Unilever tests Snapchat for the first time with Lynx experiment
Unilever is exploring how photo-sharing service Snapchat can be used to build deeper engagement with fans after its Lynx brand became one of the first in the UK to use it as a marketing platform.
The FMCG business is looking to take advantage of the service – a mobile app that allows users to send photo messages that self-destruct after a period of 10 seconds or less – to support its “always-on” digital strategy. The app has grown in popularity over the last 12 months and claims more than 200 million images are shared each day, up from 6 million in February.
The brand is experimenting with how the platform can broaden its social footprint and better serve branded content to fans. It tested the service in partnership with TMW last month (24 June) when it leaked exclusive content about a secret Lynx launch party to core fans. Behind-the-scenes pictures of host and television presenter Charlie Webster on a photo shoot were sent alongside photographs of the celebrity completing a “space-themed assault course.
The content allowed the brand to build an audience on the app before asking them to share their own images.
Alex Wilmott, community manager for Lynx, says the risk of opening itself up to inappropriate content from some users is a price “worth paying” to deliver “compelling” content to fans.
Although Snapchat is yet to develop a sustainable business model, it has caught the eye of some marketers keen to find more low-cost methods of reaching highly-engaged audiences. Last month, MTV announced plans to put the service at the centre of a digital push for its Geordie Shore TV show, while Taco Bell is using the platform to send branded content to fans since May.
