Summer of Snapchat
Snapchat has had a wild ride since its IPO in 2017. In the last two years, it’s seen it’s highs and lows; with the latter being related to limited global user growth, copy cat of product features from other large social networks, and not engaging their influencer and creator community to its full potential.
However, that all changed this summer. The buzz surrounding Snapchat was at an all-time high from heightened user engagement and the stock soaring on the stock market. Here are three ways Snapchat has made 2019 a summer focused on innovation and excitement.
Gender Swap Filter
Snapchat was the OG of AI-filters that made you look completely different. For years, users have embraced the dog tongue and mouse ears, but this summer, the gender swap filter led many users back onto the platform and new downloads as well. In fact, according to the research firm, One Zero, daily downloads doubled after the introduction of the new filters to more than 1 million per day. On three different days in May, the app was downloaded around 2 million times.
Additionally, many users re-engaged with the app to use and share their gender swap content.
Instant Create Ads
Advertising on Snapchat has been problematic for brands and small businesses that have found it hard to create authentic, vertical video that fits the Snapchat aesthetic. Because of this, Snapchat found a solution that they launched this Summer: Instant Create.
In their blog, they describe the advertising solution as so:
- For web visits, simply input your business URL and Instant Create will pull in photos directly from your website to help create your ad.
- You have the option of choosing from one of the imported images or uploading a new one from your computer, allowing you to quickly set up your campaigns without having to search for a creative.
- Instant Create includes a streamlined ad creation flow that leverages our most popular templates and simplified ad detail options, enabling you to publish engaging creative without additional design resources.
As it is laid out, Instant Create makes it easy to start using Snapchat as an advertising platform. It is part of self-service, so you can make ads and test to see their impact — leading to better results and minimal time investment.
Spectacles 3
With hardware part of their product suite, Spectacles have taken on a new way to create content for Snapchat. Now, Snapchat has released its third version of the sunglasses, and it’s turning the world into 3D. There are two HD cameras to power new augmented reality, and these new glasses have higher resolution photos with 1,642 x 1,642 pixels and videos are stored at 1,216 x 1,216. With Snapchat’s investment in augmented reality, you can add AR filters onto buildings, friends, your selfie, and see the world in a different light.
Snapchat has listened to its customers and made changes that benefit the user experience. However, one area that Snapchat still needs to invest more time and resources into is the influencer and creator community. Although they’ve hosted this community in the past, they’ll need to continue to make sure to work with influencers so that they’re always producing new content, AR filters, and galvanizing their communities to stay on-platform. Because as we’ve seen within the social media landscape, it’s a fickle world and many will leave for the newest and coolest platform.
