On Wednesday, Snap shared that using Sponsored Snaps, Wendy’s generated nearly 52 million impressions in a single day and achieved the highest view rate of any U.S. takeover advertiser during the product’s alpha test. The campaign also drove a 55% increase in followers to Wendy’s Snapchat profile and a 17% lift in brand awareness.
According to Snap, Sponsored Snaps have increased advertiser reach on the platform by 30% in the U.S.
“Media agencies play a huge role” in the development of such products, Dao said.
“They really help shape our roadmap,” he added. “We want to make sure we’re building what they and their clients actually need.”
Jockeying for growth on the media plan
With the expanded program, Snap is hoping to cement its role as a core media partner—not just a niche buy to reach Gen Z. The platform reported a 16% year over year revenue increase in 2024 and said that active advertisers on the platform more than doubled in Q4.
“A lot of times, people assume we only have a younger audience, but half of our users are over 25,” Dao said. “Our audience has grown up with us, and the way they engage on Snap—connecting with close friends and family—creates a really leaned-in, receptive environment for brands.”
Some agency leaders say that interest in Snap is growing among their clients—even if it can’t match the scale of Meta or Google.
“While Snap has a smaller share of spend than the larger platforms, the frequency with which our clients are looking to activate on Snap is increasing,” said Kevin Blazaitis, president of Omnicom Media Group’s influencer marketing agency, Creo, adding that research shows Snap creators are “perceived as more genuine and relatable” which “translates to a commercial advantage for marketers with an audience that is hard to find elsewhere.”
Blazaitis added that Snap’s Star Collab Studio, which pairs brands with top-tier Snap creators, is also helping marketers repurpose content across other platforms.
The revamped agency program offers particular value to independents focused on performance, according to Jon Molina, senior director of paid social in North America at Brainlabs.
“While Snap may not have the same scale as Meta and others, their commitment to mutual growth through these partner tiers, alongside improvements on their ad optimization and delivery, proves to us that they are laying the foundation for the platform to be part of plans where the audience makes business sense.”
But some media buyers still see limitations.
“Snap is a solid platform, but remains relegated to the second-tier, nice-to-have category for many general market clients,” said Bryan A. Jackson, founder and managing partner of Triunion Marketing. “This program makes sense to provide more value to their power users, but it will be difficult to shift perception and budgets away from the dominant players.”
