Once an app primarily used by youth, it seems that Snapchat is diversifying its capability and bringing people back to the platform.

October has been a busy month for Snap, with the announcement of its partnership with WPP and its AR (augmented reality) ability. Following on from the partnership, on 21 October Snap launched its new global creative studio for branded AR, Arcadia. 

What is Arcadia?

Arcadia is a studio started by Snap. The tech giant has employed experts in the field to develop new technologies and deliver innovative, impactful AR experiences to brands and agencies. 

The company says that it is committed to highlighting AR as a results-driven format. The studio will be taking on the most creative and technical solutions for selected and complex projects. 

Snap is dedicated to developing the next generation of branded AR experiences. In turn, it is taking steps to lead the charge on innovation for the larger AR creation ecosystem.

With plans to partner with some of the biggest brands, Snap is experimenting and elevating the possibilities in AR. At launch, Arcadia had secured partnerships with such household names as Verizon, WWE and Shake Shack.

Arcadia is looking to create a must-buy, always-on format on the platform that engages with Millennials and Gen Z. It will serve brands, agencies and creators in one of three ways:

• Studio of Record: Arcadia will become the official ‘AR Studio of Record’ and take on all of the AR production, strategy and insight needs across platforms.
• Project-based work: Arcadia will deliver against a specific scope-of-work that aligns to Arcadia’s mission.
• Strategic partner: Arcadia will offer AR strategy expertise to clients/agencies in the form of workshops, insights and trend reporting to up-level their own capabilities. 

Why is this important?

Snap has been on the backburner for marketers, but with the diversification of its suite could it be time to go back? 

Recent studies in Australia show that one in four Aussie parents are active on the platform. Snapchat was thought to be exclusively for teenagers. But, it has a surprising market of those aged over 35. 

Snap’s demographic more diverse than once thought. With the reported distrust in Facebook and its other platforms (Instagram and WhatsApp), brands and users are starting to make the leap over.

Although TikTok continues to dominate the market in terms of new users, Snap is creating new technology to keep up with the demand. Perhaps it’s time for Australian marketers to shift back to the once forgotten platform?