Following in the footsteps of popular social app Instagram, Snapchat has announced that it is to introduce advertisements in the US; however, the platform has assured its users that the ads will not be “creepy” or “targeted”.
Providing advertisers with a gateway to monetise users’ increasing desires to share photos, the photo messaging app is set to place ads in the ‘Recent Updates’ section of the app, which users will be able to choose whether they want to watch or not. The ad will either disappear when viewed or within 24 hours.
In a blog post, Snapchat wrote: “We won’t put advertisements in your personal communication – things like Snaps or Chats. That would be totally rude. We want to see if we can deliver an experience that’s fun and informative, the way ads used to be, before they got creepy and targeted.”
Snapchat, which turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook last year, is currently valued at an estimated $10 billion; however, since launching in 2011, the app has made no profit.
“Understandably, a lot of folks want to know why we’re introducing advertisements to our service,” Snapchat added. “The answer is probably unsurprising – we need to make money. Advertising allows us to support our service while delivering neat content to Snapchatters.
“We promise that we’ll use the money we make to continue to surprise the Snapchat community with more terrific products.”
In May earlier this year, Snapchat reported that users were sending 700 million photos and videos per day, while Snapchat Stories content was being viewed 500 million times per day.
Last month, Omnicom Media Group agency brands Starbucks, Cadbury, Channel 4, Rimmel, Estee Lauder and Waitrose became the first brands to roll-out advertising across UK Instagram feeds.
