Snapchat filters check in at independent hotels, highlighting their pervasiveness
Gurney?s Montauk, Revere Hotel and Hotel de Coronado are a few of the independent boutique hotels that are working to build awareness through Snapchat via a geofilter that excites guests, and in one case resulted in 28,933 impressions in one weekend.
The hotels partnered with J Public Relations and 7Th & Wit to introduce a series of pushes on Snapchat that tapped into social influencers and launched geofilters that garnered attention from on-site customers. Gurney?s Montauk was able to establish 338 users and an additional 88 over the following week with another campaign that tapped Snapchat users with large followers to promote the filter.
"The Geofilter is a smart and simple way for independent hotels to get on Snapchat and reach a younger demographic," said Brigid Cotter, account supervisor of digital strategy at 7th & Wit. "While building your own Snapchat channel can be time-consuming, the geofilter is a tool that allows brands to quickly and easily become part of the quickly-growing platform."
"The Geofilter is a smart and simple way for independent hotels to get on Snapchat and reach a younger demographic," said Brigid Cotter, account supervisor of digital strategy at 7th & Wit. "While building your own Snapchat channel can be time-consuming, the geofilter is a tool that allows brands to quickly and easily become part of the quickly-growing platform."
Checking in on mobile
Gurney?s Montauk featured a filter on Snapchat over the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend that showcased the hotel?s personal font that labeled the location?s name at the top of users? photos. The filter ran an additional week and tapped ten well-known social influencers to ramp up the campaign, which saw 140,306 impressions.
Revere Hotel located in Boston promoted its rooftop area in May through a social influencer campaign that showed popular individuals snapping photos at the event along with a filter that ran for two days. The hotel also shared a filter that was exclusive to its pool area.
The two-day geofilter campaign leveraged the followings of six social influencers and saw 37 uses with almost 5,000 impressions.
The development of Snapchat geofilters at independent boutique hotels shows just how pervasive the filters have become. Users will be excited to see their specific location featured on the app, and can create positive sentiment for both the brand as well as Snapchat.
Snapping filters
E! Network similarly rewarded super fans of reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians with a series of Snapchat geofilters featured exclusively at locations related to the show, boosting excitement for the new season (see more).
Also, makeup brand Urban Decay brought beauty product augmented reality experiences into the mainstream by giving Snapchat users a preview of its try-on application through a special lens filter that shows what different lipstick shades would look like on someone's face (see more).
"Snapchat filters ironically offer an unfiltered view of what to expect at a hotel," Ms. Cotter said. "Videos and photos are shared direct from the vacation, offering a very true and real portrayal.
"Snapchat users will be posting during their vacation regardless of whether a branded filter is available, so offering one affords current guests a way to humble-brag about their amazing vacation while providing future guests with a behind-the-scenes look at the hotel's many facets: amenities, food and beverage, interior room views and more," she said.
