Dive Brief:
- Snapchat has extended the functionality of its photographable QR Snapcodes in the latest update to the app, allowing businesses and publishers to create codes that link directly to their websites, according to TechCrunch.
- The codes retain the URL-free Snapchat experience while giving brands a way to connect users to their web properties. To set one up, businesses and publishers can open the settings tab, select 'create Snapcode' and then add a URL or image.
- Snapcodes for profiles launched in 2015 as a way to make it easier for people to add users to their app network but the offering is obviously now extending more to businesses on the platform.
Dive Insight:
Allowing brands and publishers to directly tie their websites to Snapcodes is the latest move by Snapchat to become more marketer-friendly in advance of an expected initial public offering of stock in March. In the past, Snapchat has often seemed relatively insular, keeping uses in-app, but the latest development, along with the recent rollout of deep linking ads, shows the platform is steadily evolving to be more open.
The update also follows reports that Instagram is siphoning off some of Snapchat's user base with its copycat Stories feature. Instagram has allowed brands to promote web properties via URLs in verified accounts as well as on Stories, which itself introduced deep linking in November.
Snapcodes — which are really just QR codes — seem particularly well-suited to a visually-driven platform like Snapchat. The company has used them for real-world marketing integrations with its Snap to Unlock scannable promotions but whether a similar feature will get online publishers and businesses traction is unclear.
Snapchat has also leveraged QR codes to boost its second-screening capabilities, such as during the live "Rocky Horror Picture Show" broadcast from October, which featured the first live TV Snapcode activations, in this case unlocking custom filters for viewers.
Snap Inc. is expected to publicly announce its IPO this week, which will give potential investors the first serious look at the company’s financial condition and business operations.