Snapchat introduces ads in US as mobile ad spend rockets 78%
Snapchat has revealed it will this weekend begin to introduce ads for users in the United States, after co-founder and chief executive Evan Spiegel alluded to the move earlier this month.
SnapChat rolls out ads in US
In a blogpost on the social media platform’s website, Snapchat said it will place the ads in the ‘Recent Updates’ section of the app, but will not use data to target users individually.
“The best advertisements tell you more about stuff that actually interests you,” the post read. “Some companies spend a lot of time and collect a lot of data about you to figure that out. The product we’re releasing today is a lot simpler.”
Users will be able to choose if they want to watch the ad, which will disappear after being viewed or within 24 hours. Ads won’t be placed in personal communication such as Snaps and Chats, in a bit to deliver a “fun and informative” experience rather than one which is “creepy and targeted”.
Snapchat admitted in the post that it is introducing the ads as it “needs to make money” and said it will use the revenue generated to create new and “surprising” products.
The roll out comes as a study by eMarketer revealed that mobile advertising will total $18.99bn in the US this year, up 78 per cent from 2013.
On social networks overall, advertising will reach $6.9bn in the US this year, up 48 per cent in 2013. Of this, Facebook will grab 71.5 per cent of all social network ad revenues in the US, with 68 percent of the site's revenue coming from mobile, according to the study.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Snapchat is set to launch new service Snapchat Discovery in November, which will allow users to read articles, watch TV show clips and see adverts.