Unlock Next-Level Brand Engagement with High-Impact Sponsored Ads

In digital marketing, direct messaging (DM) can be both an opportunity and a risk. On one hand, reaching an audience in their personal chat feed offers unmatched, high-impact engagement and deep visibility. On the other, the risk of intrusion is quite high. For users, their inbox is a sacred, personal space, and brands that overstep risk being muted or shut out completely.

For years, this fundamental conflict has left brands seeking effective chat-level reach without the threat of alienation. Snap is now redefining this landscape with the introduction of Sponsored Ads — ads delivered directly into the user's chat feed. This new, native placement is specifically designed to strike the perfect balance, ensuring your brand achieves effective, high-impact engagement in a respectful way that minimizes the risk of user fatigue.

When Snap announced "Sponsored Snaps" in October 2024, it was a bold move that challenged a core convention of online communication. But this isn’t about invading a personal space; it’s about learning to participate in the culture that thrives there.

The initial performance data is in and looks like a new playbook for brand communication is being written.

1. Sponsored Snaps don't just appear in-feed, they join the conversation

The core concept is simple yet transformative: Sponsored Snaps appear directly in the Snap Feed, a space where over 85% of the platform's 900 million+ monthly active users engage regularly, converting the intimate, high-attention chat feed into a scalable, high-performance advertising channel that respects user privacy.

For the first time, this highly personal and engaged environment is open to brands.

The user experience is designed to be seamless. A user scrolling through chats sees a Sponsored Snap integrated among conversations. A single tap opens a full-screen ad. After watching, the user can tap the chat cell again to open a direct 1:1 conversation with the brand. Brands can customize this chat space with a "Branded Chat Background," a pre-written "Chat Message," and even an automated "Auto-response" to user replies. This transforms a simple ad view into a potential channel for personalized customer service, lead qualification or a direct-to-consumer feedback loop, all within a native environment.

The format's success hinges on its ability to feel native rather than interruptive. The best Sponsored Snaps don't look like ads; they emulate the casual, direct-to-camera style of a message from a friend, effectively blending into the user experience.

Wendy's, a brand famous for its clever social media voice, provides a masterclass.

Using the conversational headline "saw this & thought of u," their campaign achieved the highest view rate of all US Sponsored Snaps during the alpha phase, generating over 52 million impressions in a single day. This authentic approach didn't just drive massive top-of-funnel reach; it resonated so well that it led to a 5x growth in their organic followers.

The Calvin Harris campaign further illustrates this power. Snapchatters in the UK received a "Calvin Harris is typing..." message, followed by a front-facing video of the artist with the caption "Got a new song to play you." Crucially, users who replied received an automated message from his profile saying, "you like it?" This small detail transformed a passive ad view into an interactive, personal exchange.

2. Their engagement and conversion numbers are high

Across the entire marketing funnel, Sponsored Snaps are delivering results that significantly outperform other placements and platforms.

At the top of the funnel, they command a 5-10x higher open rate compared to Story Ads. This initial engagement translates into powerful brand lift, driving 1.4x more lift in ad awareness, 1.8x more lift in purchase intent and an impressive 2.3x more lift in unaided brand awareness than competitive in-feed platforms.

The impact accelerates down the funnel. After opening the Sponsored Snap to full-screen media, the format delivers 2x more conversions per full-screen ad view and has 5x higher Click to Convert ratios compared to other inventories. Furthermore, these ads capture higher-intent users, driving 2x longer website dwell times — upwards of 28 seconds. These impressive conversion numbers aren't accidental; they're the direct result of a format that commands a qualitatively different and more valuable kind of user attention.

3. They unlock an audience that other in-platform ads miss

A significant portion of Snap's user base spends the majority of their time within the Chat feature, meaning they may not regularly engage with ads in Stories or the Discover tab. Sponsored Snaps provide a new pathway to this highly engaged but previously hard-to-reach audience.

The data shows that including the Chat Feed placement provides significant incremental reach. Campaigns that add this placement can unlock +19% new unique reach. The lift is substantial for both web-focused campaigns (+14%) and even more pronounced for app-focused campaigns (+18%), demonstrating its particular power for marketers focused on driving application installs.

4. It’s not just about views but about active attention, too

The context and format of an ad have a massive impact on the quality of attention it receives. When compared to competitive in-feed platforms, Sponsored Snaps capture a more active and engaged form of attention.

Here's how the metrics stack up:

• Playback: Chat Feed ads are played back 1.7x more often (87% vs. 50%)
• Passive Attention: They capture 1.6x more passive attention (viewers looking at the screen) (68% vs. 43%)
• Active Attention: They generate 1.2x more active attention (measured by emotional engagement/facial expressions) (19% vs. 16%)

This data suggests that users aren't just passively scrolling past; they are more present and mentally engaged. This shift from passive scrolling to active engagement is where the true ROI of the format lies, as it translates directly into higher brand recall and conversion intent.

The future of advertising is conversational

By thoughtfully integrating into a personal space, Snap has demonstrated that advertising can be both highly effective and well-received, provided it respects the user and the environment. The success of Sponsored Snaps isn't about interrupting a conversation but rather starting a new one. This format is a native extension that can feel like it came from a friend — not an ad — and allows brands to build customer loyalty in an environment designed for authentic connections.

Sprinklr users can post Snapchat Stories, publish Spotlight Content and promote this organic content with ads all in Sprinklr, saving time and reducing costs while engaging a powerful audience of Gen Z and Millennials.

Related Read: Smarter, Simpler, More Human: Snap's New Era of Performance Advertising

Data makes it clear that Sponsored Snaps achieve 5-10x higher open rates compared to tiled Story Ads and drive 2x more conversions per full-screen ad view compared to other inventories. The format provides an avenue for highly personalized 1:1 engagement, as Snapchatters who open the Snap can enter a direct chat with the advertiser, which can be customized with a chat message, branded chat background and an auto-response.

In addition, campaigns leveraging the chat feed placement increase campaign efficiency, leading to 1.3x lower cost per person made aware (CPMA). This personalized, native experience also boosts upper and lower funnel results, yielding 1.4x more lift in ad awareness and 1.8x more lift in purchase intent than competitive in-feed platforms.

Sponsored Snap's success provides a compelling new playbook for an industry grappling with how to connect with consumers in an increasingly fragmented and private digital world. As our digital lives move further into conversational platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger, is this the blueprint for how brands will need to connect with their audiences? Those who figure it out first will win the next decade of attention.