Snapchat is trying to distance itself from its social media rivals with a new campaign and position itself as an “antidote” to other platforms.
“We're not social media. We're Snapchat,” Colleen DeCourcy, the company's chief creative and marketing officer, told Marketing Week.
The platform, launched in 2011, is used first and foremost to send messages to close friends, she said, and three out of four 13- to 24-year-olds in more than 25 countries use Friends and Personal. He cited statistics that show people use Snapchat every day to talk about themselves.
Snapchat's message of difference has become especially relevant these days, DeCourcy said. While in the early days there was a lot of optimism and excitement about what social media could offer, recent years have revealed some drawbacks, such as the pressure young people feel to increase likes and followers. She points out that there is.
When Snapchat launched, people thought [it] It was crazy to focus on messaging instead of building followership or asking for a response.
“We've made business choices around keeping it that way,” DeCourcy said. “This moment was one where that difference became very clear, and the space we held felt very useful and necessary.”
This seemed like a good moment to raise our flag and say, look, there's a place for you.
Colleen Decourcy, Snapchat
There's also something like a “friendship recession,” where social media has exacerbated feelings of isolation and reduced the number of close friends in real life, she says.
In recent years, the problems that social media can pose to users have become more apparent, and people have become disillusioned with what social media has to offer.
“This seemed like a good moment to raise our flag and say, look, there's a place for you,” DeCourcy says.
The way Snapchat will do this is through the brand's first campaign in three years, “Less Social Media.” More Snapchat.” The TV ad will first air during the Grammy Awards in the US on Sunday (February 4). In the UK, the campaign will be rolled out across outdoor, digital and other social channels.
“Breaking the ideology”
When determining the success of a campaign, Snapchat first “listens to the conversation” and determines whether it “breaks with the ethos” of the platform, DeCourcy said.
The company plans to consider traditional measures like brand lift and message breakthroughs, but ultimately it wants to get users to use Snapchat more.
“We really want people to do less of other things and do more of this. It's about showing people that there are alternatives to traditional social media that provide connection, happiness and fun. to show,” DeCourcy said.
Through branded campaigns, Snapchat tries to speak to its users and remind them why they're on the platform in the first place.
“Our community is always first and foremost… We want them to remember with pride why they are there, and we want others to remember why they are there too. We want people to understand that,” DeCourcy says.
Snapchat's “community” skews young. The company claims that Snapchat is popular with over 90% of 13-24 year olds and over 75% of 13-34 year olds in over 25 countries.
It's not just young people that Snapchat is trying to reach with this campaign, DeCourcy said, “We want to speak to everyone.”
Responsible for marketing transformation in product-driven business as Snap's first CMO
“We want those around us [Snapchat’s users] They need to understand that being with them provides real support and benefit,” she says.
While the platform aims to set itself apart from social media, the campaign, which essentially calls attention to the shortcomings of what many people categorize as social media, is not without its risks.
“We believe the net return is worth the risk,” says DeCourcy. She is confident that Snapchat, as a unique brand, will withstand intense scrutiny.
“We invite those questions. We know this is a campaign that makes people say, 'Wait a minute.'” And that’s exactly what I want,” she says.
Something bigger than a campaign
Meanwhile, Snapchat is using its first branded campaign to set itself apart from its competitors. DeCourcy emphasizes that his goal of creating “something better” extends beyond just his one brand and his campaign.
“We always want people to know that we designed Snapchat with protections and a goal to make it safe for the vast majority of teens who use our app. 'So we're doing more than just an advertising campaign,' she says.
The campaign's goals align with the organization's ambitions, she said.
“This is the mission that drives us. As a company, we have the goal of strengthening authentic relationships with friends, family, and the world they live in,” said DeCourcy.
Fundamentally, when a company is responsible to its users and doing things that add value, it thrives.
Colleen Decourcy, Snapchat
This “mission” and how Snapchat's decision to highlight it in this campaign ties into the commercial goals of the business as a whole makes it clear that a company's adherence to these values will lead to success. makes sense, says DeCourcy.
“Fundamentally, if a company is responsible to its users and doing things that add value, it will thrive,” she says.
The choices the company has made since 2011 have prioritized its “values,” she says.
“We made our choice […] “We have set limits in some cases, or at least carefully tracked the growth of our business, in order to continue adhering to the set of values we have held since our inception,” she says. “We combine this mission with business success and are constantly balancing the two.”
