Summary
To date, Snapchat has been leading the way in bringing augmented reality to consumers by creating immersive experiences for fans and products. Facebook and its family of apps (FB, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp) is set to take on Snapchat with a set of new AR tools. Here, we will discuss organic and paid ways to use augmented reality on Snapchat, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram platforms. It will also include our POVs and the Customer Journey.Table of Contents
- Snapchat
- Instagram (launching in late Summer)
- Facebook Messenger
1-Snapchat
Snapchat User Base
On average, Snapchatters use Snapchat 20 times a day, and spend an average of 30 minutes on the app, creating 3 billion Snaps daily
Our POV: Snapchat has the most educated AR crowd to create content using AR lenses.
Snapchat - Ways to Advertise
1 - Sponsored Lenses on Camera
You can take advantage of Snap's AR lens Carousel and claim the first spot when a user triggers it. This new ad format offers not just impressions, but "play time" - the time Snapchatters spend playing with your interactive ad.
Customer Journey: Users open Snapchat on the campaign day and see Sponsored Lens' as the first option. By selecting the lens, the user can directly launch the AR experience.
Our POV: Everyday millions of Snap users open Camera Carousel to try AR lenses. Sponsored Lenses offer the best position to give a user change to engage with your AR content.
2 - Stories
Snapchatters share millions of messages and stories, you can join and enhance the conversation by placing an ad to unlock an AR Lens in a single swipe. If you want to leverage influencers, you can arm them with your AR lens to post in their story, increasing their social currency and promoting your experience very effectively.
Customer Journey: Users watching other user-generated stories or page stories - they can easily unlock AR lenses by swiping up on the screen.
Our POV: Snapchat users watch friends or influencer stories all the time. Stories offer a good amount of time to explain how the lens works and create an opportunity for call to action "Swipe Up". Amazing opportunity for interaction with the product.
3 - Discover Page Sponsored Posts
Drive Snapchatters to your AR Lens in a single swipe. We can create high impact, scroll stopping ad content on the Discover page.
Customer Journey: Users scrolling through the Snapchat Discover page, see Sponsored posts. Users can click on the image to unlock the AR Experience.
Our POV: Sponsored posts are good to have when supporting option 1 and 2. We don't recommend this option as a primary ad buy to promote AR lenses.
Snapchat Organic Promotion Examples
1 - The Economist
For The Economist’s first foray into augmented reality, QReal created Snapchat codes printed in the physical magazines.
Customer Journey: Readers recognized the Snapcode on the magazine, open Snapchat and pointed their camera at it. A prompt was triggered, unlocking the AR Experience.
2 - Panera Bread
Panera Bread brought four soup “hacks” to life through Augmented Reality, created a menu-mash-up experience on Snapchat.
Customer Journey: Customers visiting select Panera Bread locations, saw Snapcodes printed on the tables. They opened Snapchat and pointed their camera at the Snapcode. A prompt was triggered, unlocking the AR Experience.
2 - Instagram (launching in late summer)
Instagram User Base
1.1 billion people use Instagram every month. Of all the social networks, only Facebook and YouTube have more people logging in. Of Instagram’s 1 billion monthly active users, more than 500 million of them use the platform every single day.
Our POV: Instagram is making organic reach harder every day. Utilizing AR features early can help to create new ways for organic reach. Instagram will offer AR features through Stories and with over 500 million users daily. We believe Instagram is primed to become the ultimate platform for AR.1 - Unlock through Instagram Stories
Customer Journey: Users will be able to unlock a lens through an Instagram Story.
While on a Story Page, users will see the AR lens, be able to click on it, trigger the lens experience, then create their own story.
This interactivity will make usage by AR Influencers even more important.
Our POV: The ease of share-ability on Instagram's AR product already beats Snap. In Snap you must "share" the lens by selecting contacts, in IG the lens unlock is embedded in your content (stories).
2 - Posting a Story
Customer Journey: Users can access AR Lenses on the Instagram camera while posting a story. The user's carousel will be populated by lenses created by Brands or People the user follows.
Most Brands will not have AR Lenses in the initial launch of Instagram AR.
Our POV: This is borrowed from Snap's UX, and offers a 2nd way to activate lenses for those familiar with this format.
3 - Profile Engagement
Customer Journey: AR Lenses created by a page will be featured on the profile page. Users can press the "Try Effect" directly out of the profile page.
Our POV: This allows for a "marquee" lens to sit on your homepage - think of this as the front door for fans and prospects to experience what Panera has to offer in AR.
3 - Facebook
Facebook User Base
Facebook has 2.7 billion monthly active users (Facebook, 2019). If that number isn't mind-numbing enough, it also touts 2.1 billion users that are visiting the social networking site on a daily basis.
Our POV: Facebook users aren't as educated as Snapchatters when it comes to AR. But, Facebook made accessing AR easy - users just need to click the "Try it" button on content they find in their News Feed. This directly opens AR experience on Facebook, creating an amazing opportunity to wow millions of users.
1 - Unlock through Feed
Customer Journey: Users can unlock a lens through a Facebook News Feed with "Try it" button on the right bottom corner.
You can also boost the Post for paid media opportunities.
The AR ad units are identical to Facebook's standard ad units.