By Mike Shields
The mobile app company is rolling out three new targeting options for marketers.
Through a product called Snap Audience Match, Snapchat is enabling marketers to take existing lists of email addresses and mobile device IDs, and anonymously match that data with Snapchat’s own pool of consumer data, allowing enhanced ad targeting. In this process, Snapchat is taking steps to make sure it does not employ any personally identifiable data when executing these ad campaigns.
The company has been quietly testing this offering over the past few months with brands like eBay.Consumers will have the option to opt out of the Audience Match product.
Another new initiative, Snapchat Lifestyle Categories, lets brands direct ads to people who consume certain types of videos (like sports or gaming content). Lastly, Snapchat is helping advertisers target ads to consumers who exhibit a certain set of characteristics that are similar to an advertiser’s existing customers-- a product Snapchat is calling “Lookalikes.”
These tactics are rather standard fare for many digital media outlets, but their introduction amounts to a noteworthy evolution for Snapchat, which has been conservative about the targeting capabilities it offers. Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel was famously quoted as saying that he doesn’t want advertising on the app to be “creepy” for consumers.
Before Tuesday’s announcement, brands could target campaigns based on age or gender, but marketers wanted more.
Even though Snapchat reaches 150 million unique users a day, running ads that “blanket that audience” or employ base level targeting like geography and people’s ages, are “just not sufficient,” said Sarah Hofstetter, Chief Executive at the agency 360i.
“Snapchat has the audience,” she said. “’The question was always, do they have the targeting?’”
The company says it has no plans to support “retargeting,” when users see ads around the web for a retailer whose site they recently visited.
“We’re working hard to show our community engaging, relevant ads, in turn helping our advertising partners drive amazing return on investment,” said Imran Khan, Snapchat’s chief strategy officer.
Early test campaigns have shown that consumers are watching more ads in their entirety thanks to the targeting, said Ms. Hofstetter.
Llibert Argerich, eBay’s global director for social and content, said the company is currently running seven different ad efforts on Snapchat, and two have been employing the Audience Match product since May.
eBay is using that tool to show consumers one of three different video ads, depending on who they are and their buying history on eBay. “It’s about being more relevant,” he said. So far, eBay is seeing measurable improvements in consumer engagement and positive return on investment, Mr. Argerich added.
“Snapchat has been building its monetization from the ground up, and they had early growing pains. But they are showing very good momentum,” he said.
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