Dishing social media: Understanding Snapchat - by Diana Podaski

Diana Podaski, Linear Retail Properties

This column on Snapchat is written by request of one of my readers who keeps hearing about the app and doesn’t fully understand it, like most people outside the group branded, “millennials.” It has grown quite a bit since its launch in 2011; below will help you feel more in-the-know.

Snapchat is a messenger app with the idea that messages, pictures and videos disappear. It was started by three Stanford students who really just wanted to “impress” a girl, classic. One of the founders wished to send a picture to a girl but then have it disappear, there in-lies the idea for Snapchat. The early adopters were high school students as the app was branded by the New York Times as “a sexting tool.”

One of the interesting things about the Snapchat team that I happen to like is that Facebook tried to clone it but it’s “poke” clone never took off. Frustrated Zuckerberg offered Snapchat $3 billion in 2013, a huge offer at the time, but Snapchat didn’t sell out. A busy year for Snapchat in 2013 as the app got hacked, exposing 4.6 million users personal information.

Despite the hack, Snapchat has evolved since 2011 exponentially to become one of today’s top three most used social media applications. Snapchat has 100 million daily users and is valued at $15 billion, all based on the idea that things shouldn’t last forever. It has also evolved from a “sexting tool” to an advertising platform for brands like Burberry, Free People, McDonalds, Taco Bell and many others. Brands use it to launch new products or to create custom geofilters (to show location) that Snapchatters can add to their photos.

So why are people using it? The app only allows you to take photos and videos in the moment so there is an element of authenticity. They are automatically deleted unless the user adds it to their “story” which then lasts for 24 hours. It also does not show how many friends you have, so for many people there is less anxiety around using it where just about every other social media platform shows how many friends, connections or followers you have. You can see in a brief  “story” about what your friends are doing right now, build your own “story” for the day or check out the Discover feature that has fun and educational snip-its from National Geographic, CNN, Food Network, Buzzfeed, ESPN and others. The “Live” feature shows a trending topic (like a concert or even a political debate) with a mash-up of videos from all different Snapchatters.

So whether you choose to jump in or not, hopefully you now have a better understanding of the app. I think we’ll see more and more retailers adopt the platform over time as they provide us with an insiders, in-the-moment view of their brands and products.

Social Media Fun Fact: Snapchat acquired Looksery, which added “lenses” to the app – an array of special effects offered when taking a picture or video with the front facing camera, some of which recently included vomiting rainbows and turning yourself into a zombie, surprisingly very popular.

Diana Podaski is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.