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Snapchat has published a new study, in conjunction with IPG Mediahub and Amplified Intelligence, which looks at how happiness drives engagement in social apps, and what that means for brand promotions on Snap.
So how do you test for happiness?
In this case, Snap says that it used eye-tracking technology, as well as machine learning-based “emotional detection” to get a measure of response from study participants. Snap and its partners then showed a selection of social media users four different ads each, from Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
As per Snap:
“All creatives tested came from the same campaign for each of the 14 brands tested. In all, our study spanned five countries (US/UK/FR/KSA/AU), 7,600 ad views, and 4,000 participants.”
So the test is pretty broad-ranging, and should, at least in theory, provide some measure of the impact of emotional response to promotions on each platform.
And the results show that happiness is a particularly strong driver on Snap.
This first chart measures the variance in attention that each of the example ads drove.
As per Snap:
“The difference in happiness levels between creatives with the highest amount of attention compared to those with the lowest amount of attention was over 10x for Snap, while other platforms generally saw a more muted, but still positive relationship.”
So more creative promotions generated a much stronger response on Snap, underlining the need for original, creative approaches to Snap ads.
The data also showed a strong correlation between happiness and brand lift:
“This means that ads that drove higher levels of happiness also tended to drive greater long-term lift, and this relationship was the strongest on Snapchat. Ultimately, we hypothesize happiness inducing ads working well in driving long-term lift on Snapchat because of the main reason why Snapchatters flock to the platform to begin with, which is to create joyful connections amongst friends and family.”
In other words, sparking happiness and joy with your Snap ads can have a significant positive impact on campaign performance.
So what are the key elements of happiness-inducing Snap ads?
According to Snap’s data:
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The use of sound, prominent branding, and storytelling are key elements of happier ads
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Ads that drove more happiness “tended to resonate with human needs and desires.” For example, messaging related to personal and financial security, building anticipation towards a joyous moment, or fostering a sense of belonging shone brightly
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The use of bright colors also seems to correlate with happier promotions