Snapchat is often defined as the social media domain for tweens and teenagers, but a new study by media agency UM has found that brands may have a better chance of using creative mobile content to connect with “older” users on the platform who are aged between 25 and 34.
UM polled the opinions of 2,500 consumers aged 16 and over across the UK as part of a more comprehensive study of social media sites. It appears that many younger users are currently migrating to Snapchat, as they want to get away from Facebook due to their parents being on that platform. A sizeable 40 per cent of respondents in the 16 to 24 age group said that this was a major draw, though this did fall to 20 per cent for older millennials.
However, while Snapchat is seen as an exciting new outlet for teenagers to consume content, they generally aren’t as receptive to new products and services being advertised. Just 14 per cent of users aged 16 to 24 said that they use the mobile app to search for new brands to engage with and products to purchase, but this increased to 21 per cent for users aged 25 to 34.
The report also noted that older users have a higher interest in Snapchat Lenses, which are augmented reality filters for use on selfies and other snaps. The types of feature usage on the app appears to differ depending on the age group, as 50 per cent of teens are using content segment Discover, and 80 per cent engage with Snapchat Stories. These figures drop slightly to 32 per cent and 65 per cent respectively for older users.
“Although teenagers may be enthusiastic users of Snapchat because their parents are nowhere to be seen, they’re not as open to finding new brands and products to try that way,” UM insight executive George McMahon said. “That might be youthful cynicism, but it may also signal a change in how brands use the network.”
He added: “Snapchat has said it’s looking to improve its offering and create efficiencies for advertisers. If it’s more receptive audiences are actually 20- and 30-somethings, advertisers using it to target teens may have to reappraise their content strategies.”
