Delta launches Snapchat account with a Los Angeles scavenger hunt
Delta Air Lines is landing its latest promotion on Snapchat, marking its debut on the popular mobile storytelling app.
To kick off its effort, the airline is hosting a five-week-long scavenger hunt in Los Angeles via the app, where participants can win prizes including free flights, concert tickets and invites to the 2017 Grammys. The promotion is called Delta DreamHunt.
"Snapchat has a vibrant community of users that are sharing memories, sharing their passions. It's right time, right place, right message. That's what has made the platform so powerful," Ranjan Goswami, vice president of sales for West Coast region at Delta, told Mashable.
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Delta joins Snapchat at a time when the five-year-old company has been working to attract and retain more brands. Just last year, Snapchat made its big public advertising push and now its revenue is expected to rise by 150 percent year-over-year to $935.5 million in 2017, eMarketer said in its report released Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday, Snapchat users can follow clues on Delta's new Snapchat account along with its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Five Angelenos, including Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso, music duo KARMIN and Chef Ray Garcia, will also be sharing clues each week on their personal accounts.
The clues will lead participants to landmarks throughout Los Angeles. Participants enter to win by taking a Snapchat of the landmark with a sponsored geofilter that will be available around the location, and then sending it to Delta's Snapchat account.
Despite being the first airline to launch a customer support account on Twitter (which was shut down and folded into its main account earlier this year), Delta is late to launching on Snapchat. Aer Lingus was the first airline to join the app in 2014. American Airlines, United and Virgin America created their accounts last year.
"With Snapchat users, if there's one thing they over-index on, it's authenticity."
But Delta's delay to join Snapchat was mindful, Goswami said. Marketing is "about creating credibility with the audience you're trying to reach. With Snapchat users, if there's one thing they over-index on, it's authenticity," he said.
Delta has advertised on Snapchat previously, however, contributing to the more than $360 million in revenue Snapchat is expected to pull in this year, according to eMarketer.
For the next five weeks, Delta will run video ads in Los Angeles to promote DreamHunt as well as pay for sponsored geofilters at each location in the scavenger hunt.
"Advertisers are attracted to Snapchat for its broad reach among young millennials and those in Generation Z, which are valuable demographic groups for many businesses,” eMarketer principal analyst Cathy Boyle said in a statement.
Delta also has been prioritizing its presence in Los Angeles. The airline is currently undergoing a $1.9-billion upgrade of its terminals at Los Angeles International Airport.
The event is the first-ever, location-based scavenger hunt promotion on Snapchat, according to Delta. Snapchat, which is based in Venice, California, has been a "wonderful partner. They love the idea because they're all about pushing the platform to the next sign of engagement," he said.
Goswani said Delta still plans to maintain the Snapchat account after the hunt is over.
Topics Snapchat
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
