Snapchat takes a laid-back approach to rolling out ads on its site, because it needs to keep the bills paid and it doesn't want to be creepy in doing so. However, the first ad on Snapchat is sure scary -- it's a video ad from Universal Pictures' yet-to-release horror flick "Ouija."
The ads have been placed under the "Recently Updated" section of the app. Each ad will fill the spot for 24 hours before it's replaced. The ad is designed to disappear from the feed once the user leaves the app.
"We won't put advertisements in your personal communication -- things like Snaps or Chats. That would be totally rude," says Snapchat. "We want to see if we can deliver an experience that's fun and informative, the way ads used to be, before they got creepy and targeted. It's nice when all of the brilliant creative minds out there get our attention with terrific content."
While Snapchatters can't turn the ads off, they don't have to sit through them. The opt-in ads will play out their pitch, unless they are closed by users.
"It's the first time we've done anything like this because it's the first time we've been paid to put content in that space," says Snapchat. "It's going to feel a little weird at first, but we're taking the plunge."
With Facebook's aggressive ad platforms mingling sponsored content on its desktop and mobile versions, users have flocked to other social networks that promise to keep news feeds free of marketing content. Though Snapchat risks a similar backlash, the decision to deliver ads was one born of necessity.
"Understandably, a lot of folks want to know why we're introducing advertisements to our service," says Snapchat. "The answer is probably unsurprising -- we need to make money. Advertising allows us to support our service while delivering neat content to Snapchatters. We promise that we'll use the money we make to continue to surprise the Snapchat community with more terrific products -- that's what we love to do!"
Snapchat is taking a minimally intrusive approach regarding supporting ads, but the company's responses to the "Snappening" left security analysts longing for a bit more out of organization.
When hackers announced they'd stolen hundreds of thousands of Snapchat images housed on a third-party server, Robert Siciliano, a McAfee online security expert, indicated the Snapchat wasn't completely absolved of the matter.
"The mere fact that apps exist that have essentially reverse-engineered [the] Snapchat API means that the technology is vulnerable," Siciliano said. "Additionally, anyone that understands the very basics of how [a] mobile phone works recognizes a simple screenshot, it captures any photo forever."
