Snapchat, One Year On: why it’s the network of choice for millennials

Last year, I wrote a blog on how Snapchat transformed itself from a self-destructing photo app into a commercially viable media outlet. One year on and the social network has expanded its media leg, but kept photo messaging at its heart.

Snapchat has matured into one of the worlds' largest social networks, boasting 150 million active users per day - taking it well ahead of social big bird Twitter. But this comes as no surprise to those avid users and followers of the app.

In the last three months, Snapchat's acquisitions extend to Seene, a 3D face-scanning app, Bitmoji maker, Bitstrips and Looksery, a Ukrainian tech company. Each one of these acquisitions are focused on taking the users back to the app's original feature - photo messaging.

The app has also been given plenty of airtime by celebrities: Kim Kardashian recently exposed an intimidate conversation between Kayne and Taylor Swift over a series of 10 second videos, and subsequently broke the internet (again).

Face Swap

Snapchat's latest facial recognition filters have kept the app relevant to an ever growing - and ageing - target audience. From a user point of view, the ability to swap faces with the person standing next you, the ability to get insight into what your future self may look like, and the ability to transform your face into a Bumble Bee or Dalmatian with an interactive tongue feature, is incredibly engaging (for most).

For the sole and grave purpose of research, here's myself and fellow marketing exec Imogen, testing out the filters:

Snapchat's filters are one of the main draws that ensure users keep coming back to the app. It not only allows you to share instant moments with your friends, but keeps you engaged with weekly filter updates. It's an innovative approach which is why it continues to work - my Facebook feed is full of Pandas wearing halos and butterfly hair pins.

Memories

Snapchat's latest move to keep itself at the heart of millennials' digital portfolio is Memories, a feature which allows you to add your snaps to a living memory bank inside the app.

Memories takes away the need for users to download images direct to their phones, giving them the option to collect their special moments within the app. It's a reactional move to keep users within the app for a longer period, and gives users another reason to keep returning. Disposability is out, personalisation is in.

Discover

Snapchat Discover has become the feature which is the publishing industry's favourite toy. In one year, Discover increased its media offering to 23 publishers - these content creators no longer view Snapchat as an experimental marketing tool, but as one of their core channels for pushing out content.

Having said this, understanding the type of content that performs best is still experimental: long form vs short form videos, multiple news stories vs one running theme, exclusive news vs breaking news.

Boasting 5 billion video views a day, with publishers reporting even higher numbers, there is no denying that Snapchat has become the go-to network to reach a younger demographic: views = success, and success = $.

Storytelling is the key to Snapchat's continued success. The photo messaging app has reinvented the user experience by making it interactive, rather than the more clunky series of one-dimensional Tweets or singular Facebook posts. It's racked up an impressive amount of daily video views and daily active users - surpassing some of social media's big dogs.

Delivering news content in an easily digestible format, designed for Gen Y's second screen attention span, as well as finding ways to increase users' time on the app, is why Snapchat is one of the best social networks available, and is now valued at $20 billion.

Pre-Snapchat, millennials (and subsequent Gens) were the mysterious age group who were difficult to market to, difficult to understand, and difficult to pin down on any one channel or medium. Snapchat has managed to successfully bridge the gap between brand, publisher and this younger demographic - which is why the network is so lucrative.

If you're a brand looking for ways to connect with millennials - get on Snapchat. Everyone's doing it: Dominos, New York Times, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Mondelez, Heineken, and General Electric, to name a few. If the app continues to implement current trends, it'll retain us ageing millennials (who struggle with adulthood) and maintain a strong follower of 16 year olds. Snapchat, we're keen to see what your future brings.

If you're looking for new innovative ways to reach and understand your audience, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email to: [email protected].