The thing about social networking sites is that you can never really get a “hang” of them in just a short period of time. For some brands, they’ve learned of this fact the hard way.
There’s a huge chance that you still remember some of the most recent social media fails in recent history—like the time that clothing brands American Apparel and Gap cashed in on hurricane Sandy (by encouraging people to buy more of their stuff online or in stores based in affected states) or the time that the vice chairman of JP Morgan Chase got swamped by rants and cheeky comments by people on Twitter during a Q&A session (the session was eventually cancelled, thankfully).
So, when a new social media tool like Snapchat comes along, you can expect people gripping their seats about what these brands and companies would come up with next. Amazingly, since Snapchat is still relatively new, there have been no major blunders yet.
In fact, there are quite a few brands who managed to produce some epic social media campaigns centered on Snapchat’s picture-sharing features. Here are a few:
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Taco Bell
Taco Bell, an early adopter of Snapchat (having joined the Snapchat community in May 2013) initially used the tool to promote a new item on their menu, the beefy crunchy burrito.
The audience response was overwhelming and from thereon, the company has regularly been using the tool to send out personalized Snaps and innovative Stories to its followers.
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Karmaloop
You have to admit, Snapchat does have a particularly “infamous” reputation among the public because of its image as a “sexting” medium. But instead of avoiding this risqué image, clothing retailer Karmaloop bravely embraces it.
The company’s snaps feature models in various states of undress, displaying their toned physiques and the brand’s clothes. Even Megan Knisely, Karmaloop’s marketing director, isn’t hiding the fact, stating that people should be ready for “a little bit of boobs and butt.”
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GrubHub
GrubHub exemplifies everything that is great about Snapchat as a marketing tool.
Not only does the food-ordering company entertain and tempt their followers with candid snaps of yummy food (often bundled with promo codes), they’ve also used the tool for other innovative purposes too, like finding a summer intern (“with Snapchatz Skillz”) using the Stories feature.
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World Wildlife Fund
It’s not all about fun and games; Snapchat can also be used to spread advocacy too. The World Wildlife Fund, in partnership with the Grey Group Ad Agency, has started an awesome Snapchat campaign called the #LastSelfie, which imagines the last selfies of endangered species.
It’s a neat way to emphasize that these animals can be gone in just a snap if we humans don’t take action.
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General Electric
General Electric might be a boring old electronics company, but they did a awesome Snapchat Campaign exemplify fun and fabulous in a very good way.They just debuted this July on Snapchat, and within that short period of time, they’ve managed to get Buzz Aldrin to introduce himself to the brand’s followers, plus produce a regular stream of fun facts and brain teasers to keep followers entertained.
