25 Snapchat Marketing Campaigns and Their Reported Results

Snapchat marketing campaigns worked best when brands gave users something to play with inside the camera. Gatorade’s 2016 Super Bowl lens recorded 165,339,701 platform views, and Taco Bell’s Cinco de Mayo lens drew 224 million views in one day, according to their Cannes Lions entries. This list covers 25 campaigns from 2016 to 2024, with the tactic and the reported result for each.

Which Snapchat marketing campaigns made the list?

This list tracks 25 Snapchat marketing campaigns, grouped by the specific camera mechanic each brand deployed. A campaign qualifies when an award entry, a trade publication, or Snap’s official case study documents the tactic along with at least one verifiable result.

Many figures represent brand or platform claims, and each entry attributes the source of the metric.

Which campaigns proved the sponsored lens as a media buy?

Eight sponsored lens campaigns demonstrated that a single-day branded camera placement could reach tens of millions of active users.

Gatorade (2016): the Super Bowl Dunk lens

Gatorade launched the Super Bowl Dunk lens on February 7, 2016, allowing users to trigger a virtual cooler of sports drink over their heads. The Cannes Lions entry reports 165,339,701 platform views and states that viewers were 21 percent more likely to select Gatorade as their primary exercise drink.

The Effie entry notes that Gatorade had not previously advertised during the Super Bowl and records an 8.3 percent lift in purchase intent, providing a separate measure from the Cannes figure.

Taco Bell (2016): Taco Head on Cinco de Mayo

Taco Bell ran the Taco Head lens for 24 hours on Cinco de Mayo 2016 after six weeks of development with Snapchat. The Cannes Lions entry reports 224 million views, 48 million unique users reached, and an average play time of 24 seconds per person.

CNBC reported that 49 percent of users shared the lens. Marketing Dive, citing Adweek, reported that lens campaigns cost as much as $750,000 for major events such as the Super Bowl, with no specific figure given for Taco Bell.

Michael Kors: shades for National Sunglasses Day

Michael Kors deployed a day-long Sponsored National Lens on National Sunglasses Day to place Kendall II sunglasses on user faces across virtual beach, red carpet, and city backdrops. Snap’s case study reports more than 104 million views, an 18-point lift in ad awareness, and a 12.5 percent increase in sunglass preference.

Urban Decay: the first luxury beauty lens

Urban Decay introduced a 24-hour lens for the Vice Lipstick collection that featured an interactive kiss animation across five distinct shades. The Shorty Awards entry cites the project as the first lens from a luxury beauty brand, recording nearly 124 million impressions, 27 million unique users, and 35 seconds of average engagement. EPR lists additional beauty examples in its beauty marketing campaigns roundup.

The Daily Show: an election lens that voted by face

The Daily Show built an election-night lens that used facial expressions to cast mock votes, transforming smiling users into donkeys and raised eyebrows into elephants. The Shorty Awards entry reports 78 million total views, 53 million plays, and 18 million more views than the previous television lens record.

Lip Sync Battle: lyrics inside the lens

Lip Sync Battle created a season 3 lens that rendered lyrics to the Outkast song Hey Ya in real time and framed the user's face in a Polaroid graphic. The Shorty Awards entry reports 33.1 million plays, an average play time of 16.64 seconds, and engagement 2.7 times higher than Snapchat’s standard benchmark.

Younger: a premiere-day national lens

TV Land launched a national lens on the premiere day of Younger season 4 to drive live broadcast viewership. The Shorty Awards entry reports 37 million impressions across 18 million unique users and confirms that the premiere achieved the highest telecast ratings in the history of the series.

Kraft Mac & Cheese: catching cheesy macaroni

Kraft Mac & Cheese ran a Sponsored Lens catch-the-macaroni game to publicize a recipe overhaul that eliminated artificial dyes, preservatives, and flavors. Snap’s case study reports nearly 20 million users reached in 24 hours, over 40 million total plays, and a 13 percent lift in consumer purchase intent.

Which campaigns used a lens for something new?

Five Snapchat campaigns expanded the utility of lenses by incorporating original music distribution, co-op gaming mechanics, and charitable donation triggers.

Bacardi (2018): a music video inside a lens

Bacardi partnered with BBDO New York to premiere the music video for Major Lazer's track Front of the Line directly inside a Snapchat lens. For 24 hours, the lens served as the exclusive listening destination for the song. The Cannes Lions entry reports over 42 million plays, 29 years of cumulative playtime, and a 510 percent surge in average engagement time. EPR outlines related beverage case studies in its alcohol digital marketing list.

Three (2018): data-free Snapchat and the Puggerfly

Three made Snapchat usage data-free for its mobile subscribers while launching an augmented reality pet series starring a character called the Puggerfly. The Cannes Lions entry from Wieden+Kennedy reports 37 million plays, share rates 2.5 times above platform norms, and an increase in 18 to 24 year old Snapchat users on the network from 9.5 percent to almost 13 percent.

Lucky Charms: a two-player lens over eight weeks

Lucky Charms designed a dual-face selfie lens into a two-player game for its Unicorn marshmallow, purchasing an eight-week reach and frequency buy rather than a single-day placement. The Shorty Awards entry reports 32 million unique users, a 6 percent share rate versus a 2 percent baseline, and a 3.4 percent sales lift in a Nielsen Catalina study, with 51 percent of sales driven by new or lapsed shoppers.

Mastercard (2022): a lens inside a charity ad

Mastercard placed users inside a campaign film setting with a virtual card and checkout terminal to benefit Stand Up To Cancer between May 1 and July 15, 2022. Mastercard pledged one cent per eligible transaction up to $5 million. The Shorty Awards entry reports more than 10 million impressions and 45,000 user interactions over six days.

Snap Noir (2021): a virtual march in AR

Snap Noir and the Rebuild Foundation organized a virtual civil rights march in augmented reality to commemorate the anniversary of the March on Washington. The lens featured wearable digital artist masks linked directly to a Shopify storefront. The Cannes Lions entry reports 13 million unique users engaged within 72 hours, alongside seven AR educational workshops conducted with a Chicago youth partner.

Which campaigns turned a lens into a sale?

Seven Snapchat campaigns connected camera try-on experiences directly to checkout flows and real-time product catalogs.

Jordan Brand (2018): a sneaker sold in Snapchat

Jordan Brand sold the Air Jordan III Tinker through a Snapchat Snapcode following the February 2018 NBA All-Star game. Shopify processed customer payments while Darkstore handled same-night physical delivery. TechCrunch reported that inventory sold out in 23 minutes, marking the first third-party commercial sale on Snapchat.

R/GA's Cannes Lions entry reports reaching 5.8 million unique users with four times standard platform engagement. EPR tracks related releases in its footwear marketing campaigns list.

Foot Locker (2018): unboxing a sneaker before release

Foot Locker debuted an augmented reality unboxing lens for the Gatorade Air Jordan 1 on Christmas Day, 24 hours prior to general public availability. Accessible through a swipe-up ad, the activation generated 496,347 lens views and achieved a 14 percent engagement rate compared to the 5 to 6 percent platform benchmark, according to BBDO New York's Cannes Lions entry.

Gucci (2020): the first global AR shoe try-on

Gucci became the initial retail brand to sponsor Snapchat's global augmented reality shoe try-on capability in July 2020. The lens allowed users to test four footwear models, including the Ace, Rhyton, Tennis 1977, and Screener, with an integrated Shop Now button. Marketing Dive and Snap's case study confirmed that the program generated direct sales and a positive return on advertising spend.

Dior (2020): the B27 sneaker try-on

Dior enabled Snapchat users to preview six variations of the B27 sneaker using augmented reality and order pairs through the Dior profile or website. FashionUnited and WWD reported that the core lens generated a 3.8 times return on advertising spend, which rose to 6.2 times when featured in the Lens Carousel across 2.3 million views.

Ulta Beauty (2022): 30 million try-ons in two weeks

Ulta Beauty generated 30 million virtual product try-ons in two weeks by serving as a launch partner for catalog-powered Shopping Lenses. The integration linked augmented reality lenses directly to live inventory data. TechCrunch reported that Snap documented $6 million in incremental customer purchases from the campaign.

MAC Cosmetics (2022): try-ons at 0.31 cents each

MAC Cosmetics achieved 1.3 million product trials at an average cost of 0.31 cents each through Snapchat's catalog-powered Shopping Lenses. TechCrunch reported Snap data showing a 17 times increase in purchase lift among female shoppers, a 2.4 times lift in brand recall, and a 9 times lift in purchase intent.

Cartier: wrist and ring try-ons

Cartier deployed wrist-tracking technology across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to allow customers to try on four Pasha de Cartier watches. Campaign Middle East and Snap's case study reported 11.7 million regional users reached and a 25 percent incremental audience gain.

On April 10, 2024, Snap announced an additional Cartier Trinity ring lens with hand tracking and ray tracing for the centenary of the jewelry collection. The announcement did not include results.

Which campaigns went beyond the lens?

Five Snapchat campaigns extended reach past self-contained camera filters by connecting to physical packaging, episodic video, and theatrical film debuts.

Ben & Jerry’s (2021): scanning a Peace Pop pack

Ben & Jerry’s let consumers scan Cookie Dough Peace Pop ice cream packaging to open a virtual summer festival environment featuring musical performances. Mobile Marketing Magazine and Adweek reported that the on-pack trigger appeared on hundreds of thousands of retail units across the United Kingdom and Germany. Snap's case study recorded 4.7 million unique users reached.

Hollister: sponsoring a Snap Original series

Hollister sponsored the mobile-produced Snap Original series Lago Vista through full commercial takeovers and integrated camera filters across 30 episodes. The Shorty Awards entry reports more than 110 million impressions, a 3.4-point lift in brand recognition, a 5-point rise in ad recall, and a 3.04 percent lens sharing rate.

Sony Pictures (2018): Venom with a talking lens

Sony Pictures promoted the theatrical release of Venom using voice-altering character lenses alongside Live Story Ads that directed users to movie ticketing portals. Snap's case study reports 45 million lens impressions and 1 million incremental movie ticket purchases. EPR catalogs additional entertainment case studies in its TV show PR campaigns list.

Saudi Tourism Authority (2024): Founding Day lens

The Saudi Tourism Authority launched a single-day augmented reality campaign in February 2024 that allowed citizens to try on traditional cultural garments. Abdulla Alhammadi, Snap's regional business lead for Saudi Arabia, reported to Arab News that the activation reached 15 million users and set a platform record for single-day engagement. Snap's case study separately recorded 503 million impressions for the activation.

Universal Pictures: a Public Profile for old lenses

Universal Pictures established a permanent Snapchat Public Profile to preserve and host legacy augmented reality lenses built for theatrical releases. Snap’s case study reports that the centralized business profile generated over 300 million incremental lifetime views, with more than 199 million views coming from top-performing catalog lenses.

Which four tactics repeat across the 25 campaigns?

Four recurring tactical models define these 25 Snapchat campaigns: sponsored lens media buys, novel formats, direct sales integrations, and activations that extend beyond the camera lens. The table groups each campaign by the operational lever the brand controlled directly.

The earliest executions from Gatorade and Taco Bell relied on purchasing massive reach during peak cultural calendar moments. Later campaigns from Jordan Brand to Ulta Beauty converted the camera into an interactive point of purchase.

EPR covers platform developments in its Snapchat hub and My AI analysis, alongside the 2018 interface redesign in its Snapchat crisis case study. Comparative cross-platform formats appear in the TikTok marketing campaigns list.

What can a brand copy from these 25 campaigns?

Brands evaluating these 25 campaigns should replicate specific engagement mechanics rather than chasing raw impression tallies. Gatorade gave users an action to perform, Taco Bell provided an identity to share, and Dior and Ulta Beauty offered an interactive product trial directly before checkout.

Before adopting any of these four tactics, marketing teams should verify the attribution behind each reported metric. Cannes Lions and Shorty Awards entries represent agency submissions, Snap case studies reflect platform figures, and several high-profile lenses disclosed no transaction data.

Last updated October 2026.