The Dawn of Snapchat
It’s still not uncommon for people to argue that marketing on Facebook and Twitter doesn’t work stating that there is no “direct ROI”. You can imagine what those same people are saying about Snapchat, a video/picture messaging app that only lasts about 20 seconds long.
Personally as a millennial living in the digital age, I think that if any brand is taking an interest into what we enjoying doing and what we are using to communicate with, is one step ahead. Snapchat is turning traditional media marketing upside down, challenging brands to find new and creative ways to interact with us. The benefit of Snapchat is that it takes little or no cost to send a snap and you are specifically targeting someone who actually wants to see your messages. Snapchatters share about 700 million photos daily on the service, a substantial amount more than the 70 million photos shared daily on the Instagram app. Snapchat, which has been valued at $10 billion, was the second most downloaded iTunes app of 2014, so who wouldn’t want to be on it?
Here’s a look at some major brands who have capitalized on using Snapchat.
American Eagle
Fashion retailer American Eagle used Snapchat to give people an exclusive look at its autumn 2014 clothing line. They used the Snapchat Story function to build a more complete picture around the new launch.
Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids, the sugary snack made by Mondelez, has incorporated a star from Vine, Logan Paul, to help spread the Sour Patch Kids brand. The product’s tagline is ‘first it’s sour, then it’s sweet’, which formed the basis of a Snapchat Story created by Paul. It’s a quirky, comedic way of promoting the brand while also taking advantage of Logan’s creativity.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s used the app to share photos of its ads being filmed, which included shots of athletes like LeBron James, and NFL players Richard Sherman and Johnny Manziel. McDonald’s also sent images of its food as part of a campaign to promote the launch of a new sandwich.
Heineken
At Coachella festival last year Heineken used Snapchat to give followers clues about surprise gigs. Users who correctly guessed the artist were given early confirmation of an act scheduled for the Heineken House stage. This strategy is also a good way to quickly attract a load of new followers who can then be contacted again in future.
It’s these small but effective interactions that are creating one-to-one conversations with your followers and in return a deeper relationship is being built, rewarding followers with exclusive content tailored just for them.
