In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, businesses are constantly looking for new ways to engage with their audience, expand their reach, and stay ahead of competitors. Social media platforms are among the most powerful tools for consumer engagement, and one platform that has become indispensable for businesses is Snapchat. Snapchat, with its unique features, dynamic content, and creative possibilities, offers brands an exciting opportunity to connect with younger, tech-savvy audiences in real time. However, as with any platform, successful marketing on Snapchat requires brands to think outside the box, embrace authenticity, and harness the app’s unique characteristics to their advantage.
Snapchat is distinct from other social media platforms in many ways, most notably for its time-sensitive nature. The app’s core feature, ephemeral content, allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after being viewed. While Snapchat started as a platform for teens to send fleeting pictures, it has since evolved into a multi-faceted app with over 500 million active users globally. Its popularity has grown significantly in recent years, particularly among Gen Z, a coveted demographic for brands looking to capture the attention of the next generation of consumers.
In this op-ed, we’ll explore why Snapchat is an essential tool for modern marketing, the unique ways brands can utilize the platform, and provide examples of successful marketing campaigns that demonstrate the power of Snapchat’s creative tools. We will also examine some of the challenges brands face on the platform and offer guidance on how to avoid common pitfalls.
Why Snapchat Matters for Marketers
Before diving into specific marketing strategies, it’s important to understand why Snapchat is such a valuable platform for businesses. Several factors set Snapchat apart from other social media apps, making it an attractive choice for brands.
1. Snapchat’s Young, Engaged User Base
One of the most compelling reasons brands invest in Snapchat marketing is the app’s demographics. As of 2025, roughly 75% of Snapchat users are under the age of 34, with a significant concentration of Gen Z users between the ages of 13 and 24. This group is highly coveted by advertisers because they represent the future of consumer spending, and they are more likely to be influenced by digital and social media marketing than older generations.
Furthermore, users on Snapchat are highly engaged. Research has shown that users interact with the platform frequently, and many spend a considerable amount of time on the app each day. This high engagement rate means that brands have a great opportunity to catch the attention of a target audience that is actively consuming content and engaging with friends, influencers, and brands.
2. The Power of Ephemeral Content
Snapchat’s core feature—ephemeral content—sets it apart from other platforms. When users post photos or videos, they disappear after 24 hours. This impermanence encourages more casual and spontaneous content, making the app feel more authentic and real-time. For brands, this creates a unique opportunity to produce content that is temporary, exclusive, and highly engaging.
Ephemeral content taps into FOMO (fear of missing out), encouraging users to take action quickly before the content disappears. Brands that use Snapchat effectively take advantage of this by creating limited-time promotions, exclusive behind-the-scenes looks, or sneak peeks that leave followers eager to interact before the opportunity passes.
3. Snapchat’s Augmented Reality (AR) Capabilities
Snapchat has been a pioneer in augmented reality (AR) marketing. The platform’s AR filters, lenses, and effects are widely popular and have become a staple of its identity. These interactive features allow users to engage with branded content in a fun, creative, and immersive way. For brands, AR provides a unique chance to offer interactive experiences that go beyond traditional advertising.
For example, brands can create custom filters that users can apply to their photos and videos. These filters can be tied to specific events, product launches, or promotions, helping brands stand out in users’ Snapchat feeds. Additionally, AR lenses allow for more dynamic, 3D experiences that engage users in a fun, playful manner. This level of interactivity helps brands forge stronger emotional connections with users and encourages them to share the content with their own followers.
4. Snapchat Stories: A Creative Storytelling Platform
Snapchat Stories allow brands to create a sequence of images and videos that tell a story over a 24-hour period. This feature has proven incredibly successful for marketers, as it offers a way to engage users through a more comprehensive and creative form of content. Brands can use Snapchat Stories to showcase products, promote events, or give a behind-the-scenes look at their operations. The 24-hour format encourages urgency, while the visual nature of the platform appeals to younger, visually-oriented audiences.
In addition, Snapchat’s Discover feature provides brands with the opportunity to create curated content that reaches a broader audience. Brands can create immersive, full-screen ads, sponsored stories, and editorial-style content that appear in the Discover section, allowing them to interact with users outside their direct followers.
How to Market on Snapchat: Key Strategies for Success
With its unique features and demographics, Snapchat presents a variety of marketing opportunities for consumer brands. To succeed on the platform, brands need to craft creative, engaging, and authentic campaigns that speak to the specific needs and behaviors of Snapchat users. Below are several strategies that have proven successful for brands marketing on Snapchat.
1. Create Interactive AR Experiences
One of the most exciting opportunities for brands on Snapchat is leveraging augmented reality (AR) to create interactive and fun experiences for users. Snapchat’s lenses and filters are hugely popular, and users enjoy trying them out for themselves. Brands can create their own custom lenses or filters that tie into a product launch, event, or campaign, encouraging users to share their photos and videos with their followers.
For example, Nike created a Snapchat lens that allowed users to “try on” virtual shoes. This interactive experience not only showcased Nike’s product in a playful and engaging way, but it also encouraged users to share their experiences, effectively increasing brand visibility and generating buzz.
Creating your own AR experiences gives users something to interact with and adds an element of fun to your marketing strategy. It’s also important to make the experience shareable. The more users interact with and share your content, the more organic visibility your brand will gain.
Takeaway: Leverage Snapchat’s AR capabilities to create custom lenses or filters that offer fun, interactive experiences for users. These experiences should be shareable to increase brand exposure.
2. Utilize Snapchat Stories for Storytelling and Exclusivity
Snapchat Stories provide an excellent opportunity to engage users in a more creative, narrative-driven format. Unlike the brief, single posts on other social media platforms, Stories give brands more space to tell a comprehensive story. Whether you’re showcasing a new product, sharing user-generated content, or offering a behind-the-scenes look at your company, Snapchat Stories give you a unique way to engage with followers.
Additionally, offering exclusive content through Stories can drive urgency. The temporary nature of Stories encourages users to act quickly before the content disappears. For example, brands can use Snapchat Stories to reveal limited-time promotions, flash sales, or exclusive previews of upcoming products.
A good example of this is Gucci’s use of Snapchat Stories to showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes content during fashion shows. The brand took advantage of the visual nature of the platform to give followers a sneak peek into its creative process, which helped generate excitement for its collections.
Takeaway: Use Snapchat Stories as a creative, storytelling tool to engage your audience. Create exclusive content that encourages urgency and keeps followers coming back for more.
3. Engage Users with User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content is an effective way to build brand loyalty and trust. Snapchat offers a variety of ways to incorporate UGC into your marketing strategy. For instance, brands can run campaigns or challenges that encourage users to create and share content related to their products.
For example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign encouraged users to take photos of their personalized Coke bottles and share them on Snapchat. The campaign’s hashtag and interactive nature helped drive engagement, with consumers actively participating in the promotion. This not only increased brand exposure but also strengthened the connection between Coca-Cola and its fans.
Similarly, Chobani used Snapchat to share user-generated content in which fans submitted photos and videos showing how they incorporated Chobani yogurt into their daily routines. This approach not only engaged Chobani’s audience but also created a sense of community around the brand.
Takeaway: Encourage your audience to create and share content related to your brand. Use hashtags, campaigns, and challenges to foster participation and build a sense of community.
4. Leverage Snapchat Ads to Target Specific Demographics
Snapchat offers a variety of ad formats that can help brands reach their target audiences effectively. From in-Snap ads that appear between users’ Snaps to Story ads that appear in the Discover section, Snapchat ads can be tailored to specific demographics and interests.
Snapchat offers robust targeting options, including age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors. This allows brands to target ads to the right audience, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.
For instance, L’Oréal used Snapchat’s ad targeting features to promote its makeup products to users who had shown an interest in beauty and fashion. By using location-based targeting, L’Oréal was able to reach consumers who were more likely to engage with its ads, resulting in higher brand awareness and sales.
Takeaway: Use Snapchat’s ad targeting features to reach specific demographics and interests. Experiment with different ad formats to find the best approach for your brand.
5. Analyze and Adjust Your Strategy
As with any digital marketing platform, it’s important to continuously analyze the performance of your Snapchat campaigns and adjust your strategy accordingly. Snapchat provides a range of metrics and analytics that allow brands to track engagement, views, and conversion rates. Use these insights to refine your content and targeting strategies.
For example, if you notice that your filters or lenses are getting more engagement than your standard ads, you can double down on AR content. If certain types of Stories are generating higher interaction rates, consider creating more of that type of content.
Takeaway: Monitor the performance of your campaigns and adjust your approach based on real-time feedback. Analytics can help optimize your Snapchat marketing efforts.
Conclusion: Embrace the Future of Marketing on Snapchat
As a rapidly growing platform with an engaged user base, Snapchat offers consumer brands a unique opportunity to connect with younger audiences in creative, authentic, and impactful ways. By embracing Snapchat’s ephemeral content, AR capabilities, and interactive tools, brands can craft compelling campaigns that foster brand loyalty and drive conversions.
However, marketing on Snapchat isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Success requires brands to understand the platform’s culture, craft engaging and shareable content, and keep a finger on the pulse of their audience’s preferences. By adapting to the ever-changing nature of the platform, consumer brands can harness the power of Snapchat to build lasting relationships with their customers and stay ahead of the competition.
In the fast-paced digital landscape, Snapchat offers a canvas for creative expression and a direct connection to the heart of Gen Z culture. Brands that embrace Snapchat’s potential and stay true to the platform’s spirit of fun, spontaneity, and real-time engagement will be poised to succeed in this exciting new era of marketing.
