Snapchat is simultaneously trolling those who don't use the platform while secretly winking at those who do in its latest advertising campaign.
You might have noticed yellow billboard ads that have popped up in a few cities around the U.S. Besides the fact the bright yellow background is hard to ignore, the billboard just features the name of the city in some cool font or graphic, so some people might just drive by, not thinking twice. But Snapchat users will surely understand the real meaning behind these billboards.
No, this isn't just some big sign saying 'Welcome to Chicago.' These are Snapchat ads that represent the geofilter in that area.
For those who don't use Snapchat, geofilters are graphics that can be used in the app that are specific to an area. Geofilters can be used as a filter over a user's photos or videos to show that the Snapchatter is visiting or currently in that specific location.
This might be hard to pick up on for those who aren't always sending snaps because the ad does not feature Snapchat's name anywhere on the billboard. Instead, the ads that were created by real users feature their name, giving them credit for their work.
The ad campaign was made in-house, with MediaVest taking care of making the purchases in the cities.
The company has put up 50 billboard ads in the U.S., including in the Meatpacking District and SoHo in New York City, as well as the Mission District and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
While the geofilters promoted in those ads are neighborhood-specific, other billboards instead celebrate the city. The cities with those ads include: Boston, Palm Springs, Miami, Phoenix, Detroit, Portland and Arlington, Texas. Canada also got billboards in Toronto and Montreal.
The company plans to put up its next series of billboard ads over in the U.K.
While the billboards are a fun nod to its users, this isn't the first time Snapchat has advertised on a large scale. The company previously put up its yellow billboards with a white ghost logo last year.
Source: Business Insider
