Snapchat is sharpening its focus on Gen Z and performance marketing with a suite of new products designed to deliver business results at scale.
Announcing the launch of its new brand campaign “Say it in a Snap,” Snapchat is spotlighting the platform’s unique appeal for spontaneous, authentic communication, particularly among 13 to 24-year-olds, 90% of whom use the app in Australia.
Ryan Ferguson, Managing Director of Snapchat Australia and New Zealand, underscored the platform’s strategic direction:
“Snapchat is the go-to platform for more than 90% of Aussies aged 13-24.
“We know the next generation of growth is going to come from Gen Z, and Snapchat is the best place to reach them.
“We’re continuing to invest in new advertising products, from First Snap’s direct engagement to the power of Sponsored Snaps in the auction and our AI-powered Smart Campaign Solutions, expanding opportunities for brands to connect with Snapchatters in innovative ways that drive real business results.”
Ryan Ferguson
Key developments include:
Sponsored Snaps Take Center Stage
Snapchat is expanding its Sponsored Snaps offering short, visual messages placed in users’ Chat Feeds to help advertisers reach users across the full funnel. Updates include:
• Sponsored Snaps from Creators: Allowing brands to deliver directly from a creator’s handle.
• Web & App Auction Ads: Enabling performance-driven targeting for actions like purchases or installs.
• First Snap: A premium first-impression unit that places a brand at the top of a user’s Chat Feed for maximum visibility.
AI-Powered Campaign Tools
Alongside its new ad products, Snapchat has quietly been building out a new generation of performance-driven tools that rely on machine learning. Smart Bidding lets advertisers set a target cost-per-action (CPA), with Snapchat’s systems adjusting in real-time to optimise for scale while staying within the bid range.
Meanwhile, Smart Budget, currently in alpha, automatically shifts spend to the best-performing ad sets within a campaign. It’s designed to deliver better outcomes and reduce time spent tinkering in Ads Manager.
New Creative Platform: Under the Ghost
Snapchat is also making a play in the music and creator space with the launch of Under the Ghost, a new live performance series filmed at Snapchat’s Santa Monica studio.
It offers artists a direct and authentic way to engage fans while doubling as a high-impact branding opportunity.
Snapchat+ and Platform Exclusivity
Snapchat+ now counts nearly 15 million subscribers, up 59% from last year. This growth helped drive a 75% increase in “Other Revenue,” which reached $152 million in Q1, putting the product on pace for a $600 million annualised run rate.
Snapchat’s audience is also distinctively its own. According to GWI data from the second half of 2024, 40% of daily US Snapchatters aged 16–64 don’t use TikTok daily.
That figure jumps to 53% for YouTube, 68% for X (formerly Twitter), and 79% for Pinterest.
Even Facebook sees significant drop-off, with 37% of US Snapchatters not using it daily, and among 16–24-year-olds, that number spikes to 59%.