In Australia, social media platform Snap boasts a user base of more than 7.5 million, with 75% of 13 to 34 year olds using the app.
Snap reported that its global revenue increased 12% to $4.6 billion for the 12 months to December, as Daily Active Users rose 17% to 375 million.
AdNews spoke to Haran Ramachandran, head of creative strategy ANZ, who says that the team he heads up is somewhat like a creative agency within Snap.
“We're helping brands to figure out how they can get the most out of the platform, very much like you would with a client brief from an agency. I was an agency creative for most of my career in London, and when you work at an agency, you have to know a little bit about everything.
“It’s kind of the same for us, but very much focused on obviously one platform – Snapchat - and what the creative solutions are that I can give to brands to help them understand ‘why Snap?’ and ‘what's the one thing that I can do for them that no one else can do?’”
Ramachandran’s team is comprised of three individuals – two creative strategists, one of whom is in Australia and another in India, along with a producer.
“A brief will come in from the sales team, which I would work on depending on what the budget was and what the scope is, and I’d come back with a strategy, a brand platform, whatever it calls for.
“We would deliver that response or pitch, hopefully win it and we then would activate that through our production team. The way we work is we produce everything for every partner - that's different to a lot of other platforms, especially when it comes to AR.
“We do all the production and we throw that all in as part of the creative process, because it's a very sort of specific format and we've got the right expertise to do that. Often, there's a lot of people involved - you've got a creative agency, a media agency, the client and then us - so if you can streamline that process in any way, it makes it a little easier on everybody.”
The creative strategy team’s day-to-day work is focused on working with clients on briefs – especially with a number of always-on clients - but also comprises of raising the profile of Snap creatively in the APAC region.
“We hired Colleen DeCourcey in the USA, who was chief creative officer at Wieden+Kennedy and came out of retirement to work for Snap. Her first week, she did an interview with Fast Company, and she said that Snapchat is the best known, least understood platform.
“That really rang true with me - we don't have an awareness problem, as everybody knows who Snapchat is, but what is our place in your marketing mix? From a brand perspective, that's the challenge for us, and that's a challenge for every platform, but I think articulating it like that, and that sort of openness to be honest about that, has really allowed me to be pointy in my recommendations and how I think brands should activate.
“There are functionally things that we can do that no other platform can do and principally that's AR. We’ve got a pretty strong competitive advantage in that in terms of the way that it functions, the fidelity, the response time, the file size - all of the nerdy stuff around AR, we do that better.
“The other thing is the attitude around the platform. 95% of Snapchatters profess to be happy when using the platform. We don't have any likes or followers like other platforms, so the way we operate is different, but working with brands, sometimes they'll want to see those ‘likes’ or views figures. Working in a way that is counter to that is sometimes something that we have to explain to a client as to why that's actually beneficial.”
Ramachandran said that Snap sees AR as their differentiation point for brands and advertisers, especially when the different uses for AR are explored.
“There’s a quote from Charles Eames, who said that toys are preludes to serious ideas - that's how we think about AR. It will always have that light-hearted, frivolous nature in some ways, but it's now evolved into a very serious, performance marketing tool - it drives attention, drives engagement, drives sales. All of those things that brands want, you can get that with AR, but still with a very light-hearted nature about it.
”What sets AR apart is, by default almost, it's quite personal – it’s your face, it's your body, it's your world. You're kind of part of the ad. You choose the narrative, you use it with yourself or with your friends, and that sort of interaction and engagement that the format has over any other has always been just super exciting to me.
“As long as it’s always evolving, I can always do new things from a creative standpoint. Video is great - it's a very mature format - but creatively what I can do is limited versus what you can do with a format like AR.
“I’ve always tried to work for brave companies and Snapchat is definitely that. This region - Australia and the wider APAC, which is my remit now - is half the world's people. What an opportunity that is creatively in terms of growing the audience and doing big, bold, creative work.”
Ramachandran said that there’s currently around 300,000 AR lens creators worldwide who are akin to ‘one person developers’ at home, building AR lenses using Snapchat’s free-to-use Lens Studio, an application designed for artists and developers to build AR experiences.
“They're creating millions of lenses around the world and that is helping to mainstream that sort of trend and that technology because they’re not like other creators who are generating video and it might be a challenge or a trend - they're actually using technology for the betterment of the platform.
“Advertisers are definitely receptive to it. I think AR is maturing as a format in this region; it’s not now seen as a stunt or a gimmick, it's now part of the plan for every campaign - you have to consider it.
“It will always be a more natural fit for some brands, such as the likes of Mecca, who we did a big campaign with for MAC cosmetics where it was AR try-on, and it solves a real-world problem and creates utility. Think about when you would go to a department store, try on 20 lipsticks and that's your day gone. Now you're at home, you can do the same thing in five minutes from your bedroom, and you can still purchase directly through Snapchat.”
Ramachandran said that the over 7.5 million users in Australia and 375 million daily active users around the world that Snapchat boasts means the company can give brands not just a creative response, but serious reach at the same time.
“You get the scale but then we can also give you those sorts of formats that are genuinely creative and interactive and we're really only the one place that you can do that.
“The possibilities for that particular vertical – ecommerce - are just so natural. It also really benefits in terms of package wasting. If you think about a fashion brand, you buy something in three sizes, and then you end up posting back two. We've got a technology called True Fit that will actually show you the right size for you, so you buy once, you buy right and it's saving a little bit on packaging and postage.
“You look at something like Amazon Prime Video - for the finale of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we did a big AR takeover of Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was the first time we used that technology in Australia and it's like, ‘how do you create a really big moment that feels as big as the show itself?’. That's the sort of thing you can do with AR.”
Ramachandran says what makes Snap different, and why advertisers are increasingly coming to them, is the way that users engage with each other.
“Snapchat is a close friends network. You think about, in your own life, how much more influential an actual friend is and their opinion on a TV show, a piece of clothing, whatever it might be, versus an influencer that you don't know but you see on another platform.
“That's what makes us different - it's real friends, it's real influence and it's actual connections between people and tapping into that ecosystem and that way of thinking and communicating is the answer to ‘why Snap?’ for a lot of brands.”
Ramachandran said Snap is a visual communication platform first and foremost, which is why the app opens to the camera as opposed to content.
“We don't open to a feed where you're constantly scrolling and you get sucked in that way. It's very creative by default. One of the angles I use with brands is you're essentially creating for creators.
“The act of taking a Snap is by definition creation, even if that's me and my morning coffee and I'm sending it to my wife. With that mindset, how do you create a campaign that an actual Snapchatter wants to be a part of and create with the brand versus you just consuming passively, watching a branded piece of content?
“Whether it's ephemeral messaging, vertical videos, the stories format, AR - we invented it all, and have been proudly ‘inspiring’ other platforms to do similar things. One of the reasons I was so attracted to joining the company is that relentless innovation.”
Ramachandran says that most people probably have five different apps for everything contained with Snapchat - a map, a messaging service, a camera, a place for content and a place for creators.
“Each of those is its own ecosystem and its own natural part of the product. From a brand perspective, it's ‘how do I show up across all of those things?’ and now we only serve ads into two places - the camera and the ‘discover’ feed among content and stories.
“Demystifying that ecosystem and showing them how they can appear across those platforms, or what the day in the life of a Snapchatter might look like, is something I'm speaking with brands about on a daily basis.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Ramachandran highlighted the Snap Partner Summit, happening in April, as a key event on the calendar for brands.
“At that, there'll be announcements of new products and new formats and advancements in our advertising offering, so I'm excited to bring those to market and get out there and kind of show brands how they can show up on Snapchat in really exciting ways.”
Sarah Chirillo, APAC Account Management Lead
What does a typical day look like for you?
I love that my role is a hybrid of people and account management so no two days are the same.
Depending on the imminent priority, I could spend my day identifying key revenue opportunities for Account Managers to take to market. This could involve working with Marketing to pull together collateral that can be shared with clients or working with global counterparts to see what brands have been achieving in other markets.
From a people management perspective, my day usually involves checking in with team members to ensure workloads are manageable. Since Covid, I’ve reflected on what work life balance means to me and I’ve since been dedicated to ensuring the balance is actually achieved within my team and not just spoken about. I will also work with one of Snap’s amazing Council Facilitators to run sessions dedicated to identifying challenges, wins and opportunities amongst Account Managers.
I find Council sessions have been the most effective ways in having open, judgement-free conversations and allow us to get to the essence so much quicker. After that, I’ll identify what stakeholders I need to work with to provide the team the solutions they require.
What attracted you to Snap?
Since the inception of Snap, it has always been a pioneer in the technology space, so when the opportunity came in 2017 to join the team, I knew it was a company I wanted to be a part of.
Coupled with the fact that Snap has been extremely humble in its ability to completely reinvent the way an entire generation used their mobile, I knew that not only was the product special, but so were the people that I would be calling colleagues and clients. Almost six years later and I can confidently say that Snap are still the modest pioneers of innovation that they were from day one.
What are you focused on for 2023?
My first focus is actually returning to work! I have been on my second lot of maternity leave since joining Snap and I will be returning in June, I can’t wait! Outside of getting up to speed with everything that has changed at both Snap and across the landscape, I really want to focus on further building the Account Management team.
In a business that is so heavily automated, such as Snap, the role of an Account Manager is critical to delivering success for our clients and for the business. As a part of this focus, I want to identify what tools and practices can be implemented, which will enable our account management team to deliver best in class service in more efficient and impactful ways.
Matt Coote, Head of ANZ Enterprise Business Solutions
What are you focused on for 2023?
In regards to our partnerships with clients, I believe it’s really important to not try and be everything to everyone (because we can’t). Instead my team and I are focused on deeply understanding our client’s businesses and challenges to ensure we are developing long term partnerships that deliver outcomes and ROI for brands.
On a personal note I continue to gravitate towards learning more about emotional intelligence and understanding how this can positively impact my role as a leader but also my relationships and connections, both within our industry and outside of it. Very much vibing relationship guru Esther Perel at the moment!
What do you love most about your role?
100%, and without a doubt, the people. I’ve been very privileged to work alongside some incredible and super talented humans during my time at Snap, including the partners I’ve collaborated with.
Many of these people I have worked with for 5-7+ years whilst others only for a few months. With so much happening in the world it is important to provide perspective, and a positive outlook is something that I have gained from this role. I feel very fortunate to have my Snap family who I get the pleasure to work with each day.
What attracted you to Snap?
As well as my excitement around the role itself, what intrigued me the most was the company’s core values of Kind, Smart, Creative. The former being something that resonated with me the most. To have ‘Kind’ as a core value, and to build a team that embodies being courageous, who are empathetic, and who instil trust, was something very different to anything I had seen before. This is something that, to this day, I value highly.
Ella Keddie, Senior Client Partner
What attracted you to Snap?
I was at Meta for nearly four years before the opportunity at Snap came up and although I enjoyed my role and the team there, I was ready for a new challenge. Having typically been a Sydney-based organisation, the opportunity at Snap would allow me to be the first Melbourne-based Client Partner opening up the chance to service an important market.
The scale of Snap’s Australian community was strong and the media was extremely effective and efficient. I wanted to take on the challenge of growing the Melbourne-based portfolio, which so far has been an amazing journey for myself and the business.
What’s the biggest challenge in your role?
As our CCO Colleen DeCourcy accurately put it, Snapchat is the ‘best known, least understood platform’ and that absolutely rings true in Australia. I regularly get asked about the extent of Snapchat’s community, and it’s a testament to the staying power of the platform to be able to say that we reach more than 7.5 million Australians.
We have a very high user base who are actively engaged, and advertisers that have seen the potential on the platform. There can also be a big misconception about the age of Snapchatters that I spend a lot of time talking about. I love the challenge though, it excites me and it’s a big part of what drew me to the role.
What are you focused on for 2023?
At Snap, my key priority is always ensuring I’m having as much impact in my role and for my clients this year. We’ve got some amazing things planned across the board and I’m eager to exceed the expectations of our partners.
As a woman in her early-mid 30s, one year into my role at Snap, for me this year is all about ensuring my time is spent well. I’ll potentially be expanding my family in the next few years and this period between kids is critical in establishing relationships and career development.
This year I plan to ensure I’m having as much impact in my role and for my clients as possible.
Larissa Foy - Senior Account Manager
What are you focused on for 2023?
Aside from figuring out the best Bitmojis to use in my emails and what the best snack is in the office – 2023 for me is really focused around growth. I work alongside some of the smartest minds in the Account Management team and we are constantly challenging ourselves to think outside of the box when it comes to how we drive growth and efficiencies with clients and do bigger and better things – and I have no doubt this will continue across 2023.
What do you love most about your role?
In any role, it’s important to feel like you’re constantly evolving, learning and growing and that is definitely the case at Snap, with each day holding something new and different!
Whether it’s being briefed on a new product launch, deep diving on campaign results and guiding teams on how to best set up and optimise their campaigns to drive results, or just a good old fashioned media lunch (can’t go past it!) - no two days are the same at Snap and that continues to make my role exciting 2.5 years on.
I’m also incredibly lucky to work with genuinely kind, smart and creative people at Snap to drive real impact with our amazing clients and agency partners, having lots of fun along the way!
What attracted you to Snap?
Having previously worked in media agencies, I saw first hand the innovation and creativity that Snap brought to media plans and campaigns. I always considered Snap to be a leader in this space, particularly in the way the product has evolved over the years, and this was definitely a draw in!
As well as this, the positivity the platform brings and focus on happiness and authenticity was something I knew would translate into the culture at Snap and across each person that works here, and I wasn’t wrong!
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