’s core audience of 18-to-24 year-olds is nearing full saturation but older demographics will provide growth. As Snapchat continues to expand its user base and improve its ad products, it is an important social marketing channel that brand marketers need to consider in their media planning and develop a strategy for.

 

Source: Marketing Land

How Bloomingdale’s Uses Snapchat Geofilters To Gamify The In-Store Experience

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Department store chain Bloomingdale’s devised a fun way to engage with shoppers via Snapchat’s Geofilters. By creating custom filters placed throughout its stores, Bloomingdale’s is inviting customers on a scavenger hunt to discover them. Customers can enter sweepstakes by sending snaps with the branded geofilters to Bloomingdale’s Snapchat account.

What Retailers Need To Do
This Bloomingdale’s campaign continues an emerging trend of brands tapping into Snapchat Geofilters to engage consumers with scavenger hunts. The approach that Bloomingdale’s chose is particularly clever because it encourages participants to wander around the stores, which increases the chance of product discovery and purchases. With 90% of retail shoppers now using their smartphones in stores, retailers need to take note and learn to leverage mobile technologies and popular apps to excite and engage with shoppers in and out of stores.

For more information on how retailers can leverage digital technology to modernize their retail experience, please check out the Boundless Retail section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Luxury Daily

 

Snapchat Launches Web Tool For Custom Geofilters

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Snapchat introduced on Tuesday a web-based tool that makes it easier for everyone to create custom Geofilters. The web tool comes with a set of templates for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions, allowing Snapchat users to create their own Geofilters for as low as $5. Snapchat launched on-demand custom Geofilters in February as another way to generate revenues and several brands have since embraced this product. Brands such as McDonald’s and Starbucks are using them at concerts and sporting events to engage with Snapchat users.

What Brands Need To Do
Sponsored Geofilters is among Snapchat’s several unique ad products that blend the brand messages natively into the user experience.  By making it more accessible, Snapchat is also making it easier for brands with a smaller budget to try out Geofilters.  As Snapchat continues to grow its user base and improve its ad product, brands need to consider developing a Snapchat strategy and adding the popular messaging app in your social marketing mix.

 

Source: The Verge

Gatorade Invites Snapchat Users To Play Tennis With Serena Williams

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Gatorade is running a Snapchat ad that includes a branded mini-game to maximize user engagement. The Gatorade ad, which runs in the ESPN Discover channel, invites users to swipe up on the ad to play a web-based, retro-style video game about playing tennis with Serena Williams. The branded game is also available to all mobile and desktop users at SerenaMatchPoint.com, to which Gatorade is also using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to drive users.

What Brands Need To Do
Gatorade is not the first brand to take advantage of Snapchat ad’s “swipe-up-for-more” feature. Earlier this month, Sony Picture ran a Snapchat ad that directs users to a 360-degree video to promote its upcoming thriller. Despite some major complaints that advertisers hold against Snapchat, there is no denying that brands have mostly warmed up to the app as it continues to grow its user base and improves its ad products. If your brand has yet to develop a Snapchat strategy, now is the time to include the popular messaging app in your social marketing mix.

 

Source: Digiday

Why Snapchat Is Pushing For Shorter Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Ads on Snapchat are already pretty short, typically ranging from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. But with users typically skipping an ad after two seconds, Snapchat is now reportedly recommending brands to cut their ads between Stories to seven seconds and those within Live Stories to five seconds. The fast-growing messaging app is expected to grow its user base by 27% this year, according to a new eMarketer report.

What Brands Need To Do
The short user attention and low tolerance towards ads are compelling Snapchat to suggest shorter ad length, which presents various creative challenges for brands to overcome. Therefore, it is important that brands take Snapchat’s recommendation into consideration and get to the point quicker. Besides, brands seeking mobile audiences should also consider creating engaging branded content or sponsoring popular influencers to reach Snapchat users.

 

Source: Marketing Land

Sony Pictures Found A Workaround To Run 360 Video Ads On Snapchat

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Snapchat has yet to support 360-degree video in its app, but Sony Pictures has found a workaround to incorporate 360-degree video into its ads on the messaging app. To promote its upcoming thriller “Don’t Breathe,” the movie studio bought 10-second video ads on Snapchat that prompt users to swipe up for more content. Once they swipe up, viewers will be treated to a 90-second “Don’t Breathe” 360-degree video on a web page inside the app.

What Brands Need To Do
360-degree content offers an immersive experience that brands can use to engage with consumers. While it is unclear whether Snapchat will add support for 360-degree video any time soon, Sony’s workaround shows that there is a way to reach the Snapchat audience with 360-degree video. With mainstream platforms like YouTube and Facebook now supporting the format, 360-degree videos are only going to become more popular among consumers. For brands looking to stay ahead of the curve, now is the time to start developing branded 360-degree content and make it easily accessible.

 

Source: Variety