Snapchat parent company Snap has launched a program to help influencers team up with AR lens developers.
The Lens Creative Partners Program is designed to give companies and creators seamless access to AR developers, giving brands more opportunities to create customised, sponsored content for their products.
Over 30 agencies from across the globe have signed up to the program. UK based agencies include Adam&Eve, AKQA, Objectspace, We Are Social, Wieden + Kennedy and Wunderman.
In order for AR lens creators to be certified for the program, they need to be "experienced in developing quality AR and complete a rigorous course about the development process, creative best practices, ad policies and buy models of sponsored AR Lenses on Snapchat."
Snap also expects over 100 unique creators to hop on board in the coming months.
AR relevance
Snapchat's main draw is its use of augmented reality. According to the platform, more than a third of its 186m daily active users engage with the AR capabilities.
Each lens on the app averages around 3 minutes of play time, which adds up to around 500 years of use per day. In addition to this, over 250,000 unique lens ideas have been submitted by the AR community.
The platform is also becoming a savvy marketing tool for brands, particularly in the mobile space. Earlier this year, mobile dev MiniClip ran a Snap campaign for their handheld title Football Strike, which drove over 200,000 installs.
A leaked memo from Snap CEO Evan Spiegel also detailed the company's plans to target older users, after a failed rebrand led to Snapchat losing users in the second half of 2018.
