Snapchat is a popular mobile app among teens and millennials for sending images and videos ("snaps") that disappear after being viewed. While it has a large user base of younger people, Snapchat's impact on established social networks like Facebook and Twitter has been minimal so far. Experts recommend brands integrate Snapchat into their social media strategies cautiously, as it is still experimental. They advise measuring success on the platform and avoiding spending too much until they understand how to leverage it for their target audiences.

1. social science page 23
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Snappy!
Makeit
Who is using
Snapchat in SA?
Arthur Goldstuck,
managing director
at World Wide Worx
Connected teens
– all the so-called
Millennials – form
the bulk of the user base. Beyond
age-group, it’s difficult to pinpoint
specific characteristics for the
typical Snapchat user.
‘While it’s still a bit below the radar
here in SA, some users in certain
instances actually prefer it to using
other messaging services, such as
WhatsApp. SA brands should not
focus on Snapchat until they know
exactly what they want out of it.
Companies need to find ways to
measure their success on Snapchat.
They should rather avoid Snapchat
completely if they want to avoid
being shown up by their target
audience. Snapchat is very much
an experimental arena, and brands
would be wise to properly grasp
the environment and culture of the
app before diving head-first into
marketing efforts.’
Should local brands
take advantage of
Snapchat’s overall
popularity with teens?
Aimeé Serrão,
social media
manager at Citiq
The impact Snapchat
is making on already-
established social
media platforms, such as Twitter
and Facebook, is minimal.
‘Snapchat is a small contender in
comparison, and the larger social
networks have significant growth
strategies, as well as a much higher
mobile penetration – with which
Snapchat simply cannot compete.
Integration of Snapchat into your
existing brand social media strategy
is wise, especially if your audience
is of a younger demographic.
However, brands should not be
spending too much on the platform,
and rather use it in conjunction with
Facebook and Twitter to amplify
existing marketing efforts.’
Snapchat is a free image
messaging and multimedia mobile
application that, believe it or not,
has actually been around since
September 2011. Snapchat videos
and images are called snaps, and
these can be edited with various
filters and text overlays. They are
then sent to specific users, but
can only be accessed for 1–10
seconds before disappearing.
Popular with the younger crowd,
Snapchat has become a bit of an
enigma for social media managers
the world over, who just don’t seem
able to apply their traditional social
media strategies to what is now a
global phenomenon. Are Facebook
and Twitter becoming old school?
Snapchat is slowly creeping into
the global social media mindset, but
progress will always be marginal
when going up against the likes of
Facebook. However, an estimated
71% of Snapchat’s users are below
the age of 34, and if they’re not the
future of social media, then we’re
not sure who is.
users log in at least
once every 30 days
100
million+
10
billion
video views
per day
Snapchat
is worth
$22 billion
(May 2016)
Advertisers
can promote
videos or
sponsor filters
Used to promote
video content for
Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Snapchat is trending, but
should brands even take notice?
Words Jonathan Meyer @jonathangmeyer
Critical hits.indd 23 2016/07/27 11:24 AM