Snapchat is rapidly headed towards becoming a pay-to-play platform. Last week reports surfaced that the company is looking to replace the time-based news feed with one controlled by an algorithm. On Discover ads as well, Snapchat is taking steps to become closer to make its mobile product better resemble television ads. A few reasons why Snapchat Discover ads could complement TV ads, from L2’s Snapchat vs. Instagram: Advertising study.
Pricing: Large brands dominate the Snapchat advertising landscape, because even mid-sized brands are priced out by the platform’s ultra-premium offering. A single large player per category (e.g., Nike in Activewear, Little Debbie in CPG, GE in Consumer Electronics, and TRESemmé in Beauty) accounted for 57% of all ads observed on Snapchat Discover over the data collection period.
Special Events Focus: Many of the large brands advertising on Snapchat implemented a Super Bowl strategy in the days leading up to the game. PepsiCo advertised extensively on Tastemade’s Discover channel leading up to Super Bowl 50. The second annual Gameday Grub Match, where three YouTube chefs created recipes for the big game with their teams, accounted for 18% of all advertising on Snapchat observed in the one-month study period.
Extended Timing: Initially, Discover ads were 10-second snaps placed in between a publisher’s story. But recently, Snapchat expanded the video ad time limit to 90 seconds. That is slightly longer than a TV ad minimum, which makes Snapchat a great place for brands to continue their ads.
