Snapchat launches ‘Less social media, More Snapchat’ campaign; distances itself from other social media platforms

The campaign was launched shortly after Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, issued an apology for the role of social media in facilitating online child sex abuse.

Snapchat has announced its new campaign, Less social media, More Snapchat, distancing itself from other social media platforms and positioning itself as an antidote to their negative aspects. 

The ad highlights social media's role in users seeking likes, perfect images, and ‘influencer’ lifestyles, leading to increased hatred and trolling. The core message emphasises social media's divisive impact on society.

Snapchat asserts itself as a distinct entity within the realm of social media. The platform positions itself as a space where users prioritise enjoyment and genuine connections over the pursuit of likes and engaging in online trolling.

The ad also highlights that its number one use case is messaging with friends, not scrolling through a public feed.

According to MediaWeek, the campaign premiered during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in the US.

In the US, out-of-home placements were done in the key cities including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, Nashville, St. Louis and Chicago. 

It further stated that in the UK, the messaging app is wrapping taxi cabs with bright and bold “Less Social Media. More Snapchat.” creative. 

According to AdAge, the spot was made in-house and produced by Arts Academy. Tommy Harden, an American folk and blues songwriter took on the roles of director and editor for the production.

Ajit Mohan, president, APAC, Snap Inc posted the campaign on Linkedin with a caption, “From its very beginning, Snapchat was designed to be different from social media. It has always been a fun, joyful and private way to connect with the people you love most. It was built for real relationships.”

The yellow app aims to distance itself from the negative publicity surrounding social media.

According to a report by TRG Data Centers, Instagram is at the forefront of most ‘wanted to delete’ apps in 2023 with over 1 million monthly searches globally to delete it. 

Snapchat is also on the list, with around 1,30,000 monthly deletion searches. 

WeChat, owned by the Chinese tech company Tencent, displayed the least number of monthly deletion searches.

According to Snapchat, “We’ve never had social validation metrics when you share your story with your friends. We made deliberate design choices to help prevent the spread of misinformation or harmful content – including moderating content before it can reach a large audience and we don’t have live streaming.” 

The company added, “We’re the place where more than 75% of 13 to 34-year-olds in over 20 countries (including Australia) go every day to communicate directly with their close friends. We’re not social media, we’re Snapchat.”

On February 1, 2024, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, of Meta apologised to the families of victims of online child sex abuse, in the middle of a heated argument in the Senate.