Reports of Snapchat opting to add advertisements to its platform is soon heading to reality as the popular instant messaging app on Friday announced it will begin offering advertisements to its users in the United States this weekend.
“‘It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this because it’s the first time we’ve been paid to put content in that space.
“It’s going to feel a little weird at first, but we’re taking the plunge,” a Snapchat blog post read about the move.
The Los Angeles-based startup said it’s not too rude to show up advertisements in between user’s personal communication —like snaps or chats, instead ads will feature in the app’s “recent updates” section.
“We want to see if we can deliver an experience that’s fun and informative, the way ads used to be,” the blog post said.
According to Snapchat, the ads will be optional, meaning the user can choose either to watch it or skip, and will automatically disappear after being viewed or within 24 hours. Furthermore, the company said its ads would not be “creepy” or “targeted” as like Facebook or Google, which serves ads based on user’s taste.
It’s still a mystery as who the first Snapchat advertiser(s) will be. As for now the move only applies to the US, but it may soon be expanded to other countries as well.
Founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy, Snapchat currently has 100 million active monthly users with 400 million snaps being issued every day.
