In a recent interview, Snapchat’s founder and CEO Evan
Spiegel has declared that the popular photo messaging app will be including ads
in the short term. The company, that currently does not have any source of
revenues, after being valued in $10 billion, has decided to start monetizing is
customer base –with more than 30 million active users currently – through the
use of advertising. Initially the ads will be simple and generalist without any
kind of customer targeting included. According to Mr. Spiegel, the new elements
will be placed in the Snapchat stories feature, mixed with the pictures shared
by the users.
A few companies like Taco Bell already use Snapchat as an advertising
channel to reach the customers through personal messages, but this will their
first move in the paid advertising market. The question now is whether this untargeted
service will be appealing enough for companies to promote themselves, and if
the characteristics of the popular app are sufficient to take this strategy to
the next level with a more sophisticated approach. In fact, the
information about users that Snapchat holds is relatively limited.
1 comment:
To expand on this topic, I was interested in today’s AdAge article regarding Dove’s foray into SnapChat to promote its “Self Esteem” weekend. According to Unilever Marketing Director Jennifer Bremmer, "We want(ed) to speak to them in ways and places that are organic to them.” Dove’s program includes brand-generated snaps regarding common self-esteem issues for young women and encourages its followers to snap back with responses. Dove representatives responded to the user generated content with real-time advice and feedback.
While major brands may still be weary of platforms like Snapchat due to its opaque success metrics, unsophisticated targeting capabilities, or reputation for inappropriate teen behavior, marketers are quickly realizing that they need to get comfortable on these platforms to effectively target their demographic. If brands want to stay relevant in their consumer’s lives, especially brands that target millennials or younger consumers, they must follow Dove’s lead and be willing to test emerging communication channels like Snapchat. These are the platforms that their target consumers are most active on and have yet to be crowded with advertising messaging. The idea of the “bleeding edge” has application to digital marketing efforts in that marketers can expect greater rewards through consumer engagement if they are willing to market to their consumers in ways that are risky, both in terms of their unproven success and lack of control over the conversation, a characteristic that most brands are unwilling to give up.
Source: http://adage.com/article/digital/unilever-s-dove-snapchat-esteem-effort/295325/
Post a Comment