Snapchat is courting media agencies as it angles for more SMB and performance budgets.
The platform on Wednesday announced a new two-tier structure for its Agency Partner Program, first introduced last April, in an effort to bring more independent media agencies and performance-focused shops into the fold.
The expanded program includes a new entry-level “Agency Partner” badge and a refreshed “Strategic Agency Partner” tier (formerly known as the Snap Advanced Partner Program). Both levels come with benefits like one-on-one support from Snap’s team, access to beta products, discounts in the form of coupons, and a new Agency Partner Hub featuring training, private newsletters, and office hours.
“These are going to be unique coupons that agencies can take to their clients to say, ‘Hey, Snap is testing something new. Would you be interested in being a beta participant?’” Alexander Dao, Snap’s global head of agency development and sales partnerships, told ADWEEK.
Snap launched the revamped program in the U.S. and U.K. this week, with plans to expand to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where it worked with pilot partners including Assembly and Accuit Arabia Ads.
New entrants to the program join participating agencies including WPromote, Tinuiti, VaynerMedia, PMG, Rise, and Horizon.
The updated program is part of Snap’s ongoing strategy to grow its advertising business by making it easier for agencies to manage, measure, and scale campaigns on the platform.
“We’re on a multi-year journey to evolve how we partner with agencies,” Dao said. “This program is about adding value back—whether that’s through deeper integrations, learning resources, or even shaping our product roadmap.”
Performance push
While Snap is well known for its augmented reality formats, Dao said the company has been focused on building out its lower-funnel and direct response capabilities in recent years. Expanding the Agency Partner Program to smaller independent agencies is a bid to bring in more business from that cohort.
“We’ve seen big improvements in the performance of our lower funnel ad platform,” Dao said. “We’ve built things like conversions API and partnered with third parties. That [has] allowed us to grow our SMB segment and overall capabilities.”
In one example, Snap’s direct response tools helped Tinuiti drive a 212% higher return on ad spend for its client Wrangler, the platform said.
One performance product getting particular attention is Sponsored Snaps, full-screen video ads that appear directly in users’ chat inboxes. The format debuted in Q4 with a campaign supporting the release of Universal Pictures’ Wicked and has since been used by brands like Oreo, Disney, Boots, and Ajio.
