Just a few weeks ago the Lens Fest, Snap’s annual event celebrating the AR creator community. An opportunity that allowed the company to take stock of the excellent results achieved in the year – over 300 million users who use the Snapchat App’s camera every day to share content -. But also to present some interesting news for Lenti and creator. Specifically, Snap announced Lens Studio 4.10 update, which provides new and interesting functions to users. In doing so, the company sets out to discover the incredible potential of the augmented reality. And since the topic intrigues us a lot, we talked about it with Will Scougal, Director of Snap’s Creative Strategy.
Snapchat App and Augmented Reality: a chat with Will Scougal
The Lens Fest has ended and, like every year, we have seen great news that will allow creators, companies and users to collaborate in a new way. In this sense, can we take stock of the event?
Al Lens Fest 2021 we explored the enormous advances of AR and how it is shaping the world we experience the world in. It was three days full of virtual events with the most important creative professionals from around the world, including sessions, workshops, meetings and much more, including some of the latest news.
In recent months, Snapchat’s features dedicated to online shopping have been greatly appreciated by luxury brands such as Prada and Gucci. Virtual try-on has also been incredibly useful during the pandemic, allowing users to try on items before buying them. Are you planning to launch other features dedicated to fashion and shopping?
Augmented Reality has been widely adopted by the fashion and retail industry across a variety of categories, especially as it is leading to concrete results. On the other hand, AR has allowed brands from different sectors to transform certain areas of their business, to find new ways to build relationships with their customers and to increase sales. With over 200 million people using the Snapchat App Augmented Reality every day to communicate, discover the world, try and buy products, this is one area we continue to invest in. Indeed, we really consider AR as the next big change in information technology.
The Lens Fest is also an opportunity to allow companies from all over the world to connect with professional creators, in order to strengthen their Brand Awareness and expand their clientele. But today how important is it really for a company to bond with a content creator?
Creators and influencers have become an increasingly relevant tool for brands they want to connect with an audience of Gen Z and Millennials. With over 6 billion Snaps sent every day through the Snapchat App, Snapchatters themselves are inherently creative. With our creator marketplace, brands can connect with some of the most talented and influential individuals within our community. The great thing about working with the Ar creator ecosystem is that they understand what drives people to spend time with augmented reality in order to drive business goals.
In the last few weeks we hear a lot about the metaverse. Facebook is moving a lot to be able to create its own virtual reality. What are Snap’s projects in this sense?
The Snapchat App has had audiences engaged with AR for several years. This has allowed us to build experiences that Snapchatters want, and that they find useful, fun, and functional to their lives. We will continue to build and innovate the platform to make a positive contribution to Snapchatters’ lives.
Beyond AR capabilities designed for businesses around the world, what is Snap working on right now? And what are the news that in the near future will you propose to users, creators and companies?
Just look at the Snapchat App to understand how exciting the future is for us and our community. Snapchat’s camera continues to develop as a tool to be used not just once a day, but throughout the day. For example, Snapchatters use the camera as a search tool. Maps and adding layers to maps is another incredibly cool area, as is adding brand profiles, which are really the place for brands on Snapchat. However, I am particularly excited about the continued expansion of our content and global partnerships, as well as the ubiquitous adoption of AR by brands of all sizes.