In 30 seconds:
- Who are the best brands on Snapchat? We’ve got the top 7 for you to follow right here.
- Each of these brands has a lesson for you to learn. We’ve explained why you should take note of their Snapchat prowess.
- Snapchat and influencers go hand in hand. We have examples to show you how an influencer campaign on Snapchat can help you make your mark.
Snapchat is powerful. Especially if you want to get in front of Gen Z. So, how do you know how to harness this marketing tool’s capabilities? Looking at the best brands on Snapchat right now is a great place to start.
332 million people use Snapchat daily. It’s a highly engaging platform with users creating 5+ billion snaps every day. Snapchat is all about visual connection and is the #1 app for creating ephemeral content. But it takes more than just fleeting images to get noticed on the platform.
The best brands on Snapchat leverage the social media platform’s unique ad formats, including short-form video and AR. They take time to produce content that’s truly interesting to Snapchat users and ensure their content isn’t dull, aggressively hard-sell, or easy to ignore.
Snapchat champions sharing “moments”, and with authentic content at its core – and with these being key drivers for Gen Z, it’s no wonder this age group in particular are on board with the app.
Making sure your Snapchat account content and marketing campaigns are honest yet persuasive is the fine line you must tread if you want to win the “Snapchat generation” over. But don’t worry, we’ve got the best of the best to show you how to do it. So let’s look at the top brands on Snapchat and how they’re making waves in 2022.
1. Bumble
Dating is hard enough at the best of times, but got even harder since pandemic-induced lockdowns. Fully virtual dating took off instead.
Bumble, the dating app where women message first, sought to normalise virtual dating. To resonate with women aged 18-35, they partnered up with Cosmopolitan magazine for a Snapchat campaign. They created a series of takeover movies to share with both brands’ Snapchat followers, the first of which featured ‘Lockdown Love Lessons’. This resonated with the younger demographic, who are looking for culturally aware and socially responsible ways to date and connect.
The second film featured a takeover from a Cosmo staff member talking about their own experience with virtual dating, complete with Snapchat-first elements like emojis and animations. Cosmopolitan is known as a brand loved by young women worldwide, so hearing about virtual dating from them adds credibility and breaks the air of awkwardness around digital dates.
Since then, Bumble’s Snapchat stories have played into this fun storytelling element – they’ve been filled with real-life relationship “stories”. Women share their dating experiences and talk about what it means to be single, in a relationship, married or divorced, all very candidly.
Why your brand should take note:
Bumble knew what they could bring to Snapchat’s audience: their expertise, but they did this in a native style that mirrors what users like best about the platform.
94% of Gen Zers believe that companies are responsible for making the world a better place. Telling real stories the way Bumble does will earn their trust and provide value to app users. By leveraging Snap’s native ad formats, partnering with an established women’s brand and continuously sharing real stories, Bumble is making waves with Zoomers.
2. SHEIN
Fashion brand SHEIN operates in 224 countries and communicates with over 43.7 million users on Snapchat. SHEIN wants to reach a Gen-Z audience, so Snapchat marketing makes perfect sense, given that 50% of Snapchatters are aged under 25.
SHEIN wanted to step up their marketing game on Snapchat, so turned to Snap Ads and influencers to turn their huge community and brand awareness into a more focused sales channel. They feature short videos showcasing their new products, with a link to swipe up and buy directly or browse. SHEIN targeted these video ads to users with fashion interests, leveraging “Snap Lifestyle Categories”. They base these on a bank of 100+ interests users watch and engage with, unique to Snapchat.
SHEIN also targets full-screen Story Ads to particular audience segments who show high intent to purchase. For Story Ads, SHEIN shows off a wide variety and depth in product lines. They use Tile images (the preview you see in ‘Discover’ feeds before you tap Stories) with interesting headlines to spark curiosity, encouraging lots of tapping fingers. They also create a strong mix of content via influencer partnerships, which helps to blend their sales angle with a more community-led feel.
Throughout their activities, SHEIN uses Snapchat’s tools on Audience Insights and Goal-Based Bidding to give users that final push to convert.
Why your brand should take note:
SHEIN knows that if you win Gen Z over within 8 seconds, they can dedicate serious time to your brand. SHEIN’s short-form marketing and snappy content are designed perfectly with this in mind.
Utilising Snapchat’s ad tools also helped them create an ideal campaign based on insights. Mastering Ads Manager helped SHEIN become one of the best-performing brands on the app, connecting to younger audiences at a 50% lower cost per purchase on Snapchat than on their other channels. Make sure you are using the capabilities of Snapchat to your advantage and keeping things short and sweet.
3. Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an Tex-Mex fast-food chain selling tacos, burritos and nachos. They established themselves as one of the best brands on Snapchat by breaking records a few years ago and have continued to set a great example for brands on Snapchat ever since.
One great example? Taco Bell’s Cinco de Mayo Snapchat lens turned users’ faces into giant taco shells, totalling a record-breaking 224 million views in one day. The Snapchat Cinco de Mayo campaign generated 12.5 years of plays in just one day.
Since then they have been creating content and humorous AR lenses for all to enjoy, including their most recent “Baja Blast” Snapchat lens in partnership with Mountain Dew. They’re also known for tying in big cultural moments like the Super Bowl in the US. Taco Bell doubles down on this widespread brand awareness by creating exclusive QR codes (or “Snapcodes”) to offer their target audience exclusive deals.
Why your brand should take note:
While not all brands can get away with a giant taco face filter, there’s lots to learn here. 70% of Snapchatters regularly use AR filters and Gen Z in particular are big fans of these. In fact, 92% of Gen Z consumers want to use augmented reality tools for e-commerce.
Taco Bell also keeps things light, with fast-paced banter and off-the-wall humour at the heart of their marketing. Their campaign goal is simple: get Taco Bell on people’s minds. So, to be like the Bell: get experimental and think about weaving some silly humour into your marketing.
4. Amazon
This e-commerce giant is leveraging Snapchat to get in front of younger audiences. And they’re doing it well. How? Amazon have shared short promotional videos in their stories that link to specific products at the right time.
Most recently, Amazon has hopped on the “back to school” trends to give users product ideas for their school/college life. Their latest Snapchat campaign, “Dorm Roomz”, is an honest look at different Gen Zer’s university digs and what products they have to make their space truly theirs.
How does it work? Each video shows a real college student bringing the cameraman into their living area and showing them around. They show which products they use and why they make sense to them – as well as sharing pricing information. These shorts are well timed with students thinking about their future and moving into accommodation.
Why your brand should take note:
Amazon understand the true meaning of “keeping it real”. Their campaigns feel authentic and down to earth. No ultra-heightened ads or in-your-face marketing here: instead, it’s about reflecting the kind of conversation you’d have with a friend, and letting Snapchat functionality do the rest.
Amazon demonstrate how well they know their audience. 82% of Gen Zers say they trust a company more if it uses images of actual customers in its advertising, so “Dorm Roomz” is the perfect example of how to create great content with real people well (and get zoomers on board in the process).
5. MTV
MTV saw a way of appealing to younger audiences on Snapchat and leapt at the chance to do it. How? They freshened up a legacy.
MTV brought back the show MTV Cribs in all its glory, but this time targeting Gen Zers. They chose celebrities that would inspire this demographic, like JoJo Siwa and Jordyn Woods, whilst updating the format to a faster-paced, exciting show.
Regular episodes of Cribs plus exclusive behind-the-scenes footage made MTV a hit with the kids. With additional ads, MTV is still hooked on Snapchat. Garth Bardsley, VP of original video at MTV Digital, told Mashable, “Snapchat has never been a question to us here; the rest of it is out there in the press and the ether, but we believe in the product and the partnership. The truth is that in 100s of millions of daily active users, we can express ourselves creatively.”
Why your brand should take note:
Gen Z wants to be entertained. 83% expect to be able to watch what they want, where and when they want to. MTV has tapped into this, giving them entertaining streaming on the go.
MTV is aware of the declining viewers of traditional streaming services and so has switched to smaller screens and a vertical format. Combining this with tailored promotions, they’ve created an online community where Gen Z can find excellent content at their fingertips.
6. Yubo
Yubo is a Gen Z-focused social network helping users connect via streaming and chat. While Yubo already has 25 million users, they wanted to encourage app installs and awareness with 13-24-year-olds. The big challenge? They’re in a very competitive market for Gen Z. As digital natives; Zoomers are spoilt for choice when it comes to social media.
To differentiate itself, Yubo took a multi-channel approach on Snapchat and TikTok. They combined paid ads with influencer partnerships, which makes sense given both platforms are content-centric and influencer-driven.
We worked with Yubo to get influencers to create Snapchat media pages featuring text messaging-based skits, using popular music tracks in the background. This won them over 10,000 app installs and a whopping 13.6M views across both channels.
Why your brand should take note:
Almost half of Generation Z has made a purchase decision based on a recommendation from a social media influencer, compared with just 26% of the general population. Gen Z trusts influencers’ opinions and brands need to hop on board. Yubo created a stellar campaign utilising creators on both TikTok and Snapchat, which paid off.
If you want to find out more about working with influencers, get in touch to find out how we can find the perfect talent for your campaign.
7. ACCA
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) may not seem like the perfect brand for Gen Z Snapchatters, but they have certainly made their mark amongst this group – showing just how powerful Snapchat marketing can be.
ACCA wanted to change how young people see the accounting profession. They approached us to help change perception of accountancy as “dull and elitist” to exciting and accessible, to attract the next generation of members and bolster their profile.
Partnering with influencers was our first point of call. We created videos around ACCA qualifications and where they could lead, especially in the creative industries like music, film and art. This exploded ACCA’s reach and encouraged organic engagement, with users asking questions and having natural conversations with the influencers in our campaign.
The next step was to encourage deep engagement via an interactive element. We know Gen Z loves AR filters, so we developed an AR lens allowing users to switch between an old-fashioned accountant image and a digitally-savvy modern accountant. We pushed these filters further by getting our influencer partners to feature them in short videos. These tactics were incredibly successful, with the ACCA receiving half a million views and high CTRs on Snapchat.
Why your brand should take note:
Leveraging AR is great. Leveraging influencers is also great. Put AR and influencers together, and you have a scroll-stopping, eye-widening campaign. Influencers help tell a story, while AR helps your audience envisage themselves engaging with your product or services in real life.
Doubling up marketing tactics in your Snapchat campaign is a great strategy to demonstrate how well you know your audience. It will help you to get better ROI and reach the right segments. If you aren’t sure where to start, take a look at our influencer marketing services here to get some ideas of how we can help you nail your targets.
Finding common ground
So, now you know what brands to follow on Snapchat. What next?
Marketing on Snapchat is all about finding common ground with your audience. So, a great step is to find commonalities between these brands and yours. Figuring out how you can take on some of their ideas and apply them in your own brand’s output is a great hack to creating a killer social media marketing strategy to reach Gen Z on Snapchat.
Secondly, you should consider the common thread among all these examples. Each one is fun, engaging and fast-paced. Whether you bring on influencers, utilise Snapchat’s native features, or tell interesting stories, make sure your content feels right for your Snapchat audience by making it (here we go) snappy and chatty.
It’s also vital to find a shared connection with any partnership you consider. Snapchat is a thriving platform for influencer marketing, but only right relationships make great campaigns. Collaborate with brands or influencers that have a genuine interest in or relationship with your brand to create content that feels authentic and deepens your relationship with both your audiences.
If you’re wondering how to even find out if a creator is right for you, we can help. Our in-house award-winning, influencer-finding software called Bytesights will help us find the perfect candidate for your campaign. Want to know more? Get in touch to find out.
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