When it comes to social media platforms there are two that revolve around the use and messaging of pictures and video.  These two are Snapchat and Instagram. Although they are two different applications they are a prime option for advertising. A question you may have is which one is the better option, Snapchat or Instagram.

Instagram is similar to Snapchat in the sense that users can share pictures and video with friends. But instead of sending pictures, on Instagram users post a picture or video to their profile to share with their followers. Instagram came out in 2010, a year before Snapchat. Despite it being a platform slightly longer than Snapchat, over the course of its evolution Instagram has taken ideas from Snapchat, like stories and geofilters. Instagram offers the same 24-hour story format that Snapchat uses. This shows that what Snapchat is doing is working and other platforms are rushing to get up to date with features that tend to draw users in. Although Instagram is trying to catch up, Snapchat is still more creative when it comes to making content for users. Snapchat offers more options, like face filters for a brand or subscribing to a magazine on the Discover page. These customizable features appeal to audiences because they are able to participate in ways they cannot on Instagram. On Snapchat, a user can turn themselves into a movie character and send it to friends. On Instagram a user can only see a picture or video of that same movie on their timeline.

Both Instagram and Snapchat are great for marketing to high school and college students. But when it comes to daily usage, Snapchat has 78% of people using daily, compared to Instagram at 76%. On Snapchat you have a slightly higher chance of a millennial seeing an advertisement, since they tend to go onto Snapchat more on a day-to-day basis. It is already hard enough to market to a millennial audience, so using a platform with slightly higher daily usage with them gives brands an advantage over competitors.

When being marketed to, users like to feel a personal connection, not just like they are a part of the masses. This is why millennials love the Snapchat. It allows people to connect with friends, celebrities, and brands on a personal level. Users claim that while they love Instagram for sharing, they feel less personal on it and all actions are all one-sided. Instagram can sometimes make users feel overwhelmed and less involved with the amount of impersonal content meant for millions to see. Advertising on Snapchat can make the target audience feel like an advertisement is talking directly to them, while also making users feel involved with the campaign. This leaves users feeling important and that the company cares about their participation. Although both Instagram and Snapchat are immensely popular, Snapchat is changing the way users interact with advertisements. Applications, like Instagram, need to catch up in order to stay relevant in the quickly changing world of advertising.