Snap has acquired ad and location-based analytics outfit Placed.

The purchase seems set to bolster Snapchat’s reporting, especially relating to real world purchases.

Acquired measures

Measuring offline impacts of online advertising is a common aspiration this year. Everyone wants it. So, the networks that can deliver are likely to get more campaign dollars for the future.

For Snapchat, a lot hinges on the effectiveness of its unique advertiser offerings. Geofilters, for example, are a true innovation in the space, but many businesses need proof before it is believed that they drive profit.

How do you get that proof? It’s pretty simple in concept, albeit hard to execute well.

How Placed places purchases

A user visits a location and applies a relevant Geofilter to a Snap and share it with their network. Placed will then analyse the behaviours of the user’s Snapchat network.

Looking only at the proportion of the network that did see the users Geofiltered Snap, how many of them visit the location in the near future? Then, looking separately at the ones who did not see the Geofiltered Snap, how many of them visit?

Looking at the difference between these two numbers allows Placed to effectively measure real-world effectiveness of the Geofilter. They’re calling this metric the Visualisation Lift.

Are you more likely to put budget into Snapchat if you can put a reliable number to a Geofilter’s visualisation lift?

Copy Transmission is a Melbourne-based agency :: Better Brands. Loud & Clear.