Simone Lawson
Snapchat has become an increasingly popular platform for political campaigns to reach younger voters. With over 100 million daily active users, Snapchat provides a unique opportunity for politicians to engage with voters where they are already spending a lot of time: on their phones. Snapchat offers a variety of ad formats for political campaigns, including sponsored lenses, filters, and geofilters, as well as story ads and image ads. These ads must comply with Snapchat's policies, which require transparency, lawfulness, and positivity, while also prohibiting personal attacks and harassment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reach | Snapchat has over 100 million daily active users, allowing campaigns to reach a broad audience, including young voters |
| Ad Types | Story Ads, Filter Ads, Sponsored Lenses, Geofilters, Image Ads, Video Ads |
| Customization | Ads can be customized with a candidate's name, logo, and slogan |
| Compliance | Political advertising must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including Snap's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, and Advertising Policies |
| Transparency | All political advertising must include a "paid for by" message disclosing the paying person or entity |
| Positivity | Snap encourages political advertisers to be positive and not include attacks relating to a candidate's personal life |
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What You'll Learn
Snapchat's popularity helps reach younger voters
Snapchat's popularity has made it an attractive platform for political campaigns to reach younger voters. With over 100 million daily active users, Snapchat provides a unique opportunity for politicians to connect with voters, especially those who may not be reachable through traditional media.
In today's digital age, mobile advertising has become essential, and Snapchat, with its focus on visual content, offers a range of ad formats that can effectively engage young voters. These include sponsored lenses, filters, and geofilters. Lenses allow users to interact with a campaign logo or message, while filters and geofilters can be customized and targeted to specific locations or events, such as rallies or debates.
Snapchat's video ads, limited to 10 seconds, can deliver concise and creative messages to potential voters. They can be combined with text or voiceovers to convey more detailed information. Image ads, on the other hand, can be static or animated, providing a visually appealing medium for campaigns to share their ideas.
One of the most popular features of Snapchat, stories, can be leveraged by political campaigns to share updates and engage voters. Story ads allow campaigns to connect with voters in a more personal and creative way, sharing a narrative that resonates with their audience. Additionally, Snapchat's geofilters can be strategically used during events or at specific locations to show support for a candidate, with customizable elements like their name, logo, and slogan.
It is worth noting that Snapchat enforces strict policies for political advertising. All ads must comply with applicable laws and regulations, including election-related guidelines. Transparency is crucial, with requirements for "paid for by" disclosures to identify the funding entity. Snapchat also encourages positive advertising and generally allows "attack" ads that disagree with or campaign against a candidate or party as long as they meet their guidelines and do not include personal attacks.
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Political advertising must be transparent, lawful, and positive
Snapchat is a great platform to reach younger voters and amplify your political campaign. However, it is crucial to ensure that your political advertising on Snapchat is transparent, lawful, and positive. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:
Transparency:
Snapchat's advertising policies require political ads to be transparent. This means including a “paid for by” message followed by the name of the paying person or entity. Additionally, in the United States, electoral ads must state whether they are authorized by a candidate or organization. If not authorized, the ad must include contact information for the sponsoring organization. These measures help users understand who is funding the advertisement and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Lawfulness:
Political advertising on Snapchat must comply with all relevant laws and regulations, including national election laws, copyright law, defamation law, and, in some cases, Federal Election Commission regulations. It is essential to adhere to these laws to avoid legal repercussions and maintain the integrity of your campaign.
Positivity:
While Snapchat does not categorically ban "attack" ads, they encourage political advertisers to maintain a positive tone. Expressing disagreement with or campaigning against a candidate or party is generally allowed, but ads must not include attacks relating to a candidate's personal life. Snapchat will review political ads on a case-by-case basis and may reject or request modifications to ads that violate their guidelines.
Additionally, it is important to note that Snapchat may publicly disclose information related to political advertising, including ad content, targeting details, and campaign information. This transparency helps users understand the sources of political advertisements and allows for greater accountability in political campaigns.
By following these guidelines and maintaining transparency, lawfulness, and positivity in your Snapchat political advertising, you can effectively reach younger voters and promote your campaign while adhering to ethical and legal standards.
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Snapchat ad types: sponsored lenses, filters, and geofilters
Snapchat has expanded its ad offerings lineup with new products that take advantage of its already popular lenses and geofilters. These include World Lenses, Audience Lenses, and Smart Geofilters. With Sponsored World Lenses, advertisers can create content beyond the face, including floating 2D or 3D objects, interactive content, and other items. For instance, advertisers can place a 2D or 3D film character or product into the photo using the outward-facing camera. Action-based lenses can also be used to trigger something to happen when a user looks at or taps an AR object—like a cloud character vomiting rainbows. There are also "interaction" World Lenses, like in-app games, and environmental lenses that can be used to add floating lights or ambiance.
Red Bull and MTV have already tested these Audience Lenses, and Lancome’s L’Oreal Paris has also launched one. The Smart Geofilter, another ad type, automatically adds location information or other real-time information to a nationwide or chain Geofilter. For example, these could be updated to include a high school or college name, airport name, state, city, neighborhood, or zip code. Warner Bros. used Smart Geofilter ads for its movie “Everything, Everything,” targeting high school users by featuring the name of the school in its ad.
Snapchat has also introduced Sponsored AR Filters, a new augmented reality (AR) ad offering that expands brands’ reach beyond the pre-capture Lens Carousel. With over 5 billion Snaps created every day, brands can now join in on shareable moments and own the Snapchat Camera experience from end to end. One of the key benefits of Sponsored AR Filters is the ability to seamlessly integrate brands into both major tentpoles and everyday moments. Advertisers can also upload existing assets and build Filters from a variety of templates including AR face Filters, location-based overlays, countdown timers, quiz generators, and more.
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Video ads: up to 10 seconds, with text or voiceover
Snapchat is a great way to reach younger voters, with 75% of 13-34-year-olds in over 25 countries using the platform. Snapchat Ads are immersive and full-screen, and the platform offers precise targeting to help you reach your ideal audience.
When creating a political campaign on Snapchat, it's important to follow the platform's guidelines for transparency and lawful content. All political ads must include a "paid for by" message with the name of the paying entity, and they must comply with all relevant laws and regulations. Snapchat reviews all political ads on a case-by-case basis and reserves the right to reject or request modifications to any ad that violates their standards.
Video ads on Snapchat can be up to 180 seconds long, but the platform recommends keeping them between 3 and 5 seconds for the best engagement. If you're including an offer in your ad, mention it within the first 2 to 3 seconds. To make the most of this short time frame, you can add text or a voiceover to your video to convey your message clearly and quickly.
- Use a clear and concise message: With only 10 seconds, it's crucial to focus on one key message that resonates with your target audience.
- Keep it simple: Don't overload your ad with too much information or complex visuals. A simple, direct message is more likely to stick with viewers.
- Use engaging visuals: Snapchat users respond well to authenticity, so use genuine themes and messages in your visuals. Dynamic video styles, like stop motion or animation, can also grab attention.
- Add a call to action: Snapchat allows you to add attachments to your videos that act as calls to action, such as visiting a website or downloading an app.
- Prioritize the first few seconds: As videos can be skipped, hook your audience in the first few seconds to encourage them to keep watching.
- Avoid clutter: Don't place logos, text, or graphics in the top and bottom 150px of the video, as app elements may interfere with them.
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Image ads: static or animated, with text or voiceover
Snapchat is a great platform to reach younger voters, with 53% of its users aged 15-25 and 34% aged 26-35. The platform offers the option of using static imagery with a message or a traditional video commercial with graphics, music, and a voiceover.
When creating image ads for Snapchat, you can choose between static or animated visuals. Static images are simple and direct, allowing you to convey your message clearly and concisely. On the other hand, animated images can be more engaging and visually appealing, capturing the attention of users as they scroll through their stories.
When adding text or a voiceover to your image ads, consider the following:
- Messaging: Ensure your message is concise and easy to understand. Snapchat users tend to have shorter attention spans, so your message should be direct and memorable.
- Tone: Snapchat encourages political advertisers to be positive in their messaging. While "attack" ads are not categorically banned, they should focus on expressing disagreement with policies or campaigns rather than attacking a candidate's personal life.
- Compliance: All political advertising on Snapchat must comply with the platform's policies and guidelines, including election-related and issue-based advertising rules. This includes avoiding content that harasses, intimidates, threatens, or misleads users. Additionally, ensure your ads include the required "paid for by" disclosure and any necessary authorizations or contact information.
- Creativity: Use creative and engaging visuals that align with the lighthearted and playful nature of Snapchat. Consider using bright colors, eye-catching graphics, or even augmented reality features to make your ads stand out.
- Localization: Snapchat organizes ads based on users' locations, so ensure your image ads are tailored to specific regions or demographics. This can increase engagement and make your ads more relevant to your target audience.
By utilizing static or animated images with effective text or voiceover, you can create compelling image ads for your political campaign on Snapchat, reaching a younger demographic and potentially gaining support for your candidate or cause.
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Frequently asked questions
Snapchat is a popular social media platform with over 100 million daily active users, allowing you to reach a broad audience, including younger voters.
There are several types of Snapchat ads that are effective for political campaigns, including sponsored lenses, filters, and geofilters. Video ads, image ads, and story ads are also popular formats.
Yes, political advertising on Snapchat must comply with applicable laws and Snapchat's policies. Ads must be transparent, lawful, and appropriate for users. They cannot include personal attacks on candidates or content that harasses, intimidates, or threatens.
To create effective political Snapchat ads, utilize engaging and creative content that resonates with your target audience, particularly younger voters. Leverage the interactive features of Snapchat, such as lenses and filters, to encourage user engagement with your campaign message.
