Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has entered into a global partnership with WPP to deliver augmented reality (AR) marketing and commerce solutions for brands. The AR Lab will look to help brands deliver immersive experiences for consumers using Snap’s AR capabilities.
As Snap’s first agency AR partner, WPP will collaborate with the camera and social media company on new products and technology, and gain access to a custom AR Lab Strategy Guide, which includes best practices around creative development using Snap’s AR technology.
“Over 200m Snapchatters engage with AR every day. This partnership will help brands reach that community through the camera in ways that are engaging, impactful and drive real business results,” said David Roter, Vice President of Global Agency Partnerships at Snap. “We are thrilled to debut this initiative with WPP and look forward to driving this important frontier in marketing and commerce together with their clients around the globe.”
With the aim of generating more effective campaigns, Snap and WPP will also implement a co-developed custom optimisation scorecard for WPP clients, which will provide real-time insights into the performance of these campaigns.
The partnership will be used by WPP to further develop the AR capabilities of its employees through a learning and development curriculum through the AR Lab Academy, which aims to certify at least 1,000 WPP employees by the end of the year. And Snap will sponsor a quarterly AR production competition for WPP clients, with a focus on Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the UK, and the US.
“AR has a major role to play in the future of marketing and commerce, from virtual try-on to immersive digital experiences,” said Sanja Partalo, Executive Vice President of Strategic Development & Partnerships at WPP. “Snap has built an impressive AR platform and we are delighted to partner with them to ensure our people can access Snap’s latest AR technology and in turn develop richer, more innovative commerce solutions for our clients and their customers.”
