At 319 million daily users, and with specific connection to younger demographics, Snapchat can be a great option for brands looking to boost their brand recognition, and gain traction with this critical consumer subset, which can have a huge impact on overall marketing performance.

But how effective are Snap ads really, and are Snap users actually receptive to brand messages in the app?

To glean some more insight into this, Snapchat recently commissioned Kantar to conduct an analysis of the value of its ‘high impact’ ad options, being ‘Snap Select’ ads on Snapchat Discover content, ‘First Commercial’, which ensures that your ad is the first that a Snapchatter sees on any given day, ‘Takeovers’, which give marketers access to all ad slot inventory within specific Shows, and ‘National Lenses’, which see promoted Lenses get the first Lens position the Snap camera for a single day.

These, of course, are higher-end Snap ad options, and come with a price tag to boot. But for those that can afford them, Snap’s data shows that these can be highly effective in driving increased brand awareness and discussion among its audience.

As explained by Snap:

“In campaigns where high-impact ads were used, marketers saw extensive, incremental benefits across the top of the funnel. Brand Awareness lifts were 2.1x Kantar Global MarketNorms, along with Ad Awareness at 1.9x and Message Association at 1.5x.”

Interestingly, the data also shows that these performance numbers were similar across all brands, regardless of whether or not they were new or more established.

That underlines the potential of these more prominent ad units in building brand recognition and trust. Of course, there is also the creative element to consider – none of these campaigns work if the creative isn’t top shelf too. But the placement data does highlight significant potential for Snap promotions, and connecting with younger users in the app.

The data also shows that running Snap campaigns in-line with major events, like sports finals and seasonal celebrations, can have additional engagement benefits.

“When Snapchat is leveraged at the right time for the right brand, the impact can be seen extended towards lower funnel metrics. For example, the study found that when Retail brands surrounded tentpole moments like Valentine’s Day, Back-to-School and Holidays, Favorability and Intent lifts exceeded norms, in addition to Brand Awareness and Ad Awareness lifts.”

Again, these are higher-end Snap ad options, and not all brands will have the capacity to pay for these more prominent in-app promos. But there are some interesting data points here, which underline the potential of Snap ads in driving trends, and connecting with key, culture-defining audiences, which can boost your marketing in a range of ways.

Some interesting considerations either way – you can check out Snap’s full high impact ads study here.