Snapchat Ads Growth Playbook
Reach the mobile generation.
AR
Lens
Strategy
Fun
The Spark
Evan Spiegel realized that 'Banners' were a desktop relic and that the future of mobile advertising lay in 'Augmented Reality' that users would actually enjoy playing with.
The Growth Engine
The 'Sponsored-Lens' Viral Loop & The 'Camera-as-a-Platform' Advantage: Snap tacticaly won by becoming the 'AR Standard'. Their growth engine is 'The Interactive Lens'—allowing brands to build filters that turn users' faces into characters or let them 'Try-on' virtual sneakers. By rewarding users for sharing these branded filters with friends (direct messaging), they achieved a 'Positive Viral Coefficient' for advertising. Their growth relies on 'Snap Scan'—using the camera to recognize objects in the real world and serving relevant product ads, turning the physical world into a shoppable interface.