Home Technology Snapchat’s Sponsored Snaps Are Bringing Brands Into The Chat

Snapchat’s Sponsored Snaps Are Bringing Brands Into The Chat

Sponsored Snaps are opening the platform’s Chat Feed to brand storytelling for the first time.

Nancy Aridi
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The most effective campaigns aren’t necessarily the loudest. They’re the ones that understand the culture, know how people behave, and feel natural on the platform. The smartest strategy isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about showing up in the right place, with the right tone, at the right time. 

In the GCC, marketing isn’t just about reach; it’s about relevance and trust. This is a region where community, tradition, and shared rituals still shape identity, even as lifestyles modernize rapidly. Young people today live increasingly global lives, studying abroad, launching startups, hopping from Riyadh to Mykonos, but they remain tightly tethered to home, and to platforms that preserve those social ties. 

Snapchat fits naturally into that rhythm. The platform reflects how GCC audiences already communicate: private, ephemeral, and direct. People are connecting, consuming, and spending, and increasingly, what they do offline is shaped by what they discover online.  

In fact, 88 percent say they get a lot of ideas on what to buy and how to celebrate key moments from social platforms and communication apps, and 89 percent say they have a chat group with friends or family to share celebration ideas. This influence is especially strong around key cultural and commercial moments, when screen time becomes more personal, mobile, and intentionally social. 

That’s why message-based formats like Sponsored Snaps within Snapchat’s Chat Feed mark a meaningful shift. For the first time, brands can enter the most personal space on Snapchat, where people talk to their closest friends and family, and do so in a way that feels like part of the conversation, not an interruption. It’s a space where attention is highest, trust runs deepest, and where well-timed, creative messages can truly resonate. 

Sponsored Snap is built for this. By allowing brands to Snap like a Snapchatter, it gives them the tools to participate in the flow of real conversations, not just broadcast messages from the sidelines. It meets audiences where they are, in the moments that matter, whether they’re sharing everyday updates or planning a last-minute weekend trip.  

Brands can use them to drive a variety of objectives, whether that’s app installs, website visits, or conversions, making it possible to align campaign goals with a placement that is built for high engagement. The format can be activated as a takeover for maximum visibility during a key campaign moment, or used through auction-based buying for an always-on presence that ensures consistent reach and performance.  In one example, a Sponsored Snap takeover unlocked 23 percent incremental reach from the Chat placement on top of the campaign’s total reach. 

While its impact is clear during moments like summer travel, back-to-school, and shopping seasons, Sponsored Snap’s value extends far beyond seasonal campaigns. It works as an always-on strategy, driving consistent performance with 18+ percent more unique app conversions and 14+ percent more unique web conversions compared to similar placements elsewhere on Snapchat. 

Because at its core, the opportunity isn’t about bigger budgets. It’s about better timing, thoughtful placements, and creative formats that respect the user’s space. Messaging that reflects how people already use a platform has a much better chance of cutting through the noise, especially during moments where attention is fragmented and meaningful engagement is hard-won. 

As platforms evolve, the path forward isn’t louder ads, but smarter ones. The brands that will stand out are those that join conversations with relevance, respect, and resonance, aligning with culture, user behavior, and the desire for authenticity that defines the GCC. 

About The Author 

Snapchat’s Sponsored Snaps Are Bringing Brands Into The Chat

Nancy Aridi is the CPG Client Partner at Snap Inc

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