Why Snapchat is pitching its platform as an alternative to social media

The initial promise of social media was one of connection — use these various platforms and stay in touch with your friends and family no matter what. But as social media has evolved, the original intent has seemingly been put on the back burner in favor of engagement, influencers and entertainment, changing the way consumers interact with the medium. 

Snapchat’s latest brand campaign pitches the platform as an alternative to the current state of many social media platforms, harkening back to the days of using social media as a way to connect with friends and family. This month, the platform has used two of the few monoculture live events — the Grammy’s and the Super Bowl — that consumers tune-in to pitch the message to consumers as well as marketers. 

While the potential efficiency of those ad buys factored into the choice to roll out the new brand campaign at those events — the Grammy’s scored almost 17 million viewers this year while the Super Bowl nabbed an all-time high of 123.7 million viewers — efficiency was just one element. Snapchat wanted to show up with a message about connection during events that huge numbers of people gather around, explained Snapchat chief creative officer Colleen DeCourcy. 

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