Snapchat’s geo-filters are now used as ads as well?

BY: CLAIRE KIM

Other than the basic Instagram and Twitter apps, Snapchat has paved themselves a new route on social media.

Looking at their progression in the past year, Snapchat can easily be placed as one of the most commonly used apps from the public, especially by teens and young adults. Noticing the positive results since the app’s release, the company has already been taking action in creating new accessories such as filters and stickers for their users to enjoy. The app expresses a day in the life of a user through pictures that they have accumulated throughout a time set of 24 hours.

An important aspect of Snapchat that specializes in them from other social networking apps is their changing filters. They have showcased a wide range of filters including face detected filters, time and temperature filters, and even geo filters which are often used when exploring new places. I personally love using the geo-filters because it helps mark the places I visited on that day and they are also really cute. With the help of the geo-filters, it also lets the user’s viewers to see places that they may have not known before. This is what some companies are thinking of as a smart advertising tactic.

Yext, which is a software company that helps Snapchat with its geo-filters, has recently begun working with other businesses to help them with advertisements on the app. Most companies that are working with Yext have been aiming for very similar goals. Through geo-filters, they hope that it will help them have a chance to advertise their companies towards a younger audience. I think it will prove to be quite effective although we can’t guarantee success.

It may be a risk for companies to take if they don’t think about the results carefully, but if they are successful it can be a huge impact on their business and marketing system.