Dive Brief:
- On Tuesday, Snap rolled out a new feature for Stories, which are like disappearing photo albums to share with friends, that lets users create customized stories for a specific group, according to a statement by the company. The new custom Stories can be sent to a specific friend or to direct contacts and their friends in a geofenced location.
- Snap touts the new feature as an easier way to share photos and vidoes with a group of other users, which was difficult to do in earlier versions of the mobile app. Users are limited to creating three custom Stories at a time, but they can join an unlimited number of stories created by others, TechCrunch reported.
- Like the classic Stories, custom ones will disappear in 24 hours unless someone in the group posts an update. The new feature is available on Apple iOS, and an Android version is coming soon.
Dive Insight:
Snapchat’s custom Story feature is one way to transform the app from a mere purveyor of one-to-one messages into a more social and collaborative platform. That capability may give marketers a way to build communities around their brands, especially with the geolocation feature that handles groups in the same region.
Given that younger Snapchat users aren’t receptive to ads they see on the messaging app, the custom Story feature may provide the capability for better interactions with audiences. For example, a retailer could sponsor a promotion that asks users to participate in a custom Story to gain eligibility for a prize or discounts.
In the meantime, the custom Story is another innovation that Instagram doesn’t have — at least not yet — though the latter could soon follow suit based on its history of launching similar features just months after Snapchat, according to Venture Beat.
