Snapchat Rolls Out New Ad Units

As Snapchat increases its popularity with consumers, it is also increasing its popularity with brands. Already, brands such as Burberry and Goldman Sachs have purchased Live Stories that showcase branded content for 24 hours. In this past week, Snapchat has rolled out two new ad units: a promoted channel in Snapchat Discover and a sponsored lens. 

On Monday, Sony Pictures became the first marketers to purchase a temporary channel in Snapchat’s Discover section. Sony purchased the channel to advertise the new James Bond movie, Spectre. Unlike the other 15 picture of iphone with james bond on it publishers featured in the Discover section, the James Bond channel is labeled “sponsored” and only lasts for 24 hours. Clicking on it brings up a combination of 14 photos and behind-the-scene videos from Spectre. For example, one video shows a sneak peak of a car chase through Rome.

 

Today, 20th Century Fox became the first marketer to use Snapchat’s “Sponsored Lens.” The brand utilized this new feature to promote The Peanuts Movies, which premiered November 6th. Today, users can tap the lens labeled “Sponsored” to use the Peanuts lens. The lens itself will overlay images of Snoopy and Woodstock, and plays the show’s theme song.
selfies of girls with Snoopy
The lens ad will run for 24 hours before disappearing. Although the price was not reported, the Financial Times reported and estimated cost of $750,000.

These two new ad units bode well for Snapchat, indicating a bright future for its ad revenues.