Mobile apps are cozying up to advertisers. Popular apps WeChat and Snapchat unveiled new tools to incorporate advertising content–and dollars–into their platform business models. As mobile use increases, image sharing and chat apps have experienced a huge rise in popularity, particularly among the elusive, millennial crowd.
Snapchat Enters Publishing
Snapchat, the ephemeral image sharing platform, is moving into publishing. Mashable reports that executives unveiled on Tuesday the new feature, Snapchat Discover. The feature is accessed through a new tab on the platform and allows media outlets to publish “stories” to users’ homepages. Media partners will not have to pay for space, rather Snapchat will establish advertising partners whose content will be shared alongside Discover’s “stories”.
In addition to Discover, Snapchat has partnered with AT&T to launch the first scripted series published to the channel. According to an article published in Variety, Snapchat and AT&T will identify digital media influencers and encourage them to engage with audiences to ask them to make choices shaping the plot line of the “SnapperHero” story.
Last year, Snapchat was valued at $10 billion despite the fact that the platform had not yet established a sustainable advertising model. Snapchat’s recent efforts reflect company attempts to benefit from its highly coveted user-base by connecting with advertisers.
WeChat Opens Service to Advertisers
Earlier this week mobile messaging app WeChat tested in-app advertising for the first time. The test was followed shortly thereafter by a rollout of full advertising capabilities. Currently the most popular messaging application is China, the platform boasts over 500 million active users. The new advertising tool will enable global brands to sponsor targeted posts in WeChat’s “Moments” feed–a function much like the Facebook newsfeed.
WeChat’s targeted ads were met with some frustration by users this week. The platform launched the feature with three advertising partners–BMW, VIVO and Coca-Cola. The ads were considered signs of status: According to Financial Times, some users who saw ads for mobile phone company Vivo and Coca-Cola complained that the service considered them “losers” who didn’t “qualify” for messaging from a more luxury brand. As more data is available to inform targeted ads, users will have higher expectations for personalized brand content.
New tools for mobile advertising make opportunities available to marketers and advertisers. Using new mobile advertising features like Snapchat Discover and WeChat Moments, brands will be able to unlock valuable audience segments and open new avenues for brand communication. The trick for brands will be to do so in a way that is relevant, personal and that ultimately brings value to the customer.
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