Snapchat: How to Win Over Gen Z and Millennials in the UAE

Considering Snapchat’s entertainment, video streaming, and user habits, it remains a “must-have” for advertising every brand in the UAE, primarily targeting the youngest and super digitally active parts of the population. Unlike other static platforms, Snapchat involves different vertical and interactive ads and fun stickers.

This audience is best catered to by advertising authentic, short, and platform-native content. Authentic approaches require understanding of technology and youth culture on a strategic level, the same way Dubai’s most reputable social media marketing agency in Dubai firms approach the problem.

The remaining part of this outlines best practices for advertising on Snapchat in the UAE.

1. Target Audience on Snapchat + Advertising Options

A good portion of the Snapchat audience is composed of Snapchat Gen Z advertising UAE targets. As a result, immediate brand announcements, app installs, and traffic to a site is achieved. There are a few core ads and formats that are most used.

A. Snap Ads (Video)

Snap Ads are video advertisements that are 3 to 10 seconds long, displayed between users’ stories or in the discovery tab. This is the primary advertising format for driving key direct results.

  • Goal: Drive traffic to other webpage, increase installs on app, increase video views, or generate leads.
  • Best Practice: Keep a CTA saying Swipe Up for clickable ads and a visually appealing image to capture audience attention in the first 2 seconds.

B. Lenses (Augmented Reality)

Perhaps the most fun and engaging way to advertise is through Lenses. This format allows users to do AR branding where your products or branded assets get digitally placed in the users’ surroundings or faces. This format can be done via Snap Lens advertising UAE.

  • Goal: The main goal is to achieve high levels of branded advertising, widespread engagement, and product sampling (e.g., virtual try-on).
  • Best Practice: Make them entertaining and have a high shareability factor. Each Lens that is shared is an extra piece of free branded content. Sponsored lenses in the UAE would make the advertising campaign worthwhile.

C. Filters and Geofilters

Static overlays that can be customized with your branding and designed to add fun and flair to a Snap, and then Geofilters are placed in a specific location (e.g., in a store, at a landmark or using event geofilters UAE).

  • Goal: Drive foot traffic, enhance brand visibility within your defined target area, or participate in local event sponsorship.
  • Best Practice: Simplicity is key in Snap Ads Dubai. Make it simple and relevant to the location or activity the user is engaging with.

2. Setting Up Your Campaign with Snapchat Ad Manager

Unlike Google paid search advertising, which utilizes an abundance of keywords and interests, Snapchat’s campaigns are premised around behaviors and demographics, which makes it much easier to set up and more precise.

A. Using the Snapchat Ad Manager UAE

The Snapchat Ad Manager UAE is an amazing Self-Serve Tool that gives you access to the control of all the elements of your campaign.

  • Self-Serve Ads: From creative upload to targeting and optimization, you can launch an entire campaign in the Manager. This is the core of Snapchat self-serve ads Dubai.
  • Audience Targeting: You can target by demographics and interests as well as custom audiences like lookalikes from your customer list.

B. Campaign Structure

  • Objective: Choose one focus goal and try to keep it to that (Awareness, Conversions, Consideration, etc).
  • Audience: This section requires you to configure audience characteristics in regard to your business or product in UAE.
  • Pricing and Budget: Set your costs (Lifetime Budget or Daily) and determine the suited strategy to place your Bid.

3. Creative is King: Mastering Vertical Content

Snapchat is all about the low-effort content. The creative must look like it belongs on Snapchat— like your friend’s Story, not a big budget television ad.

  • Vertical Format: All content must be vertical (9:16 aspect ratio).
  • Sound On: On Snapchat, a bigger proportion of users keep the sound on. Use music and voice narration.
  • Authenticity: Editing techniques commonly used in user-generated content, such as rapid jump cuts, handheld camera shots, and text overlays, are great examples of authentic UGC. 

Conclusion

Snapchat is the perfect channel in order to reach younger audiences. This also requires a shift from conventional advertising methods and toward vertical videos, interactivity, and genuine quick content.

Snapchat advertising UAE demands a hypothesis-driven approach characterized by systematic learning and is best done by a specialized company.

To ensure that your campaigns fit the pulse of the younger audience and deliver the best ROI, work with RedBerries. For advanced social media marketing, RedBerries is the most trusted Digital Marketing Agency Dubai.

To connect with the young and highly active audience, please contact RedBerries for a tailor-made Snapchat marketing guide UAE!