Snapchat & Spectacles

Almost a year-and-a-half after the first version, Snapchat has unveiled Spectacles 2.0, its own camera-enabled eyewear.

Boasting an array of new features, colours, and a new price-tag (£149.99 to be exact), Spectacles 2.0 has a similar look to its predecessor, but are much smaller and have an added bonus of being water resistant. Other new features include improved audio quality and the ability to take pictures (the original glasses could only record video), which are captured in HD and transferred to the Snapchat app up to four times faster.

So how do they work?

There’s a wireless video camera embedded inside the glasses. Users can tap a button to record video or press and hold to take a photo as shown in the image below. So will the gadget take-off?

Frankly, Snapchat was a much ‘cooler’ company when Spectacles first launched a year-and-a-half ago, the then-private company just generally had a more positive buzz around it. Instagram Stories had only launched weeks earlier injecting some healthy competition into a market that Snapchat otherwise dominated. The competition is perhaps which prompted Snapchat to embrace an uproarious redesign with a hefty backlash in early 2018 when a new user-interface was rolled-out and was met with overwhelming negativity from its users. So as of 2018, the company’s updated “toy” glasses have a little bit more riding on them, not necessarily for the potential revenues, but because they need to help the company steal back its ‘cool factor’ that Instagram has been owning more recently.

A bit about the features

Snap’s first sunglasses launched in late 2016 and were initially only sold in vending machines in 5 cities across Europe. Retailing for $130, they were a viral hit at first and people waited hours to get their hands on a pair. Some resellers listed them on eBay for over $900 mere hours after release! However, excitement fizzled and demand turned out to be low.. This time around Spectacles 2.0 can be purchased on Snapchat’s website. The new pair comes in different colors too: black, red and blue (branded as onyx, ruby, and sapphire). The design tweaks – such as the smaller size and slightly more subdued colors – could make them more appealing to wear regularly but some may still argue that the buzz around this gimmick may be as short-lived as their predecessor.

Get to know the spectacles and their new features:

• Press. Play.
• Make a splash
• Charge on the go
• Sync and send
• Full screen and full circle

Snapchat as an advertising platform

The app that was originally once known for disappearing messages has evolved massively since it launched back in 2011, as of February 2018, Snapchat has 187 million daily active users and those that have chosen to ignore its significance when it comes to a marketing platform, need to acknowledge the opportunities they are missing out on!

“Our ad products are fun and effective, for every objective”.

Snap Ads are the original vertical video ad, now with attachments customised for your objectives such as driving traffic to your preloaded website, encouraging users to download your app and even drive views for your trailer, short film, how-to, or any other video. They are full-screen, 100% viewable, and have audio on by default.

Filters allow you to be where your product is bought, thought about, or consumed. Create your own Filter and drive awareness, advocacy, and action in one package. Many brands such as MAC cosmetics have filters in the geographical locations where their stores are, this boosts interaction and brand awareness.

Check out our very own mso filter!

Lenses are the most playful and memorable way to increase awareness, on a massive scale. With one tap, you can invite Snapchatters into your world — and your story. Huge corporate companies such as Pepsi and McDonald’s choose this way of advertising due to its mass scale interaction.

“A great campaign starts with the right audience.”

Snapchat advertising allows you to choose from over 300 predefined Audiences based on what Snapchatters care about, what they buy, what they watch, and where they go. You can also get specific with age, location, device type, and advanced demographics like household income and parental status. Expand your reach and tune performance by building lookalike audiences similar to your best customers.

“Successful ads drive your business forward.”

The Snap Ad Reporting feature allows you to monitor your campaigns in real-time, identify key performance trends, and optimise towards your goals. You can also track filter performance and optimise your campaign by location.

If you are still unconvinced that Snapchat is something you should begin to think about adopting into your marketing strategy then check out their success stories for some of the biggest brands out there.

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Images are sourced from Snapchat