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Snap Marketing

Snap CEO outlines user growth solution: marketing to older users

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

October 7, 2018 | 3 min read

Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel has outlined a solution to the app's user growth stagnation, repositioning to attract a greater number older users.

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Earlier this week, a company memo the CEO was leaked to the press (Cheddar). In the memo, he outlined his plans for the company, including rekindling love in the app amid it being flanked by rivals on each side.

Speigel said: "Most of the incremental growth in our core markets.. will have to come from older users who generate higher average revenue per user. Growing in older demographics will require us to mature our application."

Of course, the app will have to fight the commonly held opinion with older audiences that "Snapchat as frivolous or a waste of time because they think Snapchat is social media rather than a faster way to communicate".

This will have a wider effect on Snap marketing. "Changing the design language of our product and improving our marketing and communications around Snapchat will help users understand our value . . . aging-up our community in core markets will also help the media, advertisers, and Wall Street understand Snapchat."

It needs more eyes on its renewed ad products. Especially with user figures trickling downwards

Next, he described the widely panned redesigned that separated friend and publisher content. “The biggest mistake we made with our redesign was compromising our core product value of being the fastest way to communicate.”

With shares sitting at an all-time low of $8, Speigel acknowledged mistakes. "We slowed down our product and eroded our core product value. Regrettably, we didn’t understand at the time that the biggest problem with our redesign wasn’t the frustration from influencers – it was the frustration from members of our community who felt like it was harder to communicate."

He added that comms speed is the products most important feature. It was also outlined that the app must be better at connecting best friends than rival apps, top friend content makes up 25% of Snap send volume, according to reports.

Next, he outlined the success of the app's Discover platform claiming 18 shows reach more than 10m unique viewers each month. Additionally, he said that publisher stories views were up 20% year-on-year.

The Snap team will be watching the performance of IGTV and Facebook Watch for lessons on its own TV offering.

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