Snapchat announced on Friday that it will begin rolling out the first set of advertisements for its users in the U.S. starting this weekend.
Snapchat, the highly-popular ephemeral messaging service, is heading towards monetization of its business by integrating in-app advertisements. In an official blog post on Friday, the critically-acclaimed messaging company said the first batch of ads will hit the users in the U.S. starting this weekend. The ads will be featured in the app's "Recent Updates" section, the company said.
Snapchat's idea of showing ads within its messaging system is unique. Unlike in other services, where ads are forced upon users, Snapchat will take a fresh approach with optional viewing. The company is keeping its ephemeral system intact for its advertisements by displaying ads for just 24 hours or until users view them.
Snapchat assured users that the new ads will not interrupt personal communication and stay away from Snaps and Chats. "That would be totally rude," the company proclaimed. "We want to see if we can deliver an experience that's fun and informative, the way ads used to be, before they got creepy and targeted. It's nice when all of the brilliant creative minds out there get our attention with terrific content."
The news of Snapchat integrating ads into its platform was originally revealed by the company's CEO and co-founder, Evan Spiegel, at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, last week. But their plans of introducing ads were already out in August.
Snapchat is not hiding the fact that advertisements will help the service make money, but added that the funds will be used to improve the overall experience of the service. The messaging service is ranked among popular services like Facebook and is currently valued at $10 billion, even without its revenue source. Over 700 million images or "Snaps" are shared each day and more than 500 million stories are viewed daily, according to the company's statistics.
The company did not reveal when the ads will be rolled out to users around the globe but it is likely to happen soon.
