Snapchat's 'Real Friends' campaign takes a dig at Instagram

This is the multimedia messaging app's first integrated global marketing campaign, focussing on stories around authentic friendships.

Snapchat is infamous for creating disappearing content but the platform's new integrated global marketing campaign is likely to linger in users' minds, long after 24 hours are up.

Snapchat's 'Real Friends' campaign went live on July 30

On the occasion of the United Nations supported International Day of friendship on July 30, Snapchat announced the launch of its new campaign titled 'Real Friends'. The company used the #RealFriends to create content that grabbed users' attention across platforms. The posts were spotted on Instagram and Twitter. Beyond social media, Snapchat also utilised OOH for this campaign. Snapchat selected friend-duos from 13 countries and used billboards and digital videos to tell their stories.

Here are the stories they told from India

Curiously, the billboards do not advertise a product. Nor does the billboard urge users to download the app - in fact, it doesn't even bear the Snapchat brand name.

The billboards sport friendship quotes by various eminent personalities. They are all in signature, eye-catching Snapchat yellow and have Snapchat's ghost symbol at the bottom.

Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse #waltwhitman #waltwhitmanquote #waltwhitmanquotes #quotesinnyc #nycquotes #snapchatbillboard #snapchatpromo #iloveny

A post shared by DBC RDG (@stuff_we_find) on Jul 19, 2019 at 12:13pm PDT

In India, the billboards looked something like this -

This is India specific campaign of snapchat. What do you think, should there be brand name on this billboard or not? pic.twitter.com/bxONMxl8bR

— Ravi Chandel (@dpravi799) July 22, 2019

Quirky billboard this from @Snapchat in Mumbai on the way to the airport! What’s up snap? pic.twitter.com/OwzcyWlMqt

— Lloyd Mathias (@LloydMathias) July 27, 2019

That’s a billboard for Snapchat…in Mohali. pic.twitter.com/F6nMekYlGl

— Harpreet Singh (@Harry_Jerry) August 3, 2019

The campaign is supposed to celebrate 'real friends' and friendships, but a Twitter user points out that it was a way for Snapchat to take a dig at Instagram, one of its biggest competitors.

Snapchat is hoping to build on the strong user growth it’s seen recently, getting its message out on billboards, digital, broadcast, print & on Instagram, which is less about building real relationships & more about presenting an idealized, carefully curated vision of your life. https://t.co/d63BrkUwA8

— Fredo (@fredgrenier12) July 31, 2019

Taking it a step further, when the campaign went live on July 30, Snapchat used #RealFriends to make its campaign trend across its rival platform.

$Snap taking over IG at the moment #RealFriends pic.twitter.com/t5RUrQY5yZ

— Cameron Mills (@_CameronMills) July 30, 2019

ALSO READ: Snapchat to curate Indian Media content on its Discover feed

Snap Inc. has also recently unveiled a friendship survey that highlights the evolution of friendship across ages and cultures. Findings from the survey indicate that interacting with friends, whether in person or online, also leaves us feeling overwhelmingly positive emotions. "Happy," "loved," and "supported" are the three most reported emotions globally. Among Gen Z and millennials, 61 per cent believe that video and photos help them to express what they want to say in a way that they can't with words. The Friendship Report was commissioned in partnership with Protein Agency. The report polled 10,000 people aged between 13 and 75 in Australia, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and the US. In India, 2,004 respondents participated in the survey in April 2019. Respondents were a random sampling of consumers and not chosen for their use of Snapchat and were broken into four main generational groups - Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers. The survey focused on the respondents' thoughts on friendship. The Friendship Report unlocks new findings around how friends interact across the globe and generations, while also highlighting the impact of technology on our lives. You can access the full report here.