Thank You Notes: My House Hero's

The music is the through-line that connects all House Heads, but I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to the people, the places, and the spaces in which I have found so much joy.

Seeing Hardwell @ Studio Paris for the Rolling Stone Lolla Party 2016

To my friends

I have been known to go to the club by myself before. I don’t hate it, but it’s so much better with you there. My happiest moments come when we’re getting lost together front and center. We’re experts at navigating the crowd and claiming space, be it twerking or shuffling, or all around grooving, we’re not afraid to be the first ones to start the party. We’re professionals. Thank you.


To The MID:

Even though your doors have been closed for years, the echoes of countless nights spent dancing within your walls stick with me. More than just a club, you were a second home. 306 N Halstead was my Friday night Uber destination prediction long after your last dance. So many legendary DJs came through, out-of-state friends couldn’t believe it. I’ve spent more money at The Mid than anywhere else in the city, and it was worth every penny. Thank you for the bliss, the friendships, and the unforgettable experiences that shaped my love for House music.

To ARC Music Festival:

There’s not much more I can say than what I wrote in my tribute letter. Thank you for creating a space where I can dance, connect, and escape from the everyday. It’s also a special place for my relationship. While I’m clearly dedicated to House, my girlfriend lives for ze techno. It speaks to the harmony in our dynamic, and the range and balance of sounds the fest creates — space for both of us to feel alive. Can’t wait for next year.

My girlfriend and I dancing at the Expansions Stage 2024

To Mike Dunn:

Your kick drum hits like no other. I live for the sirens that go off to signify it’s time. The transition is over. MD Xpress is ready to go. From way back at the MID, to the basement of shuttered Bloomingdales and everywhere in between. I know if you’re on the line up, it’s going to be a good time. A Reliable, Phreaky MF. Hands down the DJ I’ve seen the most and who I see as the quintessential Chicago sound. That’s why I was so pleased when the universe rewarded my fandom by having you headline the Sky Affair @ Cerise on the weekend of my 30th Birthday. I brought 20 friends, you signed my record and called my shirt “so Miami” — it couldn’t have gone better. Both simple gestures meant the world to me. Thank you.

To Green Velvet

Like many, “Flash” holds a special place in my memory bank. It was my first time clubbing in New York and the DJ at Le Bain played this song that just absolutely sent me. I misremembered the lyrics “Hannah is ready prepare to launch” and it haunted me, I could never find it. Then one day two years later, I finally heard it was able to Shazam it. More recently, your sets have just been incredible. I place your La La La Chicago in the same category as ARC for vibe and experience, and your set with Carl Cox left me speechless. Thank you for the pre-party in the plaza too.

Green Velvet at La La Land Chicago

To Honey Dijon:

Your set at ARC was honestly a revelation, an odyssey. The way you seamlessly blend genres and create an atmosphere of pure euphoria is a testament to your artistry. Meeting you at your album launch party at Gramaphone Records and having my favorite line from “Work” signed was a magical moment. And you complimented my cologne. Now every time I wear that Tom Ford Ombre Leather, I’m reminded of your warmth and generosity. Thank you, Honey Dijon, for the music, the memories, and the inspiration. See you at your House Nation tour in a few weeks!

To the I Love House Music Chicago Crew

Your events are where I take people when I want to show them a great time and let them experience “why Chicago” and “why House”. I know I tell you pretty much every time I see you at one of your events, I feel I need to say it again. They truly are my favorite, the crowd, the performers, the venues. There’s no better way I’d rather spend a summer Saturday than at the Sky Affair. Who knew that fateful evening at Cerise would turn out to be impactful? Thank you.

To Defected Records:

Defected, your sound is my absolute favorite. You’ve curated a sonic universe that celebrates individuality and inclusivity, and the artists you sign… just wow. One day I will make it to Defected Ibiza. Until then, I’ll keep requesting Defected events in Chicago and watching every Instagram post. One of your mottos, “In our House, we are all equal,” is so powerful. Thank you for fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and accepted, regardless of who they are or where they come from. Your commitment to House music’s legacy and future is an inspiration.

Defected Records’ Mantra

To The Chosen Few:

I’m honored to have attended for the last three years and wish I had known about it sooner. The Chosen Few picnic is a pilgrimage, a homecoming to the roots of House music. It gave me a profound appreciation for the culture and community that birthed this music. Witnessing the mastery of DJs like Wayne Williams, Alan King, and Jesse Saunders, and experiencing the spiritual energy of people of all ages. That Natasha Diggs set… that day I learned my praise & worship. Thank you for being a celebration of heritage, unity, and enduring power.

To @Fish56octagon

Might seem a bit out of left field, but in many ways not. I have been following your ascent from at-home-enthusiast to full-time-touring-DJ and it’s inspiring. I’m jealous of your encyclopedic memory, appreciate the thoroughness of your explanations, and support the transparency. From how you respond to critics to how you’re able to elaborate seemingly endlessly about the scene. I do believe seeing your enthusiasm and how you share your passion for House certainly played a role in my motivation to write these pieces. For that, I thank you.

And there you have it.

That’s why House music matters to me, and why I believe it matters to the world. It’s more than just a genre; it’s a cultural force that promotes unity, self-expression, and joy. It’s a testament to the power of music to transcend boundaries and bring people together.

I started this writing exercise on a bike, as a stream-of-consciousness voice recording one Friday evening. I had so many thoughts and feelings swirling around in my head coming down from ARC, I just needed to get them out. As my journey with House music continues, I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve and inspire, always reminding us that the dance floor is a place where we’re all equal, and the music is a language that speaks to our souls.

It’s often compared to the gospel, and if there were ever a moment of divine intervention, it was this the start of this article. As my therapeutic bike ride came to an end and my emotional tank emptied, Marshall Jefferson’s “Move Your Body” began to play on my speaker. A fitting end with a simple reminder: You gotta have House music all life long.

Randomly Accessed Memories: My journey to House

Throughout this process, I took time to look back and connect the dots of my musical evolution, which I discovered I hadn’t really done in earnest. Because when I did, it brought such clarity. I can pinpoint five influential chapters that have led me to where I am now. It all makes so much sense.

College + Peak “EDM”

My love for dance music solidified in Texas during college in the early 2010s, what many see as the height of modern EDM. Calvin Harris, Major Lazer, David Guetta, Tiesto, etc. I, and the flame, was lit at my first festival experience at UME in South Padre Island on Spring Break. It was everything you’d imagine and more. I left walking out of that weekend moving at a different BPM than I walked in. Entering the venue and at once seeing Chris Lake go off and then transitioning into NERVO, at some point playing “Reload” by Sebastian Ingrosso….🤌 . That image, the lights, lasers, smoke machines, and most of all, the energy, is etched in my memory — a hot start!

Spring Break 2013, thankfully out of focus.

Daft Punk + Bob.FM

As fate would have it, that festival was in March 2013, and in May 2013, Daft Punk released their final album: Random Access Memories. Monumental. Hands down the most influential album in my transformation into a House head. It was the first album I bought myself on vinyl. Simply Immaculate. While we’ll save a deep dive on that record for another day, it just goes to show that Spring-Summer 2013 was fundamental for me. I was hooked.

Back then, if you had HD radio in your car, 103.5 Bob.fm in Austin had a 2nd channel that exclusively played dance music. Thankfully my gem of a craigslist find, my black 2011 Ford Escape had the best sound system I had access to. Nothing terribly fancy, just the upgraded dealership package. Once I discovered this station, I drove everywhere bumpin’ to the beat of four on the floor. I’ve called it “dance music” thus far because at the time I didn’t know what House was, nor much about the intricacy and variety of subgenres and sounds. I just knew I liked the music.

4th Street

By the time my gallivanting around Austin was ending, my friends and I were regulars on 6th street where I fell in love with the dance floor. Shakespeare’s, SOHO, and Barbarella, will always have a special place in my heart, although the most memorable nights happened on 4th street at places like Rain, Y (RIP) and Highland — the gay clubs always had the best music. At the time I was unaware of the significance the queer community had in the origins of House. Now looking back, it all makes sense. I felt it then, I just didn’t know to call it House.


The dance floor of Rain in Austin, TX in the daylight.

ARC Year 1

The second seismic shuffle was during the weeks surrounding the first year of ARC in 2021. It was the first festival in the city coming out of covid lockdowns, and it was the catalyst of my transition from passive partier to active enthusiast. In fact, I remember the date and setting. September 9th, 2021, the Thursday after ARC at Cerise Rooftop at the Virgin Hotels. After years in the making, it was that night where I decided, “you know what… I think I am going all in on House.” It’s like my House coming out, I finally accepted what everyone around me already knew.


Reflections from inside the rooftop at Cerise, a cherry on top of the evening

This transformation occurred as my friend and I were sitting on the rooftop looking out across the Loop. We had just ran into a long lost club friend and our favorite bartender in the bathrooms, and were reminiscing on old times at The MID. We were also talking about the newest songs we Shazam’d at the fest. I used to have this slight guilt and frustration that I was familiar with so many songs, but could never recall artist names and track IDs without scrolling until I saw the album art. Was I a poser? It was at that moment I decided enough of that! I chose to commit and make a concerted effort to pay attention to who, what, where, and when, why and how the pieces fit together.

Club friends at Celeste later that week.

That same night, that same old friend introduced us to her old friends, a collection of local DJs, producers, creators, promoters, and all-around partiers. Turns out they all knew each other. Unbeknownst to us, we had just stumbled into the center of the underground, the tight community that powers the local scene every day. From then on I was off to the races.

You have life. You have love. You have House.

Having fully recovered from my fourth ARC Music Festival weekend, I find myself experiencing collisions of several profound emotions, so much so that it compelled me to write. First, there’s a deep desire for more, more house, more techno, and more big sound in the sunshine. Second, an insatiable craving to go even deeper to expand my knowledge and understanding of the genre. Lastly, and most surprisingly, an abnormally persistent desire to evangelize. The festival has left me feeling refreshed, energized, and even more passionate. I’ve spent the past weeks gathering my thoughts in an effort to articulate my feelings on why House, why it is so important, and how it continues to grow its influence in my life. Crafting this series of essays has been cathartic, which truthfully was the intention.

House turntable platter mats at Gramaphone Records

In this series of articles, we’ll find moments of reflection, doses of gratitude, dashes of history, heaps of self-expression, and yes… a stellar playlist. It starts with a synopsis on how I found my home in house, followed by a love letter to ARC Music Festival, and it closes with a series of thank you notes for the places and faces that have been there to shepherd my groove. I hope you walk away inspired by the values of peace, love, unity, respect, tolerance, and happiness, and with at least a taste of the feeling I’ve chased for the last decade — all in the name of the spirit of House.

Let’s get to work.

They say House is a feeling… that no one can understand really unless you are deep into the vibe. In many regards, those illustrious lyrics from the late Chuck Roberts are the truth. Meaning so much, while saying so little. House being a feeling is one of the most familiar phrases within the community. Globally galvanizing; universally understood. It’s all you need to know. It’s a sense of freedom, the embrace of acceptance, and profound belonging that washes over you. Every build up, every drop, it’s the embodiment of an evocative experience — it gets you going!

There is little I can write that will capture this essence as eloquently as the decades of timeless anthems like “Finally” by Kings of Tomorrow and Julie Mcknight, or as viscerally as being in the crowd, eyes closed, body jackin’. There is also bound to be house heads peeved that I’m even trying to explain it. No need to elaborate, just experience. Frankie Knuckles himself famously expressed this in an interview. While I deeply sympathize with the sentiment, at this moment, I yearn for more. Writing from the perspective of a listener, a consumer of the music, a devotee in the crowd, I didn’t publish this to necessarily convince readers to love house nor encourage anyone to start going to shows. I love having more room on the dance floor. Although if your curiosity is piqued, that’s wonderful and I highly encourage you to try house.

This is not me manifesting a budding music career — I’m not trying to be a DJ. I’m good at my day job. Although, one day learning my way around the decks well enough to ace a short birthday set? Sure, that sounds attainable and fun. Having produced my own song and music video with friends, which I’ll certainly do again, I feel confident that I’m a hobbyist. I’m a fan who is here to experience the environment. I crave the feeling, the fun, and the people. I’m here to rave.

Mike Dunn at crushing it at Spybar

With that being said, this is a collection of sentiments I’ve held dearly for so long, yet rarely channeled anywhere except coy Instagram content, Music League song submissions, or going to see more sets. As a natural communicator with a knack for verbose storytelling, I’ve decided to flaunt it rather than fight it. What about the music that makes me feel so impassioned? Why do I feel the need to defend it when I know others just don’t care? My hope is that you find my exploration of those questions entertaining, insightful, and maybe even a little moving.

Intrigued? Check out the other articles in the series here:

Private social media is not a wave. It’s the tide.

Since its inception, social has been a medium centered on human interaction between friends, family, classmates, and other close circles. Over time, these circles grew to encompass business, celebrities, and the media at large. Eventually, they grew too large. 

Algorithms have overwhelmed the feeds, Stories have become saturated, personal connection can be scarce, privacy is not a privilege (it’s a right), and the most meaningful interactions go unreported to the general public. These five factors have forced social media leaders to reevaluate their business models.  

As Mark Zuckerberg declared during his keynote address at the F8 developers conference last week, “the future is private.” The time has come to find new methods for bringing positive (and profitable) personal connections back to the core.

Algorithms overwhelm the feed.

Consumption has become a passive exercise based on volume, not purpose. 

The flood of content has forced brands to pay to be seen and causes publishers to reduce their reliance on social as the main traffic driver1. Meanwhile, influencers and other social-born businesses can crumble in the aftermath of an algorithm update2. 

Then, Stories arrived. Since Instagram adopted the Stories format invented by Snapchat, the feed has become significantly more sparse, and is predicted to surpass time in-feed sometime in 20193.

Dwell time has become a leading indicator of relevance for the algorithm4. If you have ever watched 30 seconds of an Ellen video and then scrolled down to see the next three posts are also Ellen videos, you understand what I mean. It’s in your face. It makes you think “why am I seeing this” — now more than ever before.

To combat this, brands should reevaluate their reliance on the typical promoted post and think beyond the feed in order to find ways to connect with the right audiences in a memorable way.

Stories are saturated.

Algorithms are not isolated to the feed. They dictate the order of the Stories environment as well. With a Stories format available on nearly every major app, they are facing the same problem as the feed: there is simply too much content. People ferociously tap, striving to see it all, without stopping to interact, only to skim.

Instagram recognized this. You'll notice that all of the features added to Stories over the last year have been in service of making them more interactive: polls, GIF stickers, emoji voting, countdowns. Each of them meant to make interactions easier.

Stories are where the people are spending their time. Brands need to be present there. If they aren’t prioritizing the interactivity of Stories, they are missing the potential. 

Personal connection is limited in the feeds.

New features can try to make consuming video less passive, but the underlying truth is: social media is lacking personal connections to both one’s followers and their content.  

In a recent interview, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted that they are “rethinking how Twitter incentivizes user behavior5”, suggesting that having a service that prioritizes the interests of the user, regardless of the author, is more important than who and how many people you follow.  

On the flipside, Pinterest, a platform that has never had a chronological, follower-based feed, added the “following tab” to its platform last year6. Why? To make it easier for pinners to see the content and recommendations from the people they have chosen to follow.

Facebook Watch has dedicated groups for each of their shows where any user can form a Watch Party for any video7, and friends can all tune in together. YouTube has introduced group chats to comment on and share videos with friends8. Even Instagram is testing a similar group viewing experience for IGTV9. 

All of these examples illustrate different ways the major platforms are giving control back to users and bringing the personal back to their services.

Meaningful interactions don’t make news.

Usage of messaging apps surpassed traditional social media way back in 2014. And, as no surprise to any Redditor, there is a group for everything and they’re thriving. From triathlon enthusiasts, to cancer survivors, to those who like interesting doors, you can find your community. Groups might be the last reason some remain active on Facebook11, but one-on-one interaction being the dominant behavior is not new.

What is new is how messaging apps and private groups are transitioning to become the core business opportunity. Traditional video, feed posts, and Stories will continue being the primary reach drivers, but longevity will come from successfully and constructively finding ways to be the conversation, rather than “join the conversation.”

It is critical for brands to ensure their customer care strategies are adapted for chat-based environments, and that they’re creating content specifically targeted to the appropriate communities.

Staying afloat in changing seas.

The combination of overwhelming algorithms, content saturation, and a longing for meaningful interactions has caused the major social media platforms to change course and keep positive, private and personal connections at their core. All of this is underpinned by the view that data protection and privacy is a right and should be built into every aspect of a platform. 

Brands need to adjust to this mindset. Meaning they’ll need to think beyond the feed, prioritize interactivity, adapt for chat-based environments, and find ways to tap into the relevant close-knit communities through a value exchange.  

How people interact online is constantly evolving, but one thing remains unchanged. No matter the feature, personal connection is the unique quality social media has over any other channel. Platforms, publishers, and advertisers alike can never lose sight of that, regardless of what's on the horizon.

Original run: https://www.digitas.com/en-us/news/insights/private-social-media-is-not-a-wave.-its-the-tide

Sources

  1. "The Great Facebook Crash” - Slate (June 2018)

  2. “Building and Losing a Career on Facebook” - NPR (Feb 2017)

  3. "Stories are about to surpass feed sharing. Now what?" - TechCrunch (May 2018)

  4. ”Facebook Dwell Time: What Video Marketers Need to Know” -  Tubular Insights (May 2017)

  5. "Jack Dorsey says it’s time to rethink the fundamental dynamics of Twitter" - TechCrunch (April 2019),

  6. "Introducing the following tab" - Pinterest Newsroom (March 2018)

  7. "14 Things to Know About Facebook Watch Party" - Guiding Tech (November 2018)

  8. "YouTube: Here’s How to Create a Group Chat" - AdWeek (Jan 2019)

  9. "Instagram's Testing a New Communal Video Viewing Option" - Social Media Today (April 2019)

  10. "The Messaging App report" - Business Insider (September 2016)

  11. "These Women Are Only On Facebook For The Groups" - Buzzfeed (April 2019)

Be in the moment or be somewhere else: How brands should to leverage Twitter

Twitter can still be a worthy investment. By leveraging the real-time strength of Twitter to relate brand equity to cultural conversations in the moment. Here are four areas where brands should focus on Twitter for maximum ROI:

  • Live & Events: Achieve reach and scale in real-time
  • Cultural Moments: Where trends and brands intersect
  • 1-to-1 Relationships: Humanizing the brand through conversation
  • The 2nd Screen: Capturing viewers with premium content partners
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Hispanic Heritage Month: More than cute sombreros and tequila

Hispanic Heritage Month: More than cute sombreros and tequila

Having a multicultural approach should be an ongoing practice by any successful agency. For this reason, Adelante, our internal Latino ERG, hosts a series of events to educate our Unicorns on fundamentals needed to successfully reach USH audiences. 

The ultimate goal is to explore the nuances of the USH experience with fun opportunities to enrich an understanding through the perspectives of our peers, providing much needed levity despite the current political climate.  

Here’s a glimpse of this year’s celebration at Digitas Chicago:

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F8 2017: Facebook M, Now a Catalyst for Conversation

As part of their ongoing quest to infuse artificial intelligence in the Messenger platform, Facebook has announced their newest enhancements to their digital assistant, M, at F8 this week. These upgrades highlight their desire for M to become the catalyst for social interaction, as opposed to a digital personal assistant.

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You Can Copy a Format but You Can't Copy a Purpose -- a Snapchat Story

On Wednesday, March 1st, Instagram opened up its Stories ad platform to brands of any size. This update is the latest challenge in the ongoing competition for mobile eyes and ad dollars between Instagram and Snapchat. But we need to stop and ask ourselves: are they even playing the same game? Did the recent implementation of Stories on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger put a major dent in Snapchat’s trajectory? Or did this introduction of Stories unintentionally help springboard the new entertainment “TV” focused era for Snapchat? The platform shifts in the last six months bring serious questions to the long-term viability of Snapchat as a platform but also expose new areas of growth.

 

Instagram Makes a Statement

2016 was a year of drastic change for Instagram. It was also the year Instagram put Snapchat as we know it “on notice.”  Depending on whose side you’re on, you may think of Instagram as the once pristine, independent, and inspirational photo-sharing app turned conglomerate copycat of the ephemeral, intimate, private, “cool” Snapchat. Conversely, you might believe Instagram is the leading visual communication platform, and they are adapting to changes in user behavior, while still doing it better than their competitors. I believe it is the latter.

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In an attempt to bring the personal back to the platform, Instagram implemented numerous updates that range from small enhancements, such as adding the ability to bookmark posts, to more major updates, like live streaming, Instagram Stories, and enhanced direct messaging.

Many of these updates are a direct response to a growing Snapchat threat. Those moves appeared to have paid off, at least in the short term. According to documents from Snap’s IPO filing, Snapchat active user growth slowed 82% after the launch of Instagram stories.

As an advertiser, whether you think Instagram’s version of Stories is better than Snapchat’s Stories is irrelevant. In 2016, Instagram added 100 Million users in a single year, bringing their total users to 600 Million, and Instagram Stories now has nearly more users than Snapchat’s entire global platform.

 

According to Snapchat, Size Doesn’t Matter

In a recent exchange on Medium, two authors wrote competing viewpoints on how they see the future of Snapchat. The first, “Why I’m leaving Snapchat and so are all your friends” speaks to the utility of the platform, specifically how the updates to Instagram were enough to make him leave. The response, “Why I’m Not Leaving Snapchat, and My Friends Aren’t Either: A Response to Owen Williams’ Article” spoke about the platform’s emotional appeal, and how the intimacy, privacy, and secrecy of Snapchat is the true appeal, and how having a big following is not important. Snapchat used their IPO road show to convince investors of that exact same argument; spending significant time highlighting how the one-to-one, intimate communication with your closest friends is the user’s priority, and just because Snapchat is not the biggest does not mean they are not the best — emphasizing a smaller concentration of highly engaged users. (Tumblr anyone?)

 

Snapchat Needs to Evolve

Snapchat has always maintained that they are a camera company. It is the marketers and investors who continue attempting to classify Snapchat as one type of platform versus another. This gives Snapchat the opportunity to truly define their unique value proposition they will bring to the future.

To avoid the struggles that have plagued Twitter of the past few years and to survive the ongoing battle with Facebook, Snapchat needs to go back to their original challenge: creating an intimate viewing experience that is as appealing to users as it is advertisers. In other words, how can Snapchat turn the historically impersonal broadcast experience of TV into a personal, intimate consumption experience, at scale?

 

They Are Poised for Success, If They Do it Right

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Coming out of the largest tech IPO since Facebook, with a market capitalization of $35 Billion, Snap Inc. is flush with cash and ready to make these sweeping changes on their own. Snapchat has always been something of an enigma for advertisers — it’s difficult to pinpoint what is driving users to the app.

Is it the disappearing photos? Is it the filters and lenses? Is it Discover, or Stories? Maybe that’s the appeal in and of itself. It’s flexible. It serves many functions, for many people, as a mobile-first, media-centric, conversation tool. There have been new apps that have tried to replicate each of those separate features, and failed. So far, Instagram has been the only one that appears to be making an impact.

Mobile devices have forced platforms to specialize in the offerings that they provide. Facebook is firmly entrenched as the multi-purpose platform that often finds itself as the main portal to the Internet for many users. Snapchat needs to celebrate their unprecedented media consumption experiences within Live Stories and Discover content, while supplementing their hardware products with unique augmented reality experiences.

My “aha moment” for the platform’s potential with Live Stories was when I was watching the NBA playoff on Live Stories. You get to watch the game from the sidelines, from the nose-bleeds, from the couch or even from the locker room. Snapchat is bringing a powerfully immersive and unique experience to what is otherwise passive observation, all in one mobile-first feed.

 

 

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One of the biggest and most important changes we’ll see on the platform in the coming months will focus on the multiple TV network deals to create Snapchat specific content.  As the TV landscape becomes more fragmented and app based, Snapchat’s grasp on the coveted 18-34 demographic sets them up to bring younger eyes back to “TV”.

In addition to Live Stories, Snapchat is one of the pioneering platforms to bring scale to augmented reality.  So far, their use of AR has been fairly novel, specifically with the introduction of World Lenses, which flip the camera to allow you to go from looking like a dog, to becoming the dog.  However, their numerous acquisitions of smart glass, 3D-Capture, facial recognition, and VR hardware companies has demonstrated their commitment to providing accessibility to augmented reality. They have also begun merchandising their augmented reality capabilities, with the introduction of Spectacles.  Leveraging their current software and hardware functionality, they are in a position to make a big splash in the AR/VR world in 2017.

Lastly, Snapchat has made dramatic updates to their advertising capabilities within the app itself. At the end of January, Snapchat opened up their ads API to let brands buy on their own. They’ve made partnerships with measurement, viewability and sales tracking companies to prove their effectiveness, and they have enhanced their targeting capabilities to include behavioral and purchasing targeting. Those updates, combined with enhanced 360 viewing experiences, to potentially using AR to revolutionize billboards, indicate that Snapchat has rapidly matured into a substantial advertising platform.

 

But What About Lenses?

Until this point, you may have noted my lack of discussion of Snapchat Lenses, which remain Snapchat’s last unique product offering. Even with the impending ability to target lenses to specific audiences, my response is “meh.” Facebook acquired MSQRD early last year, and the infusion of “Facebook Masks” into all Facebook properties is inevitable. That being said, the addition of Facebook Masks will lead to a decrease in price point for Snapchat Lenses.

 

 

In Summary

The many developments over the past few months have many wondering if Instagram Stories has put the kibosh on Snapchat, calling into question the long-term viability of the platform. But no one platform can own a feature (Facebook did not have a News Feed for its first two years). A platform can own a purpose.

Snapchat is just getting started and they offer a unique video immersion experience like we’ve never had before. They’re taking the Facebook route to “TV” faster than Facebook did, and they are entering into the next wave of AR/VR experiences. If they can successfully turn the historically impersonal broadcast experience of TV into a personal, intimate consumption experience, at scale, Snapchat is poised for a successful future.

Instagram Moves From Perfectly Curated to Surprisingly Real with "Stories"

With the introduction of Instagram Stories, they are lowering the bar for sharing perfect photos, while also aiming to eliminate the anxiety of over-posting and bothering one’s followers. Many believe this is a blatant rip-off of Snapchat. However, Instagram views this as a necessary evolution of their platform dictated by user behaviors, and that this is not a matter of conforming nor debating who invented what, but rather about adopting a new format of communication while tweaking and improving certain aspects to make it their own.

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Expression Apps: Conversation As a Platform

Messaging is the number one way we communicate with one another and the most common action we take on our phones. It is global, instant, interactive, and proactive – and because brands have seen the volume of inbound messages decrease drastically over the past year, Facebook wants to make as easy to get your content in and out of the app as possible.

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