Burger King, Sainsbury's run Snapchat ads shot on Spectacles

Dive Brief:

Burger King and Sainsbury's, a U.K. grocery chain, are running ads on Snapchat that were shot entirely via Spectacles, the high-tech sunglasses that record video from the wearer's perspective, according to Adweek.
The two chains are the first to use the hardware to shoot ads specifically for the social channel, per Adweek, though Snapchat's parent company Snap ran similar house ads on the platform earlier this summer.
Burger King's ad rolled out on Sept. 18 for National Cheeseburger Day, and although the brand has run a number of successful Snapchat campaigns in the past, this latest effort is the first time it's produced anything using Spectacles, spokesperson Brooke Scher Mogan told Adweek.

Dive Insight:

For some marketers, Spectacles might appear to be a bit gimmicky, but for others, they offer a way to produce authentic, social-first creative. A number of brands have jumped on the Spectacles bandwagon, including paper towel brand Brawny, which placed the glasses on toddlers to depict their point of view for a Mother's Day campaign and claimed the resulting video ad was the first time a brand used Spectacles to shoot a full-length spot from a child's perspective.

Brands have also used Spectacles beyond camera footage for ads. In January L’Oréal Paris put the glasses on brand ambassadors for behind-the-scenes looks at the Golden Globe awards, and Toyota used the glasses to broadcast from the front row at its London C-HR event via 100 media and lifestyle influencers who wore the hardware. Earlier this summer, Royal Caribbean took the device underwater to bring three oceanic dives to its Snapchat channel.

Spectacles are proving to be one of Snap's selling points as it is attempts to make Snapchat more accommodating for marketers overall, with the self-serve Ad Manager tool and better targeting tools.

Snap needs to find ways to monetize its content and stand out from the competition, especially as Facebook and Instagram build up their video messaging offerings. Innovative augmented reality capabilities are certainly one innovative way to make a splash in a crowded space, but Spectacles are a more unique path to pursue, as very few social media companies develop their own hardware.