WEEK 4: A Conversation with Guest Speaker Scott Perry by Karina Spritze
By UCLA X469.21 Student Karina Spritze, Author of overdressedla.com
Karina Spritze
On May 15th, UCLA Extension’s Social Media Best Practices class welcomed guest speaker Scott Perry, author of “Snapchat 101.”
Scott explained that despite its massive appeal to young consumers, Snapchat’s value as a marketing tool is limited mostly to building brand awareness. It also has very limited tools for analytics, which can cause anxiety for marketers who must report to the c-suite. Snapchat is still perceived as new to some, and it remains a challenge for marketers who aren’t accustomed to seeing their ad spend disappear in 24 hours.
With Snapchat in the limelight as the “it” platform for young consumers, Scott realized there was a huge opportunity to teach marketers how to leverage the platform. That realization led him to publish his tutorial book and make it available on Amazon, where it quickly became a best seller. Given how social media trends are ever changing, I wonder which platform he’ll write about next.
Scott Perry
Last year, I had a chance to meet with a Snapchat account rep and see the company’s ad deck. While it was astonishing to learn how the platform can help brands reach their target audience, it was difficult to see how it helps them achieve core business objectives, such as increasing sales. The amount some companies have paid for a filter is obscene. Nike was probably among the biggest spenders last year, buying a national filter for Kobe Bryant’s final basketball game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
There has been a lot of talk about Snapchat’s decline due to fierce competition from Instagram. I have found myself slowly decreasing use of Snapchat because more people have access to my stories on Instagram. As a busy person, I can’t manage being in too many places at once. Also, Instagram has released Snapchat-style face filters along with more stickers. These additions have helped complete the final step in my conversion to Instagram.
What will Snapchat do now that they have Spectacles? I have been to their offices and know they are highly secretive, which leads me to believe they’ll find a way to bounce back.
