The Spectacle Of Snapchat
Snapchat has come a long way to become the spectacle it is today. As the oldest brother of four I still remember when Snapchat was known exclusively by only my youngest brother, still in high school at the time.
Snapchat has come a long way to become the spectacle it is today. As the oldest brother of four I still remember when Snapchat was known exclusively by my youngest brother who was still in high school at the time.
Snapchat in Times Square.
When Facebook offered Snapchat $3 Billion to be acquired founder and CEO Evan Spiegel surprisingly declined the offer. Overnight the company was a household name.
From there the growth continued. I watched from New York as they secured offices in the old New York Times building, one floor below where I was working at the time. A few months later most of the Times Square billboards were taken over by iconic white ghosts on yellow backdrops.
Around this time I started using Snapchat on a daily basis and so did a lot more people. Brands started to take notice. Snapchat started selling ads for more money then YouTube was charging for its famous homepage banner ad.
The company kept iterating on its mobile first platform without adding unnecessary distractive features. Like all great companies they made complex things feel simple. Adding augmented reality as face filters, gamification through badges, publicly accessible geotagging called geo-filters, QR codes rebranded as snapcodes and more.
After fundraising millions and rebranding as Snap Inc they are now doubling down on their new mission to be a camera company. Their first hardware product, Spectacles, is slowly being released around the country by a surprisingly cool popup vending machine called "Snapbot". One of which just showed up in New York City!
For me Snapchat has replaced Facebook as the way I stay in touch with friends and family. If you don't currently have some Snapchat streaks with your friends and family or know what they are I suggest you start some today. They are fun and effective for making sure you communicate with people each day.
And recently the company has filed for an IPO. I have to say Snapchat, or Snap Inc. as it is now called, has become a company I am very fond of. They have come a long way from "that app where your photos delete themselves after 10 seconds". Snapchat has stayed true to the mission of making a great product that helps people connect. I am excited to see the company IPO and watch what they do next.
Epilogue: If you want to check out my Snapchat adventures around New York City and the rest of the world you can add me by clicking here!
Major Key Alert: Add Krsiskar On Snapchat
If you have been paying attention to the pathway to more success then you know Snapchat is a Major 🔑Key . According to the 5 minute mini documentary video above, DJ Khaled is now getting between 3-4 million views per every single 10-second snap he sends out.
If you have been paying attention to the "pathway to more success" then you know Snapchat is a now a Major 🔑Key in the world of social networks. According to the 5 minute mini documentary video above, DJ Khaled (djkhaled305 on snapchat) is now getting between 3-4 million views per every single 10-second snap he sends out. That is two times as many views as a normal episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, proving that snapchat is no longer just for sending pictures of food to your friends.
With that I have decided to open up my Snapchat to the public. You can now get more of New York City and Startups by adding "krsiskar" on Snapchat. I'll make it even simpler for you. You can click the button below on your mobile device to add me on Snapchat with one click. And below that is also my Snapcode which you can screenshot and add me by as well. Lastly, if you know any other interesting snapchat accounts that are must adds, go on Snapchat and send me a snap telling me who else I should be checking out!
Follow Kevin Siskar on Snapchat
Early Pitch Decks of Billion Dollar Unicorn Startups
Here are the early pitch decks of unicorn startups, those worth over a billion dollars. Check out the early pitch decks of Snapchat, AirBnB, Buzzfeed, Facebook, and Square.
That photo app you were just using, the news feed your looking at, the website you just closed to book your vacation, all those companies had pitch decks long before most people ever heard of their name. Now those companies are worth billions of dollars. So what does early success look like? Here are the early pitch decks of some billion dollar startups, "unicorns"; Snapchat, AirBnB, Buzzfeed, Facebook, and Square
Snapchat - $16 Billlion Valuation
AirBnB - $25.5 Billion Valuation
Buzzfeed - $1.5 Billion Valuation
Facebook - $261 Billion Valuation
Square - $6 Billion Valuation
Teenagers, Technology, and Trends
As I write this it is Sunday night and I am getting some work done while the Teen Choice Awards are on the TV in the background. At this same time my youngest brother Alec, a teenager, is packing for college. As we grow up and older we tend to lose touch with the younger generations coming after us, without realizing it. Alec, jokingly and in little brother fashion, tends to make sure I remember this whenever I see him. Joking or not though, he is right.
As I write this it is Sunday night and I am getting some work done while the Teen Choice Awards are on the TV in the background. At this same time my youngest brother Alec, a teenager, is packing for college. As we grow up and older we tend to lose touch with the younger generations coming after us, without realizing it. Alec, jokingly and in little brother fashion, tends to make sure I remember this whenever I see him. Joking or not though, he is right.
It is important we pay attention and realize what is happening across all living generations. Especially those generations that can drive a wave of change through industries. The youngest generations are still refining their tastes as they age and because of that they are incredibly powerful. Like a bull in a china shop deciding which new app to take off the shelf.
Some of those businesses in the last few years which captured the attention of teenagers and were marked as early successes by them include Yik Yak, Vine, Jott and of course Snapchat. According to a recent Pew Research study, 71% of teenagers use multiple social media services. 52% of teens are on Instagram, 41% on Snapchat, 33% on Twitter, and 24% on Vine.
Most of these businesses have a common core. They allow teenagers to create. To create videos, messages, threads, and new content. On a day to day basis teens get the option to create something much more than other recent generations. They are the first age group to grow up completely from being a little kid while knowing what a Like, Retweet, or Fav is. And they are getting good at it. Teens are getting to be highly skilled with the ability to create. They are not happy with simply consuming others creations.
I think that was reinforced at Sunday nights Teen Choice Awards. The final awards of the night were not for Best Picture (Oscars) or Record of the Year (Grammys). Both awards that typically require the backing of massive corporations, studios, and labels in order to win. Sundays "Finale" awards were for Best Web Star.
We are seeing that this new class of teens is a group that admires and prefers authentic creations over what the generic media, studios, and labels pushes at them. Don't worry though, advertisers always find a way to get in with were the target audiences have shifted their gaze.
For now though, Bethany Mota won best Female Web Star and Cameron Dallas won best Male Web Star. Two people who created a following of millions, using platforms that are driven almost solely by the end user. I should also add they were the most happy, passionate, and excited about winning the award. That too felt more authentic.
So, to my point, and I will be sure to check in with my younger brothers if I am right or not, but I believe that removing the filters of traditional broadcasting and reaching an audience directly is clearly more powerful and will only continue to grow in power as this class of teens becomes adults. I think these teenagers will not only increase this trend, but hammer it home. This will be the future. The teenagers have already stated it as so.