Snapchat | Pay for Replay and LensesWhat’s new & why should brands care?

16th September 2015

Hannah Law

Snapchat | Pay for Replay

Snapchat Pay for Replay

What’s new? US Users can now buy snap replays, but still can’t replay any individual snap one

more than once. Three snaps will cost US$0.99. Pay for Replay is an extension of a feature Snapchat introduced approximately

two years ago. They said on their blog, “"We’ve provided one Replay per Snapchatter per day, sometimes frustrating the millions of Snapchatters who receive many daily Snaps deserving of a Replay. But then we realized — a Replay is like a compliment! So why stop at just one?”

The feature may be a little pricey (as Snapchat said on their blog) but they feel users will want a more customized experience on their favorite app.

Why should a brand care about Pay for Replay? Replays are Snapchat’s first foray into monetizing the app from users. They have

been working with select brands for sponsored content and advertising but this is a new monetization avenue for the app which potentially decreases reliance on brand partnerships.

The feature has the potential to increase engagement with your content – if consumers feel it is worth paying for!

How should brands use Pay for Replay? Create content that is so compelling people will want to pay to watch it a second

time. However, note that brands aren’t technically supposed to have Snapchat accounts according to the Ts&Cs so create an account with caution.

Statistics Source: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel at Re/code Conference in May 2015

4 billionDaily Video Views

100Million users who log in every day.

“They’re a little pricey – but time is money! ;)”Snapchat Corporate Blog, 15th September, about ‘Pay for Replay’

Snapchat | Lenses

Snapchat Lenses

What’s new? When taking a selfie, Lenses lets users choose one of several face filters (e.g.

heart eyes, rainbow vomit, wrinkles) that can distort or add to the picture. New lenses will rotate in every day.

The lenses show automatically when the app is in selfie mode, and a user presses and holds on the screen.

The functionality feels similar to Photo Booth on Mac computers.

Why should a brand care about Lenses? Lenses will likely increase Millennial ‘stickiness’ with Snapchat. If your brand is

targeting young people ensure you have a compelling branded presence (via sponsored content, Stories, user account etc) on this platform if you don’t already.

How should brands use Lenses? If your brand has a user account then consider how you could play with these

filters to create more engaging content. For example, a fashion brand could engage an influencer to use the ‘heart eyes lens’ to create a ‘looks I love at NYFW’ Snapchat story by stitching the selfies together with other video/photo content; or skincare brands could have some fun with the aging filter.

Mountain Dew was the first brand to experiment – see example on the right – to appeal to young males.

Using these filters shows your brand knows the platform and creates a deeper, more trusted connection with your audience.

Note that brands aren’t technically supposed to have Snapchat accounts according to the Ts&Cs so create an account with caution.

“A Whole New Way to See Yourself(ie)”Snapchat Corporate Blog, 15th September, about ‘Pay for Replay’

Step 1: Enter selfie mode and hold down on screen.

(this is me with wrinkle Lens already added!)

Step 2: Select which Lens you want to use.

Step 3: Press the arrows (bottom-right) to share!