As news consumption continues to evolve, brands and events are constantly looking for the most effective ways to reach audiences. People want news on the go and want to be constantly kept up to date with breaking news and updates from the events that interest them.
Smartphones bring a whole host of possibilities to users, from receiving breaking news updates with the BBC News app to viewing events on social media via Periscope and Facebook Live. Snapchat is also proving popular with brands that want to stay connected to technology savvy consumers.
Snapchat enables users to send ‘Snaps’, or photos, videos and messages, to friends and followers, that delete after viewing. As the app grows in popularity, new features are constantly being added, such as fun ways to mix-up your selfies e.g. face swap, Geofilters that show which city you’re in or event you’re at, and Bitmojis which let users create their own caricature to use in Snaps.
Brands and news media can also share their latest updates and bring users live updates from the world’s biggest events in real time – giving people a fun way to stay up to date. One of the biggest events taking place at the moment is the Rio 2016 Olympics and it’s getting in on the Snapchat action!
Snapchatters can follow @Rio2016 or will be able to see sponsored Snaps from the account. Snaps have been sent from the Olympic Torch Relay across Brazil, followed athletes’ journeys from the airport to the Olympic Park and met the mascots before the opening ceremony. Since then, coverage has been accelerated to bring followers a Games experience different to what they see on TV.
Behind the scenes videos, updates on who’s about to compete and who’s won medals and meeting the athletes after they’ve competed – the Snapchat account gives people an up-close look at what’s going on in Rio.
And it’s not all business, Snaps show the celebrations going on in Brazil and bring a sense of fun; really conveying the atmosphere of the Games that you rarely get through traditional media coverage.
For brands and events like these to reach the largest audience possible, they must analyse the types of media people are consuming and innovate to stay ahead. Content created on the likes of Snapchat can also be saved and shared on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Do you have an exciting event coming up or interesting visuals you think consumers may be interested in? Snapchat may be a new outlet to explore to reach people in a more personal, fun and interesting way. Let us know about your Snapchat campaigns by tweeting @mucklemedia – happy snapping!