This whitepaper from Elon Media Analytics students examines how smaller-budget cinema productions can use Snapchat as a way to generate buzz about upcoming films.

1. Snapchat Advertising for Independent Films
Suraj Minisandram and Caroline Miller
1
thenextweb.com

2. Snapchat as a platform
At the start,
Snapchat was
a social media
platform with a
straightforward
objective: send
p i c t u r e s t o
friends that will
disappear after a few seconds. Since
Snapchat’s inception in September
2011, the platform evolved to be a fun,
fast-paced and memorable place for
users and companies to share content.
Digital media advertising is used more
than television commercials and
billboards. As a result, companies need
to seek out different platforms to
advertise their content. A dilemma that
is an issue for advertisers is how to
effectively communicate with people
born between 1981-2004, commonly
known as “Millennials.”
According to MediaKix, 70 percent of
Snapchat users are Millennials and 50
percent of Snapchat users use the app
daily. In order to maintain its stream of
revenue, Snapchat allows companies to
advertise on their platform. This can be
done in three different ways: a 10
second advertisement that plays in
between users’ Snapchat stories,
sponsored filters and sponsored lenses.
A sponsored filter is a frame that is
layered over a user’s picture. A lens is a
face-altering frame using augmented
reality to distort the user’s face. In
addition, companies can create a
Snapchat account where they can post
stories to their followers at no cost.
A challenge for film and television
companies is to generate awareness for
their upcoming movies. On Facebook,
movie advertising is effective because of
the ability to create a fan page.
Nevertheless, users have to ‘like’ the fan
page in order to access that content.
With Snapchat, content goes to every
user. Especially for independent films, it
can be quite a challenge to advertise a
new film. To target a younger
demographic and to ensure effective
advertising, independent film companies
should create a snap story and buy a
one-day filter to promote their film.
2

3. Lens: An Augmented View of Reality
In September 2015, Snapchat introduced lenses, a way for users to animate their
selfies with augmented reality technology. For $150 million, Snapchat bought the San
Francisco based company Looksery, a company that specializes in face-altering
technology. Lenses can make someone look like an animal and alter a person’s voice.
A month after its release, companies use this advanced technology to advertise their
brands. For example, Chipotle turned user's heads into avocados with their logo in
the corner. Starbucks turned their users into the famous siren on
their cups.
twitter.com/chipotletweets
In addition to food companies, movie companies are using Snapchat lenses to
promote upcoming films. For example, the new release of the Blair Witch Project and
Ghostbusters made lenses that made it seem like users were stuck in a haunted forest
or were encountering a ghost.
3
adweek.com

4. The companies’ sponsored lens purchase is always the first listed in the set of lenses
for the day. Sponsored lenses are only up for 24 hours and according to Snapchat,
users engage with a sponsored lens for an average of 30 seconds. To get a
sponsored lens, you must have your idea submitted and approved by Snapchat. Then,
Snapchat will create a mockup lens that the company will approve afterward.
Snapchat places emphasis on staying on-brand, even in the realm of advertisements.
In other words, advertisements must match the general tone of the social media
platform. Movie companies using this advanced technology are from major film
studios that have a budget that can afford this type of advertising. Purchasing a 24-
hour sponsored lens can cost from $400-750,000. For an independent film company,
where producing the film itself can cost around the same amount, this may not be a
feasible method for advertising. This type of advertising is fun to users. They are
engaging with your advertisement but do not have to sit through a commercial or a
pitch. Although it is effective with users, the luxury of this type of advertising is not
necessarily accessible to all types of companies due to the cost that goes into creating
the lenses.
GeoFilters: An innovative way of transformation
Filters are another fun and interactive way for an
independent film to advertise for itself. In the US, a single
National Sponsored Geofilter typically reaches from 40 to
60 percent of daily Snapchatters. These GeoFilters can
include graphics that are reflective of the film, whether that
be a filter that simulates a certain setting in the movie or a
filter that includes the character.
For Snapchat, filters can be submitted
and usually get approved within one
business day. According to the Snapchat
website, GeoFilters fall within two
categories, community or on-demand.
Community GeoFilters are ones that people are encouraged to
create and submit for free for their city, university, a local
landmark, or public location. On-demand GeoFilters can be
4
ibtimes.com
techcrunch.com

5. purchased by individuals or businesses for events, business, or for a specific location.
For on-demand filters, brand logo and trademarks are permitted and would most
likely be the type of GeoFilter that would be beneficial to an independent film studio
trying to gain awareness for their film. The creation and process of these are so easy,
and Snapchat has purposefully designed this so that it is accessible for the masses.
This is also a more economically friendly option versus the lens feature, which is
notably more expensive.
Snapchat Ads: Reminiscent of Commercials on TV
Snapchat Ads are advertisements that play in between the viewing
of Snapchat stories by the user. They are a maximum of 10
seconds, with the option to “swipe up” to see more about the
advertisement. This would be a way to give a user a glimpse of a
movie’s trailer and by swiping up, the user is able to see extended
content such as a full trailer or a mobile website. The swipe up rate
for Snapchat Ads, according to Snapchat, is five times higher than
the average click-through rate on comparable platforms. This
would be a way to generate awareness. Even if they do not swipe
up, a user has still seen a glimpse of the film and has been
exposed to it.
5
tubefilter.com
adweek.com
snapchat.com
tubefilter.com

6. Snap stories for advertising
Below are useful examples of companies that created a Snapchat account to use for
advertising by using the story option. A Snapchat story is a feature that allows users
to post photos or videos which are visible for all their Snapchat friends for 24 hours.
With this, people in their company will post to the Snapchat story with humorous,
entertaining and informative content about their brand. The Snapchat story feature
could also be a favorable option to use since it is free. It is an effortless and more
relatable way to connect with an audience. For independent films, a Snapchat story
can show behind the scenes content of the film, interviews with the cast and crew and
can explain more about what the movie is about.
Source: http://bit.ly/2dp4Wdv
All in all
An average budget for an independent film is $750,000 per movie. Even with a
smaller budget than major studio films, it is important to set a decent budget aside for
advertising. It is vital that independent film companies promote their movies because
they do not have a major production company assisting with large-scale marketing.
The effectiveness of the advertisement for an independent film determines its success
since people will know about it and will be more likely to attend a viewing.
Advertising should be an educated and well-calculated investment. According to
Snapchat’s website, users are three times more likely to see a film after seeing a
Company Snapchat Username
Sour Patch Kids @sourpatchsnaps
Everlane @EVERLANE
General Electric @generalelectric
Warby Parker @warbyparker
GrubHub @grubhub
The New York Times @thenytimes
DJ Khaled @djkhaled305
Domino’s Pizza UK @DOMINOS_UK
HubSpot @hubspotinc
6

7. Snapchat advertisement. Snapchat is a feasible platform for advertisement for
independent films. This can be done through lenses, filters, or in-between story
advertising. Looking ahead, independent film companies could advertise their movies
by engaging directly with their target audiences through the features offered by
Snapchat.
Who We Are
Suraj Minisandram is a junior at Elon University majoring in
Media Analytics with a minor in Asian Studies. He has a
passion for understanding new media and numbers in order to
present data in a way that is easy for the masses. After
graduation, Suraj hopes to work for a fashion and lifestyle
publication, working in branding.
Caroline Miller is a junior media analytics major at Elon
University who is passionate about utilizing data in order to
make effective decisions. She aspires to move to San Francisco
and have a career in data for brand development at a startup.
For more information, check out the following links:
1. Snapchat advertising information:
https://www.snapchat.com/ads
2. Are Branded Geofilters the Future of Advertising on Snapchat?
http://mklnd.com/1ObDBXH
3. Snapchat Advertising: What You Need To Know
http://bit.ly/2dqT9ex
4. How Snapchat Demographics are Surprisingly Shifting in 2016
http://bit.ly/2d5svqA
5. Will 2016 be the year of Snapchat for advertisers?
http://bit.ly/1VzfPsO
7