Paranormal Activity Spooks Theaters With VR Demo

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Paramount’s Paranormal Activity films have been haunting theaters for years, generating millions of dollars for the movie studio in the process.

Now, as a tie-in with The Ghost Dimension, the final chapter of the series that hits theaters this Friday, Paramount has launched a new promotion that will have viewers seeing spirits in a spooky new virtual reality experience.

In collaboration with AMC Theaters, the demo for the forthcoming Paranormal Activity VR game will be at various theaters. Fans will be able to check it out demo stations hosted by HTC Vive and powered by SteamVR. These locations include theaters in Baltimore, Boston, Las Vegas, New York and various California theaters. The full list is below.

AMC Loews White Marsh 16 Baltimore, MD
AMC Neshaminy 24 Bensalem, PA
AMC Loews Boston Common 19 Boston, MA
AMC Century City 15 Century City, CA
AMC Bay Street 16 Emeryville, CA
AMC Town Square 18 Las Vegas, NV
AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16 Lynnwood, WA
AMC Tysons Corner 16 McLean, VA
AMC Mesquite 30 with Dine-In Theatres Mesquite, TX
AMC Empire 25 New York, NY
AMC Orange 30 Orange, CA
AMC Mission Valley 20 San Diego, CA
AMC Metreon 16 San Francisco, CA
AMC Mercado 20 Santa Clara, CA
AMC Universal CityWalk 19 Universal City, CA

The game is currently set to debut in spring 2016 and compatible with a variety of virtual reality headsets. A non-VR edition is also in the works for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The timing couldn’t be better for the reveal of our Paranormal Activity VR game demo, said Russell Naftal, Co Managing Partner of Beast MG/VRWERX. With the (demo), we ve created an entirely unmatched horror experience on this amazing new platform. We can t wait for everyone to play the full game this spring!

Speaking exclusively with [a]listdaily, Alex Barder, co-managing partner of Beast MG/VRWERX added, “The Paranormal Activity VR game is really pushing the limits of the horror genre, immersing players in a truly terrifying, interactive experience. Gamers and horror fans have never played anything like this before, and we can’t wait for people to get a sneak peek and play the full game this spring!”

Not only will the promotion provide a boost to the films, but also the pending virtual reality version of the game, which will truly involve viewers more than the movies ever could. We re excited to bring gaming experiences to life in ways that fans have never imagined, said Dan O Brien, VP VR Planning and Management, HTC in the press announcement. With the Paranormal Activity VR game demo, the HTC Vive transports players from their local theater directly into the immersive world of Paranormal Activity – an experience they ll never forget.

How Mobile Game Companies Rank In Revenue And Consumer Reach

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To maintain success for a mobile game – especially one of the free-to-play variety – a few factors come into play, such as how long players are able to stick around on a consistent level, as well as how top grosses fare in terms of that game’s popularity.

Pocket Gamer recently published numbers that indicate how the big five companies (King, Zynga, EA, Gameloft and Glu Mobile) compare. It turns out it’s good to be King, while others are competing in a dead heat.

Chart 2 1021

When it comes to the monthly active userbase of consumers, King is at the top with games like the ever-popular Candy Crush Saga. King has over 450 million active monthly players, which is much higher than the other companies, which are almost all sitting at around 75 to 150 million. Zynga is the exception, which came out much lower than anticipated, while Glu makes a strong showing with big name partner games like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.

Chart 3 1021As for changes in monthly active players, it appears that Glu has managed to maintain great consistency with its games, while EA and King hold moderately steady. Meanwhile, Zynga shows a somewhat consistent drop with its titles, while Gameloft’s numbers are missing from the report.

When it comes to a daily active base of gamers for key publishers, King continues to hold a high amount, while Zynga, Gameloft and Glu are in the lower count. In fact, Glu almost sits at the zero percentile, while Zynga and Gameloft are just slightly above.

Chart 4 1021

Then there are the DAUs/MAUs (daily and monthly active users) for key publishers. Here, Zynga shows an alarmingly high count with around 25%, just beneath King’s 28%. Meanwhile, Gameloft and Glu show a smaller percentage, around 10 to 15%.

The report also breaks down daily and monthly earnings numbers, which show quite a few stark differences, with both King and Zynga holding at just under 30%, and the others, Gameloft and Glu, lower down in the 12 to 15% range.

As for the DAU numbers, Glu has a firm lead around $9.60 (following a rise from $7.35 or so), followed by Zynga in a close second (at around $8), while the King and Gameloft numbers come in a little lower, tied at around $3.60. Zynga is showing most on the rise with a dollar per player basis, while Gameloft is showing the lowest progress.

Zynga has the strongest monthly activity with just over two dollars per MAU, while King, Glu and EA Mobile are tied at around the one dollar point. Gameloft is at the lowest point, with less than 50 cents.

Pocket Gamer summarizes the report with the following breakdown:

  • King: market leader in DAUs and MAUs, but not particularly strong at monetization on a per player level
  • Zynga: struggling with player numbers but good at monetization
  • Glu: the smallest of the five in terms of audience, but good at monetization
  • EA Mobile: we lack DAU data, but it sits in the middle ground when it comes to MAUs and monetization
  • Gameloft: the weakest of the five companies in terms of combined audience and per player levels of monetization

The full report, complete with more charts, can be found here.

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YouTube’s Ad-Free Subscription Service Is Here

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As ad blockers continue to become a more prevalent force, streaming services like Spotify and Hulu have rolled out subscription options for users who want to have an ad-free experience with their content. We’ve known that YouTube’s ad-free version has been on its way for some time, but now we have an official launch date and a name. YouTube Red will provide users that ad-free service they have been wanting for $9.99 a month starting October 28th. The service will extend across devices and other YouTube services like YouTube Music and YouTube Gaming and will even enable users to watch this content offline.

“For years, YouTube s fans have been telling us they want more more choice when watching their favorite content, more ways to support their favorite creators and, above all, the option to watch their favorite videos uninterrupted,” said YouTube in a blog post.

Along with the YouTube Red announcement, YouTube will also be launching a new YouTube Music app they say will “make discovering, watching and listening to music easier than ever.” From the sounds of it, the app looks to offer a personally curated music experience. “Any song or artist you choose on YouTube Music will start you on a personal journey through one of the richest music catalogs; just sign in, tap a track you love, and see where your music takes you.”

Perhaps the biggest thing of all, YouTube says they will be bringing their own content to YouTube Red, in a move similar to Netflix and Hulu’s approach to content. “Starting early next year, YouTube Red will get even better with member-only access to new, original shows and movies from some of YouTube s biggest creators.”

“Last year, we announced an initiative to invest in the creativity of our top YouTube stars. We wanted to give them an opportunity to realize some of their long-held creative ambitions by developing new content for YouTube,” YouTube goes on to say in a separate blog post. Here are the original series and movies announced today:

Scare PewDiePie: In this reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of The Walking Dead at Skybound Entertainment and Maker Studios, experience thrills, chills and laughter asPewDiePie encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games.

Sing It!: From Fine Brothers Entertainment and Mandeville Films comes SING IT!, a scripted comedy that lovingly satirizes the reality singing competitions that have become a centerpiece of pop culture.

Lazer Team: In this feature-length action-comedy from Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films, four small-town losers stumble upon an alien ship carrying a mysterious cargo, leading to a battle to save Earth from an all-powerful enemy.

A Trip to Unicorn Island: From the team at Astronauts Wanted, this feature-length movie gives fans an extraordinary look inside the life and journey of Lilly Singh as she embarks on a challenging 26-city global tour where she has to remember to practice what she preaches: happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.

Untitled Joey Graceffa project: In this all-new reality adventure series, Joey Graceffa brings together an ensemble of top YouTubers for a murder mystery they’ll never forget. They’ll form alliances to survive, but little do they know that most won’t make it out alive.

360 Project from MatPat of Game Theory: YouTube educator and pop culture expert MatPat fromThe Game Theorists invites the audience to come along for the ride in an innovative new series and 360 VR experience. In each episode Matt explores the real-life science behind popular video games by throwing gamers into the high-stakes scenarios they play through every day, from water jetpacks to haunted pizzerias.

Single by 30: In this romantic drama series from Wong Fu Productions and New Form Digital, two high school best friends make a promise to get married if they re still single at 30. A decade later, with 30 quickly approaching, their attempt at upholding their vow unfolds in unexpected ways. Starring Harry Shum, Jr. and Kina Grannis.

Untitled CollegeHumor project: Written by and starring the cast of CollegeHumor, along with special guests, this new anthology series will take a dark and comedic look at the absurdity of Internet culture.

Fight of the Living Dead: In an unprecedented social experiment reality show from Alpine Labs, Fight of the Living Dead takes popular YouTube talent and traps them in a frighteningly realistic zombie apocalypse. They must use their instincts and gaming skills to survive as they battle the elements for the ultimate prize of survival.

I Am Tobuscus: From the mind of Toby Turner, {link no longer active} this scripted comedy explores the world of a self-involved YouTube creator pursuing bigger stardom. The show features original music, and satirizes the hilarious details of being an eccentric, new-age celebrity.

 

Still, pre-roll ads aren’t going anywhere anytime soon: “Don t worry! The free, ad-supported version of YouTube we all know and love isn t going anywhere.” But with YouTube offering a free one-month trial of the service, undoubtedly, many of its users will be opting in to the program.

What this means in the long-term for advertising on YouTube remains to be seen, but as brands are shifting their strategies to be more native on platforms, YouTube Red will almost certainly add to the urgency.

How EA and Carowinds Teamed Up Over ‘Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare’

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The puzzle game, Plants vs Zombies, took the gaming world by storm with its unique blend of humor and challenge, earning it over 30 Game of the Year awards. Its popularity inspired the Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare spin-off – a competitive shooter where two teams (Plants and Zombies) go head-to-head using comedic weapons and outrageous characters. A partnership between Plants vs Zombies and the Carowinds amusement park in North Carolina might seem like an unlikely pairing, but the two have come together to create a 3D “intra-active” Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare experience for families to enjoy.

The exclusive attraction, called the Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena, launches Spring 2016, and will feature 3D technology, massive screens, surround sound, and motion-based seats as attendees compete with each other in team-based battle. Furthermore, the attraction is expected to launch at around the same time the Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 video game is, so attendees may continue the action at home.

[a]listdaily speaks to Mike Fehnel, Carowinds General Manager, and Senior Creative Director of the Plants vs. Zombies franchise Jeremy Vanhoozer to discuss how this unique partnership came into being.

What inspired the partnership between Electronic Arts and Carowinds?

MF: There’s been a great deal of innovation in the amusement park business over the past few years, including the introduction of interactive digital dark rides at Cedar Fair (Carowinds’ parent company) parks.  As the line between rides and electronic games continue to blur, tying together compelling gaming franchises like EA’s Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, with the larger-than-life attractions, like those at Cedar Fair’s parks, begins to makes a lot of sense.

How was Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare selected as the featured game?

MF:  EA and Cedar Fair started talking about a potential collaboration over a year ago.  At the same time, Cedar Fair and a digital attraction partner, Alterface, came up with the idea of a dueling “intra-active” gaming theater, where each side would compete against the other for high scores and bragging rights. Additionally, it was important to Carowinds that they find a brand with a broad demographic appeal and that parents and kids could enjoy together. At that point, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare became an obvious choice!

Is the Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare experience exclusive to Carowinds, or can we expect similar attractions to appear at different theme parks nationally?

MF: EA and Cedar Fair are currently developing two projects, the other one being an attraction based on the Mass Effect franchise at California’s Great America in Silicon Valley. Cedar Fair has theater facilities similar to those being used for these attractions across several of its parks.  So if these projects do as well as we think they will, there is definitely room to expand these concepts to other parks nationally.

How will the interactive attraction grow the Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare brand and audience, and how does it tie into Garden Warfare 2 promotion?

JV: The Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare franchise is all about doing things differently and creating new and unique ways for people to experience our universe. We re incredibly excited to partner with Carowinds on this first ever intra-active attraction. This is a never-before-seen way for people who are both familiar and unfamiliar with the series to enter our crazy world of outrageous characters and over-the-top fun.

This attraction has very deep tie-ins to Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, the next big adventure from the franchise coming this Spring. We worked closely with Carowinds to ensure the 3Z Arena reflected the new state of the world as represented in Garden Warfare 2 for the first time, zombies have taken over and plants are on the attack. All players who participate in the attraction will also join the battle with brand new characters from the game including Super Brainz, a zombie super hero who thinks he s an 80’s action movie star, and Citron, a bounty-hunting orange from the future. From the setting to the characters, you ll really feel like you re stepping into the world of Garden Warfare when you enter the 3Z Arena.

EA has previously announced a partnership with California’s Great America for a Mass Effect attraction. Are there more EA game theme park attractions to come?

JV: There s no additional news there, but we re excited for these upcoming attractions.

NPD September 2015: Low Hardware Sales Lifted By Sports Games

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With the upcoming holiday seasons marking the second year of the current video game console generation (3rd for Nintendo), companies like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are struggling more than ever to attract buyers. If September is any indication,the fall might be a slow for hardware adoption, but those numbers may be buoyed by strong software sales.

The NPD September 2015 Report (via VentureBeat) shows that hardware sales, which are primarily focused on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, took a slight drop-off, while sports-related games continue to thrive and may continue to sell throughout the holiday shopping season.

Numbers provided by The NPD Group indicate that consumers spent $1.01 billion on new games and hardware in the U.S., which is a 9% decrease from the previous year. While overall numbers are down, games that require special figurines, like Disney Infinity 3.0 and Skylanders Superchargers, fared very well.

The NPD Group also reported that hardware sales were down 27%, dropping to $313.5 million from the previous $431.2 million total. Game sales also dipped a bit, dropping from $480.6 million in the previous year to $465.6 million (a $15 million difference). However, keep in mind that Activision’s Destiny, which released around the same time last year, generated a big interest in upgrading consoles.

Even though these numbers sound like negative, the Group indicates that month-over-month statistics are still positive. The majority of hardware platforms increased their sales from August 2015 to September 2015 when comparing sales on a per week basis, said NPD analyst Liam Callahan. All eighth generation consoles [which includes PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U] experienced double-digit growth when comparing sales on a per-week basis.

Top sellers for September include 2K Sports’ NBA 2K16 and EA Sports’ Madden NFL 16, which both topped the list, with FIFA 16 in fourth place and NHL 16 coming in ninth. Four out of ten most popular games are sports titles, and they should continue selling well over the next few months.

Action games also did very well. Konami’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain came in third, followed by the new Destiny expansion The Taken King in fifth. Disney Infinity 3.0 and Mad Max came in seventh and eighth, respectively.

While most of the list was dominated by Xbox and PlayStation titles, Nintendo made an impression with Super Mario Maker, coming in sixth with well over a million copies sold. It is still one of the company’s biggest offerings for the holiday season.

Finally, Minecraft continues to be a big win for Microsoft, coming in tenth. Although the game has been around for quite some time, the Windows 10 Edition appears to have renewed interest in it.

The sales of games and consoles should pick up over the next few months, especially with heavy hitters like Star Wars: Battlefront and Halo 5: Guardians arriving at retail. Accessory-based games should also be big hits, including interactive toy games like Lego Dimensions along with the newly released music and rhythm games Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band 4.

Facebook Gets Top Grades For Ad Effectiveness

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With the popularity of social networks like Twitter and Facebook, it should be no surprise that advertisers are getting their money’s worth out of their investments. A new report from eMarketer, titled “Social Advertising Effectiveness Scorecard: Industry Execs Grade the Leading Platforms”, gave these marketers an opportunity to rate the best sites out there to see which made the biggest impact.

Chart 1020

The chart shows all the ratings, with Facebook faring the best out of the “big three” with a B+ rating, followed by Twitter with a B- and Linkedin with a C+. Meanwhile, out of the three emerging social networks, Pinterest fared the best with a B, followed by Instagram with a C+ and Snapchat with a C-.

“The executives we interviewed said one of the key strengths of paid social media advertising is its targeting capabilities,” said eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson. “Marketers consider Facebook an extremely sophisticated targeted advertising platform, while Pinterest benefits from its strong connections with ecommerce and purchase intent.”

These results were measured across a number of categories, including creative capabilities, ad targeting, measurement and ROI, according to eMarketer. In general, paid social media advertising fared around an average grade of B. It’s sufficient, but there’s need for improvement with better tools to make social media advertising even more effective.

As for ad targeting effectiveness, Facebook fared the best, with an A rating, according to the chart above. Linkedin and Twitter tied for second with a B rating when it came to the “big three.” As for up-and-coming networks, Instagram got the highest rating with a B, followed by Pinterest (C+) and Snapchat (C-).

Chart 1020 2

Other highlights from the eMarketer report are as follows:

  • LinkedIn’s highest grade came for ad targeting, for which it earned a B; advertisers gave it grades ranging from B- to C in other categories.
  • Twitter performed strongly in creative, ad targeting, measurement and analytics, building brand awareness, engagement and driving actions, all of which earned a B. It scored slightly lower for driving sales and for ROI.
  • Among the “Emerging Three” social ad properties (Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat), Instagram received high grades in creative and building brand awareness and engagement. However, the newness of its ad platform led to lower grades for things like measurement, driving actions and ROI.
  • Executives gave B grades to Pinterest in the majority of categories; only measurement and ad targeting fell into the C range.
  • Snapchat had strong marks for creative capabilities and building brand awareness, but the newness of its ad platform led to grades for the rest of the categories that were among the lowest of the properties studied.

eMarketer also noted that the video ad category played a part in the report. Executives gave an average rating of B+ to both Facebook and YouTube in this regard, based mainly on effectiveness. Twitter also got a decent grade with B-, though some execs questioned if it’s the best format to watch video on.

The full report can be found here, though a corporate subscription to eMarketer is required.

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Brands Are Flocking To Instagram This Year

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Now that 88.2% of U.S. companies overall use some form of social media platform for advertising, it’s safe to say that the model is a success. Instagram is a huge part of that success, and it is seeing a big boost from its ad programs. As a result, more companies could be hopping on board.

According to a recent eMarketer report, 32.3% of U.S. companies with 100 employees or more will begin using Instagram in some form or another for marketing. That’s an estimate for the end of this year, and it’ll go even further over 2016 and 2017. By next year, the number will increase to 48.8%, and up to 70.7% once 2017 rolls around. That will give Instagram a further edge in surpassing Twitter.

“Now that Instagram is opening up advertising to all businesses, it’s not surprising that marketer usage will grow rapidly,” said eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson. “Its close ties to Facebook are a key advantage.”

Chart 1020 3

While Twitter will still continue to see growth when it comes to U.S. companies using the site for marketing, it will have a much lower penetration, by about 1.4% over the next couple of years. The chart below breaks down just how low its effectiveness is compared to the thriving Instagram.

Meanwhile, Facebook will continue to see success within the social arena. By the end of this year, 84.7% of U.S. companies (with 100 employees or more) will be using the site for marketing, and it will see a slight increase over the next couple of years, getting to 85.8% in 2017. That’s not necessarily bad news, since its numbers are still higher than Twitter, and a little ahead Instagram, which Facebook owns.

It just goes to show that Instagram’s advertising model is incredibly effective, and will continue to thrive as the next couple of years go on. Facebook will continue to succeed right alongside it. Meanwhile, Twitter may need to figure out a way to make its advertising more relevant.

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Do The Not-Wrong Thing

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Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.

– Steve Jobs

 

You don t always have to do the right thing.

As humans, we instinctively know what s wrong. We can see a picture on the wall and know instantly that it’s not level, find a misspelling in a sea of words, and recognize a strategic business move that’s going to burst into flames. These mistakes stick out like a flashing neon sign.

Although we may not have a clue what the right thing to do is, we do know pretty quickly when it’s wrong.

Therefore, as long as we don’t pick the wrong thing, we’d at least be taking a step in the right direction.

Don’t Do The Wrong Thing

While most complex problems can have simple solutions, often those solutions aren’t a one-and-done thing. Unlike a patch in software, sometimes solutions are multi-layered and have many parts.

When I’m faced with complex problems, I brainstorm and lay out all the possible solutions. From simple to multiple-layer solutions, I chart the path of each one so I can test them. What I’m looking for are the solutions that feel wrong. From short-cutting, reducing quality, or short-term thinking, I can see a wrong move a mile away. I don’t need to know what the overall right move is, I just need to trust my instincts and choose what doesn’t feel wrong.

I know that if I choose wisely for each layer of the solution, I’ll eventually end up doing the right thing. Let’s call this the Eventually-Right Process.

The Eventually-Right Leader

This process can be used in everyday business management strategy. The beautiful thing is, it always works. By not doing what s wrong, you can t really go wrong.

As business leaders, we are always under constant pressure to come up with the right solutions. Whether time-sensitive or not, using the Eventually-Right Process gives you the piece of mind that you are on the right path and, ultimately, you will come to the right solution.

For example, I need to hire someone new. I have three candidates: A, B and C. I could just go ahead and hire Candidate A and hope for the best. Or I could use the Eventually-Right Process. It might go like this:

  • Something about Candidate C feels ‘off’, so if I eliminate C.
  • I schedule a second round of interviews with Candidate A and B. Maybe I interview them at the same time to provoke new responses. Either way, I get another chance to find whether Candidate A or B feel wrong.
  • Candidate B does, so I hire A.

Eventually, by eliminating each path that felt wrong, I arrived at the right solution.

Choosing the Not-Wrong Path

I dare you to try the Eventually-Right Process in your next decision, business or otherwise. It may feel deceptively simple not to mention, a little uncertain , however as you see the ROI from you decision-making roll in, I think you’ll understand the value. You’ll begin to feel better about the decisions and make them easier. Good decisions can greatly improve the quality of work and life.

Just remember: the art of doing the right thing is not choosing what’s wrong even if you don t know what s right yet.

You will eventually.

Native And Programmatic Advertising Set To Merge

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Both native and programmatic advertising tools have been beneficial to marketers and companies alike over the past few years, but what would happen if the two merged into one natural ecosystem We’re about to find out.

According to a report from the Business Insider, a new specification from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB for short) under the name OpenRTB 2.3 makes this possible.

With it, the company hopes to provide the “ability to serve up sponsored content that matches the look and feel of a publisher site in real time through automated processes.”

Additional research from BI Intelligence indicates that this has been coming for some time, with programmatic advertising reaching a “tipping point.” Its stats indicate that programmatic transactions will reach a majority percentage of 52% in non-search digital-ad spend, along with 30.6% of total digital ad-spend going to programmatic real-time bidding, or RTB for short. Meanwhile, 21.7% will go to non-RTB programmatic

Chart

As you can see from the chart, the differences between RTB, programmatic and non-programmatic bids are set to go through some changes over the next few years, with a decrease in RTB and a rise in non-programmatic means. So, a fusion between native and programmatic could be likelier than expected.

There are some takeaways from the report, including the following:

  • More companies and marketers are picking up on programmatic ad-buying and selling programs. Over 80% of agencies and brands already purchase display ads programmatically, while an even greater proportion of publishers are pursuing programmatic channels as part of their sales strategies, according to surveys and our own conversations with industry participants, according to Business Insider’s report.
  • Spending on programmatic advertising is growing very fast, at around 20 percent at an annual rate.
  • Real-time bidding has become rampant with companies through programmatic means, with a five year CAGR estimated at 24 percent. RTB revenue will top over $26 billion by year-end 2020, up from $8.7 billion this year. Mobile RTB and video RTB are growing even faster, at roughly 2X the rate of programmatic overall.
  • “Trading desks” are being downsized in favor of programmatic expertise taking over in the natural ecosystem. This may speed growth in programmatic spending among agency clients.
  • Here’s how pricing is breaking down: for premium and guaranteed placements they are on the upswing, while prices continue to plummet for miscellaneous inventory.

The big conclusion from this report indicates that this could open a few doors as far as advertising circles are concerned, even though some companies would have to get used to certain results and methods. This fusion of two different advertising types could introduce some great new ideas for consumers.

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Why Snapchat Is A Hot Commodity For Marketers

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Some companies have been hesitant to adopt the Snapchat app, mainly due to how the content is only posted temporarily and, more importantly, the high advertising price. However, that didn’t stop [a]listdaily from advising companies to why they should hop on the bandwagon. Now, there are even more reasons to do so.

A recent AdWeek article reveals six different statistics from the popular app that show why companies should hop get involved with it now more than ever. The company’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, was quick to point out that over 16 million viewers check out the new ad-supported Sponsored Selfie Filters program a day. That makes the fee charged for ads, which can be as high as $700,000, worth it when it comes to exposure. Traditional magazine-turned-digital-juggernaut Cosmopolitan, which is one of the handpicked publishers on the app, sees three million viewers a day through Snapchat Discover, according to Digiday. 

iHeartRadio has managed to amass a huge streaming audience on Snapchat, with over 340 million impressions during its two-day music festival back in September. That’s big numbers, especially for a digital music brand like that.

Facebook should also be sweating the details from Snapchat’s popularity. A report from Piper Jaffray indicates that the app is way more popular with American teens than the social site, with 19% indicating that the mobile app is their most used social network. Instagram continues to have a steady lead with 33%, followed by Twitter (20%) and then Facebook right behind Snapchat with 15%.

Finally, the biggest stat of them all: an International Business Times report indicates that Snapchat gets an overall total of four billion video views a day. That matches the same number as Facebook’s recent video service numbers, up from three billion earlier this year.

Snapchat also played a big part at the MTV Video Music Awards. Between red-carpet coverage, backstage performances by Macklemore and Pharrell Williams, and crowd perspectives during Kanye West’s address, Snapchat managed to get twelve million viewers to tune in. That’s twice the number of those watching it on television, according to Fast Company.“With Snapchat, we’re putting our content into the pockets of 100 million millennials,” said Viacom sales chief Jeff Lucas regarding the numbers. “Snapchat is targeted television on mobile.”

The current value of Snapchat sits at $16 billion, but it operates a bit differently than most social networks. “We have two major businesses,” said Snapchat chief strategy officer Imran Khan. “One is communication, and the other is entertainment.” And they both play a part into the app’s success.

With a demographic between the ages of 13 and 34 that makes up a whopping 86% of its overall audience, Snapchat is becoming a force to be reckoned with if brands want to reach a younger demographic.