Wth over 100 million active users each day, Snapchat is arguably one of the fastest growing social media platforms.
The encrypted messaging service, which allows users to send text, picture and video messages over a select time period, was initially aimed at teens and pre-teens.
However, in the last couple of years the app has added a number of extra features which allow news sources, celebrities and brands to post daily ‘stories’, which has opened up the app to a slightly older audience. (Read more on Snapchat users here in this post from eMarketer.)
A big reason why Snapchat’s popularity has soared is because brands are getting increasingly creative with their use of the app. Here’re five examples of the creative ways brands are using the Snapchat platform.
Audi & The Super Bowl
Now a more common approach among brands, back in 2014 Audi led the way for Snapchat use during a live sports event.
Instead of posting images and videos from the stadium or of the actual game, they posted a number of humorous pictures of people in the home experiencing the game.
From pictures poking fun at the Super Bowl advertising, to pictures of a pet dog looking very unimpressed by the whole occasion, Audi connected to the average person’s experience of the Super Bowl. This saw their Snapchat following spike by more than 5,500 users during the game.
Snapchat: Audi
HBO & Girls
Another example from 2014 comes from American television channel HBO. It began by having the stars of hit comedy Girls post Snapchats from the red carpet of the season three premiere.
It also continued throughout the season, having the likes of Lena Dunham and her co-stars posting regular snaps while each episode aired.
According to global social media experts Pilot Fish Media, who explained why this approach was so successful, “Ultimately, platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter give us a window into the daily lives of our favourite stars.”
“Snapchat’s ‘My Story’ feature is probably the best for this, providing followers with exclusive content that can’t be accessed anywhere else on an easy-to-use stream of images and videos lasting no longer than 10 seconds each.”
Snapchat: girlsHBO
Heineken & Coachella Festival
Dutch beer brand Heineken recently put their Snapchat account to good use at music festival Coachella.
There were a number of surprise performances across the festival and Heineken posted a series of clues to each one. Any followers who sent back a correct guess was sent an individual Snapchat confirming the details of the place and time of the performance.
Much like the HBO example, this is all about offering exclusive content to followers. However, because there is a slight disconnect between the beer and the festival, their approach in this instance had to be sightly more subtle than HBO’s.
Snapchat: HeinekenSnapWho
Grub Hub & Recruitment
Takeaway delivery service Grub Hub is pretty prolific on Snapchat, regularly posting new deals and restaurants to order from.
However, they have also used the social platform for another reason, to recruit staff. Posting a series of snaps suggesting that they were looking for an intern with serious “Snapchat Skills” they urged followers interested in the role to send back an inventive doodle.
Skipping the usual channels of LinkedIn, Grub Hub’s inventive approach to recruitment went straight to the source, a great way to reach youngsters with a creative touch.
Snapchat: Grub Hub
Sour Patch Kids & Logan Paul
There’s no doubting that in recent years, social media has truly changed what it means to be a celebrity. Now, there is a new generation of celebs which almost entirely exist on social media.
Sweet brand Maynards decided to combine its Sour Patch Kids sweets with Vine star Logan Paul on their Snapchat to hilarious effect.
Posting a daily Snapchat story involving Logan’s daily encounters with a life-sized Sour Patch sweet, Maynards managed to reach their target audience through the use of social media’s popular stars.
Snapchat: SourPatchSnaps