Snapchat India Unveils ‘Sponsored Snaps’ to Revolutionize Brand Engagement

Snapchat India has introduced a groundbreaking advertising format called Sponsored Snaps, aimed at helping brands connect with their audience through immersive visual storytelling.

This innovative feature enables businesses to place full-screen vertical video ads directly in a user’s Chat inbox, maximizing engagement and conversions.

AJIO Becomes the First Brand in India to Leverage Sponsored Snaps

Leading online fashion retailer AJIO is the first brand in India to adopt Sponsored Snaps, utilizing Snapchat’s dynamic and visually rich platform to showcase its latest fashion collections.

This move allows AJIO to tap into Snapchat’s vast Gen Z and Millennial user base, reinforcing its digital-first marketing approach.

How Sponsored Snaps Work

Sponsored Snaps offer a mobile-first and highly interactive advertising experience, ensuring brands achieve significant visibility. The format is designed to:

• Increase brand awareness by reaching users through Snapchat’s widely used Chat feature.

• Drive engagement and consideration by allowing users to interact with the content at their discretion.

• Boost conversions with a direct call-to-action (CTA) integrated within the ad message.

This new format enables businesses to seamlessly integrate their promotions into the daily digital conversations of Snapchat users, making it an effective tool for marketers looking to build authentic consumer connections.

Industry Leaders Share Their Views

Arpan Biswas, Chief Marketing Officer, AJIO, expressed enthusiasm for this innovation:

“At AJIO, we are continually exploring innovative avenues to engage with our audience. Sponsored Snaps present a unique opportunity to connect with digital-first consumers in an organic and interactive manner.

As one of the first brands in India to adopt this format, we are excited to leverage its potential to elevate our storytelling and foster deeper, more meaningful connections with Snapchat’s dynamic and highly engaged community.”

Neha Jolly Sawhney, Head of Ad Monetisation, India, Snap Inc., highlighted the impact of this feature:

“Sponsored Snap is truly a first-of-its-kind ad format tapping into Gen Z’s preference for visually rich, engaging content. This format provides brands like AJIO an opportunity to connect with our community in an authentic way.

Our Chat inbox is a powerful way to reach Snapchatters, and Sponsored Snaps are a natural extension of how people already engage with brands and businesses on our platform. It expands their reach through one of the most widely used features, delivering an immersive, interactive experience that resonates with a mobile-first, visual audience.”

Future Developments: AI-Powered Interactions and Social Commerce

Currently, Sponsored Snaps focus on interactive video placements, but Snapchat aims to enhance this feature with AI-driven capabilities in the near future. Expected upgrades include:

• Personalized recommendations based on user behavior and preferences.

• AI-powered chat support for instant customer assistance.

• Integrated shopping features, enabling direct transactions within the Snapchat app.

These advancements will transform Sponsored Snaps into a more intelligent and seamless social commerce tool, further enhancing the way brands interact with consumers.

Global Success and Adoption

Sponsored Snaps debuted in the United States, where major entertainment companies, including Universal Pictures, leveraged it for the promotion of Wicked Part 1. In Canada, Disney successfully used it to market Moana 2, demonstrating the format’s effectiveness in boosting audience engagement and sales.

With its launch in India, Snapchat is setting new benchmarks in mobile advertising, offering brands a direct, immersive, and visually compelling way to connect with their target audience.