Marketing With Snapchat

Snapchat decided to turn down a rumored $3B offer from Facebook this past week in what may turn out to be one of the most ill-advised decisions. Snapchat has no revenue and it doesn't have a plan for revenue - at least not publicly. User data is practically non-existent, so advertising won't really work. The files sent are images, rather than links which could direct someone to a website. In other words, there is little infrastructure to even monetize Snapchat. (Facebook has cash on hand to burn, but more importantly, they see Snapchat as another way to connect with their large user base and to protect their "kingdom", so the $3B may be justified for them. Maybe.) But Snapchat offers something different and new - an element of mystery to marketing messages. The new Mission Impossible movie could use Snapchat to engage in a fun marketing campaign with images of clues that are only seen for a few seconds. Cool prizes could be offered, and the resulting Google searches (of targeted keywords that are inexpensive) could be supported with AdWords campaigns. Movies aren't the only the potential advertisers. Any product unveiling that wants to try to build a viral marketing campaign could start its breadcrumb path with Snapchat. It could become a new way to market products, or it could become a fad that dries out quickly. In either case, it will be interesting to watch how Snapchat progresses.