Snap promotes its offerings to marketers in the right way. The company reports reach and impression data in every single Snapchat advertising case study and presents business metrics like brand favorability whenever it can. It almost never cites engagement data.
When Snap filed for an initial public offering most analyses focused on sales revenue or user growth, both important considerations. I investigated a different angle: Whether Snap speaks brands' language when describing marketing outcomes.
At the time of my research Snap had published just nine marketing case studies. I studied the highlighted data in each and classified these numbers into three categories: social metrics like engagement and followers, digital metrics like reach and site traffic, and business metrics like awareness and sales.
Although Snap has only released a few case studies the company has made its measurement priorities clear. Snap:
- Features digital metrics in every case study. Each Snap case, including beer brand ShockTop and TV show Empire, spotlights reach and impression data. Some, like Gatorade, also present average viewing time.
- Nearly always highlights business metrics. Eight of nine Snap case studies feature brand survey data. For instance, Kraft reports how Snapchat ads improved brand favorability.
- Hardly ever discusses social metrics. Just one Snap case study features social-specific data: Skin care brand bareMinerals reports engagement rate alongside reach and site traffic.
Snap makes digital metrics the bread and butter of its measurement strategy and tracks business outcomes whenever possible. The company's understanding of what big brands want improves its long-term prospects.
Want to learn more about how Snap (and Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter) measure marketing success? Simply Measured is offering free copies of my reports "Measure Like The Social Networks Do."