How Snapchat's New Smart Filters Will Entice Brands (And What Will Make Them Run Away)

Brand new filters are organically available on Snapchat so of course, advertisers already want to know what this means for paid social.

Snapchat rolled out new filters that only appear based on what the user has taken a photo of, as confirmed by Mashable. The options are plenty and still a bit of a mystery as to why one person has access to certain filters than another despite taking images of the same item. This could be on purpose as a way to boost engagement amongst a userbase that is desperately being fought over with rival Instagram Stories.  

Either way, the filters are available and ready to be enjoyed by Snapchat users. If widely adopted organically (or possibly even if it is not), advertisers are likely to want to jump on the opportunity to put their branding on items that makes sense. Although not yet available to advertisers (at least not known publicly), it probably won't be long until it is. Here are the top ways advertisers are likely to want to jump on this opportunity and the possible upsets that might make some pump the breaks.

1. Food packaging recognition

Food items might be a tough sell for brands and advertisers as they will want to make sure their food is actually featured if their filter will show up.  However, the packaging will likely excite them. A McDonald's box is an item that could be configured by the Snapchat team with the image recognition software. If that is possible, then the filter becomes an effective tool in highlighting the intended product and have some fun with customers. For added personalization, it will be a nice touch if the ability to include the user's Bitmoji in the is made available to advertisers.

Possible Upset: Brands might be wary of the old switcheroo. For example, if a user wants to put something unappealing in a branded box and have the custom filter cosigning the image this could cause a problem for brands. There are brands that have learned to laugh at themselves (it's pretty hard not to in this social age), but many still are cautious and don't want any negativity of any kind associated with their brand especially if they are paying for the opportunity to put forth their branding.

2. Vacations

It appears the new filters are able to detect bodies of water and as vacations go that tends to be the ultimate go-to. Brands that want to be on vacation with their target market will likely pay top dollar to display their sponsored messaging that is tailored to the image that is taken. The "treat yourself" mantra heard around the world will likely allow the luxury market to have time to shine when users are focused on enjoying their free time instead of stressing about bills and other necessities that await them back at home.  

Possible Upset: To get the obvious out of the way - nude beaches, yes are a thing and could catch a branded opportunity off-guard/in an unwanted situation. However, the more probable upset at scale will be the filters showing up for just about anything that can pass for water. "Gaming" the filters will likely catch on as something funny and whimsical to do, but a bit of a headache for brands and advertisers.

3. Geo-specific smart filters

If a brand knows they want to reach prospective customers in the coldest regions to sell boots, the smart filter could be the way to go without actually having to put in locations. For example, it's snowing in Chicago and users are taking images of the snow then the filter could appear when that occurs. Just have the filter available during winter months only and it could be an interesting/new approach to geo-targeting.  

Possible Upset: Again, social media users like to be clever. Expect at least one person to try to get those type of filters to appear during a "Scarface" moment in order to be funny.

Snapchat started 2017 with smiles and has been bumped and bruised throughout the year. Ending on a high note will be key and with the upcoming re-design, there is likely a lot of chatter that will occur. These new filters are fun and likely will be a bit addictive for a while as users try to find them all. Advertisers and brands are most certainly going to be on the lookout for how these filters are adopted by Snapchat users in order to jump on the opportunity to buy the ad space when available.