Observed Signal · Apr 8, 2025 · Product Launch · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Snapchat Launches Sponsored AI Lenses for Brands
Snapchat is expanding its advertising capabilities by introducing sponsored AI Lenses that allow brands to deliver personalized content at the pulse of user interests. The format links storytelling and brand messages with audience preferences, and Gen AI Lenses for creator videos will be available to Snapchat Platinum subscribers. Uber and Tinder have already piloted the concept with campaigns such as 'My Thanksgiving Vibe' and 'My 2025 Dating Vibe,' while Coldplay uses Gen AI Lenses to promote Moon Music. Snapchat notes that active advertisers more than doubled in Q4, contributing to 16% year-over-year revenue growth and total revenue of $5.4 billion. The platform reports over 850 million monthly active users and more than 300 million AR features used daily. Snapchat+ costs €3.99 per month; the forthcoming Platinum plan is €9.99 per month. The Lens Carousel will surface sponsored Lenses, and Gen AI Lenses for creator videos are planned to roll out more broadly.
Moderate industry impact: new AI-powered ad format on a major social platform with early brand adoption.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Uber and Tinder have deployed AI Lenses on Snapchat, including 'My Thanksgiving Vibe' and 'My 2025 Dating Vibe'.
- Gen AI Lenses for creator videos will be available to Snapchat Platinum subscribers.
- Snapchat reports over 850 million monthly active users and more than 300 million AR features used daily.
- In Q4, active advertisers more than doubled and revenue grew 16% year-over-year to $5.4 billion.
- Snapchat+ costs €3.99/month; Platinum plan offered at €9.99/month.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Advertising on Snapchat: Ads & Best Practices
The article surveys Snapchat’s evolving advertising and AI toolkit, highlighting omnichannel ad formats, AR-enhanced experiences, and creator monetization. It notes 943 million monthly active users and Q3 2025 revenue of $1.51 billion, up 10% year over year, with AR Lenses used over 8 billion times per day. Key innovations include My AI, Lens Studio AI Assistant, and a plan to make Perplexity the standard AI for all users in January 2026. Lens Studio has expanded to mobile and web, and Spectacles updates introduce AR advances such as Travel Mode and Eye Connect. The platform also introduces infrastructure like Snap Cloud powered by Supabase, Realistic StyleGen, FaceGen improvements, and AI Clips for personalized Lenses. Advertising options expand with Lens+ Payouts, Camera Kit, sponsored AI Lenses, Promoted Places, and Sponsored Snaps. A DMEXCO session with Snapchat and OTTO partners illustrates funnel-wide targeting and inspiration for marketers.
Snapchat launches AI Sponsored Snaps
Snapchat is rolling out a new conversational ad format called AI Sponsored Snaps that lets users chat directly with brand-run AI agents inside the app’s Chat tab. The format, which Snap says will reach its roughly 900 million monthly active users, appears as promoted Snaps in the inbox; when opened, users can ask free-form questions or choose preset prompts to interact with a brand’s agent. Conversations can surface product or travel recommendations and may include click-throughs to an advertiser’s website or app for purchase. The launch follows recent company workforce reductions—Snap cut about 1,000 roles two weeks earlier, citing investments in AI. The feature expands Snapchat’s ad product suite by embedding agentic, conversational experiences into direct messages and signals a larger industry push toward dialogic, AI-driven ad formats.
Snap Exec: Much AI-Generated Content Is Just Crap
In an interview at DMEXCO 2026, Jan Müller, Senior Sales Manager for Largest Customers DACH at Snap, discussed the platform's stance on AI-generated content. Snap has stopped recommending wholly AI-generated videos in Snapchat's Spotlight feed to combat what is often referred to as 'AI slop'. Müller acknowledged that while some AI-generated content is good, much of it is low quality. He also touched on the importance of authenticity and the mix of brand and performance advertisers on the platform.
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