Today, I decided to mix things up and try
studying at a local coffee shop instead of the campus library to see if I could
spark up some creativity for these blogs. As I was getting all settled in and
waiting for my coffee to cool down, I decided a quick look at my Snapchat would
be a good first step in my creative process. I played around with Snap filters
for an embarrassing ten minutes, then started watching my friends Snapstories.
As I was clicking through them, I noticed that advertisements had been randomly
placed between a few of the stories. I quickly realized that these ads have the
click through feature and a maximum length of 10 seconds just like a regular
Snapstory, yet cannot be replayed. Being that the advertisements between
Snapstories don't necessarily have to be viewed in full, it can be assumed that
the first few seconds of each ad impact consumers the most. This realization
caused me to wonder if Snapchat is attempting to use a new form of subliminal
advertising for third parties that are willing to purchase media space.
Subliminal advertising is the use of images and sounds that unconsciously
influence consumer perceptions toward a specific brand/business.
In
order to see if this was the case, I began asking my friends around the coffee
shop if they have noticed the ads between Snapstories. None of which responded
that they were aware of the advertisements. At first this fact confused me to a
great degree, but then I began to see that this was exactly what subliminal
advertising
aims to accomplish. By playing ads that are a maximum of ten seconds and can be
clicked through at any moment, third party businesses are able to impact
Snapchat consumers’ perceptions within the first seconds of each ad.
The
fact that these impacts are on an unconscious level led me to question the
ethics behind the ads and their placement. For instance, do you think it's fair
to have ads flashed in front of your face without even being aware? And more
importantly, do you think it's fair that these ads could very well be the
reason you are craving a certain food, or suddenly have the urge to buy a new
product? Well, in my opinion, I feel that though it may not be fair, it is
certainly ingenious.
I
mean think about it, what's a better way to sway millennial consumers into
preferring your brand than tapping into their most used social networking app?
It virtually allows Snapchat to increase their sales revenue, while
simultaneously giving businesses an opportunity to influence consumer
preferences. By increasing consumer preferences within the young millennial
generation businesses can also begin to create customer loyalty among their
consumers as well. And, let me remind you, this is all being done at an
unconscious level. So, next time you are clicking through all of your friends
Snapstories keep a close eye out for any subliminal advertising that may be
occurring right in the palm of your hand.
For
more insight about Snapchat's between story advertising check out this article:
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