Dive Brief:
- Snapchat has filed a patent for image recognition technology that identifies real-world images in snaps and allows the app to target users with related filters, ads and coupons.
- Business Insider provided an example where a snap of the Empire State Building might prompt the Snapchat user to receive a filter of King Kong to add to the photo.
- Snapchat’s patent application added that filters could include audio and visual content, including animation and theme music.
Dive Insight:
Snapchat's latest patent shows where the social media darling may be headed with its advertising strategy. Snapchat has become more friendly to advertisers after rolling out new measurement and targeting capabilities, as well as lowering prices for its ad formats.
Now, Snapchat's new patent could change how the company serves and targets its advertising.
In practical marketing terms, the patent could allows for marketers to bid on different objects. When someone takes a snap of the object, the snap could trigger sponsored filters. That capability could even be served via an API, which would allow third-parties to sell these ad formats on behalf of Snapchat. A snap taken in a restaurant, for example, could trigger filters of its menu.
The patent comes as Snapchat has been making changes to its user experience by rolling out its “Memories” feature, which allows users to save their snaps. A key element of Snapchat was that its snaps disappeared, making this a major change for the platform's core users.