Marketing Mix Of Snapchat and 7Ps (Updated 2024)

The Marketing mix of Snapchat analyses the 7Ps of Snapchat, which include the Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence, and Process of Snapchat. Snapchat is a mobile application associated with the digital industry. It was first released in September 2011 and was created by its founders, Reggie Brown, Bobby Murphy, and Evan Spiegel. Snapchat is on its way to becoming a vital part of marketing strategy in the world because of its immense popularity. It faces competition from the following-

• Facebook’s Instagram
• WeChat
• Snow

About Snapchat

• Type: Instant app
• Industry: Mobile social networking
• Founded: July 8, 2011
• Founders: Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown
• Headquarters: Santa Monica, California, United States
• Area served: Worldwide
• Key people: Evan Spiegel (Chairman) and Evan Spiegel (CEO)
• Number of employees: 550

Snapchat Product Strategy

Snapchat is a multimedia and image messaging application that creates a powerful impact on followers and enormously strengthens the position of its users across all social media platforms and channels. Content creators and brands use Snapchat to create daily stories to excite and engage audiences.

A sequence of snaps takes the form of a video narrative called Snapchat Stories and lasts 24 hours. Nearly one billion stories are viewed daily. One can add fun elements within the platform to make it more exciting by adding music, emojis, texts, filters, and filters.

The new Product Mix of Snapchat in 2024 is as follows (Source).

1. Image and Video Messaging: The core feature of Snapchat allows users to share brief images and videos.
2. Snap Map: A feature showing friends’ locations and popular stories on a map.
3. Discover Section: A curated section featuring content from media partners and popular creators.
4. Snapchat Filters and Lenses: Augmented reality features that enhance photos and videos.
5. Snapchat Spectacles: Wearable technology integrating with the Snapchat app for capturing first-person videos.

Snapchat Pricing Strategy

Like many successful tech companies, Snapchat employs a multi-faceted pricing and marketing strategy that combines various elements to its target audience and maximizes revenue while maintaining a competitive edge in the fast-paced social media industry.

1. Freemium Model: Snapchat follows a freemium pricing model, which means that the app’s core features are free to use, making it accessible to a broad user base. This strategy allows them to attract and retain a large user community, which, in turn, drives engagement and content creation on the platform.
2. In-App Advertising: A significant portion of Snapchat’s revenue comes from advertising. They offer a variety of ad formats, such as Snap Ads, Story Ads, and Sponsored Lenses, to businesses looking to reach Snapchat’s predominantly youthful user demographic. Advertisers are charged based on metrics like impressions, clicks, or video views, ensuring businesses’ flexible and measurable ROI.
3. Premium Features: Snapchat offers premium features and content through its subscription service, “Snapchat Premium.” These features may include access to exclusive content, filters, lenses, and an ad-free experience. Snapchat generates additional revenue from users willing to pay for an enhanced experience by offering a subscription option.
4. Sponsored Content and Partnerships: Snapchat collaborates with celebrities, influencers, and brands to create sponsored content, shows, and events. These partnerships allow them to monetize their platform while offering unique and engaging content to users.
5. Geofilters and Sponsored Lenses: Snapchat charges businesses and individuals for creating custom geofilters and sponsored lenses for events, locations, or promotional campaigns. These personalized augmented reality (AR) experiences provide an interactive and immersive way for brands to engage with Snapchat’s user base.
6. E-commerce Integration: Snapchat has ventured into e-commerce by allowing businesses to set up storefronts within the app. They may charge a transaction fee or take a percentage of sales made through these stores, creating an additional revenue stream.

Snapchat Place Strategy

Snapchat’s place strategy is primarily digital and user-focused, emphasizing mobile device ease of access and engagement:

1. App-Based Platform: Snapchat is exclusively available as a mobile app catering to smartphone users.
2. Global Accessibility: The app is globally accessible, targeting a broad and diverse user base.
3. Integration with Other Platforms: Snapchat integrates with various social media and digital platforms for sharing content beyond its network.
4. Continuous Feature Updates: Snapchat regularly updates its app to introduce new features and enhance user experience.
5. User-Generated Content Focus: The platform heavily relies on user-generated content, encouraging active participation and content creation by its users.

Snapchat Promotion Strategy

Snapchat is a perfect social media marketing tool, offering viewers direct access to live events. It is used for trade shows, product launches, and special events to give users an authentic and exciting perspective. NBA uses Snapchat at Finals, All-Star games, and Drafts, and in the year 2014, at the All-Star Game, it launched videos on Snapchat. At the 2014 Finals, the NBA posted a clip of a backstage video that included stars Kawhi Leonard and Bill Russell. Fashion brands Michael Kors and Rebecca Minkoff have used Snapchat as a launch and social media platform for their collections.

Another fashion brand, Everlane, posts enticing content on social media channels and uses Snapchat stories to display happy hours and tours of its warehouses and offices. It has signed a three-year deal with World Wrestling Entertainment, and in a tie-up with the National Football League, it presents live stories of selected games on its app. Snapchat offers exclusive deals, contests, and discounts as part of its promotional strategies. NBC Olympics signed a deal with Snapchat to allow stories from the Summer Olympics 2016 to be shown via its app in the United States.

Some Recent Video ads and Print ads for Snapchat are:

Snapchat People Strategy

The “People” element of the marketing mix focuses on the individuals involved in delivering and consuming a service, emphasizing the importance of customer service, employee competence, and the overall customer experience. For the camera company Snapchat, the “People” aspect can be understood from various perspectives, including both the internal team that operates and evolves the platform and the broader user base that interacts with it. Here are some points regarding the “People” aspect of Snapchat’s service marketing mix:

1. Diverse Workforce: Snapchat’s team comprises a diverse group of individuals with expertise in software engineering, product design, content creation, marketing, and more. This diversity fosters creativity and innovation, essential for developing new features and engaging the platform.
2. Customer Support and Service: Snapchat invests in responsive customer support to assist users with technical issues, account queries, and feedback implementation. This support is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction and loyalty.
3. User Community: The platform’s user base, predominantly younger demographics, is highly engaged, contributing content and interacting with each other’s posts. This active participation is vital for the app’s vibrancy and appeal.
4. Content Creators and Influencers: Snapchat collaborates with content creators and influencers to produce engaging content, drive user engagement, and attract new users. These partnerships enhance the quality and diversity of content available on the platform.
5. Innovative Culture among Employees: Snapchat encourages innovation among its employees, enabling them to experiment with new ideas and features. This culture is essential for the app’s evolution and relevance in the competitive social media landscape.
6. Training and Development: Snapchat invests in training and development programs for its employees to ensure they are well-equipped with the latest skills and knowledge. This investment benefits the employees and enhances the quality of the service provided to users.
7. User Feedback and Participation: Snapchat values user feedback and often incorporates it into platform updates and new feature launches. This participatory approach helps tailor the app better to meet the needs and preferences of its user base.
8. Safety and Community Guidelines: The company emphasizes creating a safe and respectful environment for its users by implementing strict community guidelines and safety features. This focus on safety is crucial for maintaining trust and a positive experience on the platform.

Snapchat Process Strategy

The “Process” element of the service marketing mix refers to the methods and procedures used in delivering the service, emphasizing the customer experience, efficiency, and the flow of activities from the initial engagement to the final delivery. For Snapchat, understanding the “Process” of Snapchat’s marketing strategy involves analyzing how users interact with the app, how content is created and shared, and the mechanisms that ensure a seamless user experience. Here are some key points regarding the “Process” aspect of Snapchat’s service marketing mix:

1. User Onboarding: Snapchat has streamlined the onboarding process to make it easy for new users to sign up, set up their profile, and start using the app. This includes tutorials and guides to help users understand how to use the app’s features.
2. Content Creation and Sharing: The app offers a user-friendly interface for creating and sharing multimedia content, such as snaps and stories. Users can easily take photos, record videos, add filters, and share them with friends or the public, making the content creation process engaging and intuitive.
3. Real-time Communication: Snapchat emphasizes real-time communication, allowing users to send brief snaps and messages that disappear after they’ve been viewed. This process underlines the platform’s focus on privacy and spontaneous communication.
4. Discoverability and Engagement: Through features like Discover, Snap Map, and Spotlight, Snapchat provides structured processes for users to explore new content, follow their interests, and engage with stories from friends, influencers, and brands.
5. Advertisement Delivery: Snapchat has developed a sophisticated process for integrating advertisements into the user experience without being overly intrusive. This includes targeted ads in Stories, Discover, and between content segments, managed through an automated platform that matches ads to user interests.
6. Feedback and Updates: The app regularly updates its features and interface based on user feedback and technological advancements. This process involves testing, feedback collection, and iterative improvements to ensure the platform remains relevant and user-friendly.
7. Privacy and Security: Snapchat has established processes to protect user privacy and security, including data encryption, two-factor authentication, and regular security updates. These measures are critical for maintaining user trust in the platform.
8. Community and Content Moderation: The platform employs automated systems and human moderation to oversee content and ensure it adheres to community guidelines. This process is vital for creating a safe and respectful environment for users.
9. Analytics and Insights: For content creators and advertisers, Snapchat provides analytics tools to track engagement, viewer demographics, and other vital metrics. This process enables them to optimize their content and advertising strategies based on data-driven insights.

Snapchat Physical Evidence Strategy

The “Physical Evidence” element of the service marketing mix refers to the tangible and intangible elements that help customers evaluate and experience the service before, during, and after its consumption. For digital services like Snapchat, physical evidence primarily revolves around the app’s virtual presence, interface design, brand elements, and other aspects that contribute to the user’s perception and experience of the service. Here are some points regarding the “Physical Evidence” of Snapchat’s service and marketing strategy and mix:

1. Branding and Logo: Snapchat’s ghost logo is a significant piece of physical evidence, instantly recognizable and reflecting the app’s playful and ephemeral nature. The logo and the brand’s distinctive yellow color scheme contribute to its strong brand identity.
2. App Interface and Design: The app’s user interface, with its clean, intuitive design and navigation, serves as physical evidence of Snapchat’s focus on user experience. The design aesthetic is aligned with the preferences of its young user base, emphasizing visuals and ease of use.
3. Augmented Reality (AR) Filters and Lenses: Snapchat’s innovative AR filters and lenses are critical to its physical evidence. These features enhance user engagement and showcase the app’s technological prowess and creativity.
4. Features and Functionalities: The unique features of Snapchat, such as snaps, stories, Snap Map, Discover, and Spotlight, act as physical evidence by providing users with a distinctive and engaging platform experience.
5. User Content: The content created and shared by users serves as physical evidence of the app’s popularity and utility. User-generated content, from everyday moments to creative uses of filters and lenses, demonstrates the app’s role in facilitating communication and expression.
6. Marketing and Promotional Materials: Snapchat’s marketing campaigns, graphics, and online advertisements contribute to its physical evidence by communicating its value proposition and features to potential and existing users.
7. Partnerships and Collaborations: Collaborations with brands, influencers, and content creators provide physical evidence of Snapchat’s reach and influence. These partnerships often result in unique filters, lenses, and content, enhancing the user experience and broadening the app’s appeal.
8. Customer Support and Online Resources: The availability of customer support and comprehensive online resources (FAQs, tutorials, community forums) is evidence of Snapchat’s commitment to user satisfaction and support.
9. App Reviews and Ratings: Ratings and reviews on app stores provide tangible evidence of user satisfaction and feedback. Positive reviews and high ratings help new users form expectations and trust towards Snapchat.
10. Snapchat’s Website and Social Media Presence: The company’s official website and its presence on other social media platforms act as physical evidence, offering information, updates, and engaging content that reflects the brand’s personality and values.

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