Over the weekend, popular picture messaging service Snapchat (which has been in the news of late due to the recent server hacks dubbed “The Snappening” by opportunistic perverts everywhere) revealed its first ads for US users, a move that CEO and company co-founder Evan Spiegel has alluded to in the past. Of course, this doesn't mean some users were not surprised, but in Spiegel's defence, the ads are far from invasive. Indeed, on the platform's website, it was made clear that ads would only pop up in the “Recent Updates” section of the app, and that it won't be using personal data to target users in the “Creepy and targeted” manner utilised by similar services.
Users will be able to choose if they want to watch the ad, which will disappear after being viewed or once they've been available for 24 hours
A statement issued by the company said “The best advertisements tell you more about stuff that actually interests you,” and explained that, whilst “Some companies spend a lot of time and collect a lot of data about you to figure that out,” their advertisements will be “A lot simpler.” Simply put; users will be able to choose if they want to watch the ad, which will disappear after being viewed or once they've been available for 24 hours. The 'opt-in' ads won't appear alongside snaps (which is what many users feared), but will only appear in the area of the app's inbox, which is far less intrusive than the methods used by Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The first ad sent across the network was a short promo trailer for the upcoming horror film “Ouija,” which you can watch yourself below.
Ouija Snapchat Trailer
Snapchat have admitted the sole reasoning behind the ads is a monetary one, admitting that they “Understandably need to make money,” and stating that the upside to the ads is that the extra revenue they make will be put towards “Surprising the Snapchat community with more terrific products.” It's hard to fault them to be honest, considering the monumental 78% boost in ad spend from 2013 to 2013 and a mobile marketing market worth approximately $19 billion. It's yet to be seen if the ads will also make an appearance in the new “Snapchat Discovery” service, which is set to launch in November, but I wouldn't bet against it.
The extra revenue Snapchat makes will reportedly be put towards “Surprising the Snapchat community with more terrific products.”
Of course, after only one ad it's impossible to analyse any patterns, or even to pontificate on what this means for the brand going forward, but it appears the company are at least on the right track. Social media companies are constantly searching for new ways to advertise to their users in an organic manner that makes sense for their service and is tailored and towards users interests. Of course, these attempts have been largely unsuccessful, but using a horror film aimed at teenagers mere weeks before Halloween is a good start. It's timely, relevant and has mass appeal, which is exactly what mobile marketing should be all about.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He could never get the hang of Snapchat, but then he's probably only taken about five personal pictures in the last decade.
