Kenny Mitchell
In November, Snap introduced yet another strategy to make its platform even more addictive, capable, and advertiser-friendly: hardware. Snap Spectacles transform Snapchat the app into a brash sunglasses-camera that takes circular videos. Spectacles, or Specs, as Snap employees call them, eliminate that final point of friction of pulling a phone from one’s pocket to capture life’s spontaneity. They encourage sharing by design: When they initially pair with your phone, Specs actually film your first snap without warning. (After that, a tap of the frame initiates recording.) “Having a pair has already made a dent in the type of content I’m making,” says Mike Platco, a Snapchat artist and influencer. “It has made me more excited to post ‘in the moment’ videos that are less focused on a large narrative and more about bringing my audience in on the cool stuff I get to do.” Recently I wore Specs during a Chicago birthday bar crawl, capturing scenes that I’d never have filmed with my phone. Walking into each dive felt Scorsese-esque as
Photograph by Lyndon French
I filmed it, as if I was shooting my own Goodfellas, but grittier. With both of my hands free to stuff my face, I captured a late-night tamale run as a tube of masa flying right below the camera. If I wanted a selfie, I had to have one of those cinematic moments of staring placidly into a bathroom mirror. Unlike Google Glass, which prompted “Glasshole” bans at New York and San Francisco bars, Specs are designed to be nonthreatening. (A playfully twirling LED light broadcasts that they’re filming.) Spectacles ingeniously package this face camera into something that people might actually want to wear. “It’s a classic shape reinvented,” says fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff of the Ray-Ban–inspired shades, which come in black, coral, and teal. She thought Glass was hideous, but compares Spectacles to a party dress or shoes, an overt piece of flair that calls attention to its intent rather than hiding it. Specs, which Snap conspicuously branded a “toy” when it announced them last fall, are likely just the first physical camera that the company will introduce. Reports have circulated that it has considered other forms of wearable cameras, as well as drones. Snap has already tested selling a number of pieces of official merchandise, such as beach towels and backpacks, that hint at how the company thinks about bridging the real and digital worlds. When Snapchat introduced official playing cards, they were more or less a normal deck of cards, save for one thing: They came with instructions for a game called SnapKings. To play, a group of friends in the same room sets the cards on the table, but the game unfolds on Snapchat itself. If you draw a 3, you are instructed to “Snap yourself while making your grossest selfie face.” If you pull out a 9, you have to “Bust a rhyme for a 10-second Snap.” Much as with lenses, the cards initiate a Snap session, transforming a mellow Friday night into fodder for an expanding universe of good times. Despite Snap’s relentless creativity and distinct perspective, its future success isn’t assured. Facebook has been rapidly adding Snapchat-like features into Facebook, WhatsApp, and, most notably, Instagram. The rise of Instagram Stories, the 24-hour video-sharing tool that blatantly mimics Snapchat Stories, precipitated Snap’s decision to pursue an IPO, according to one source. “It definitely caught them off guard,” says a person who does business with Snap. “It’s a huge threat.” With Facebook trying to choke off its rival’s global expansion, investors could also inhibit Snap’s progress by dogging its stock if user and revenue growth don’t exceed the high bar Facebook set for social media. But Spiegel and company understand instinctually that power has shifted. The kids know what they’re doing. They know what they like. And Snap isn’t afraid to tell media companies and advertisers, Hey, shoot this more like the kids do. What those career baseball broadcasters missed as they jeered the Alpha Chi sisters? Those duck-faced women were now the ones in control of the cameras, and they have countless stories to tell.
JUSTIN KAN Mission: The self-proclaimed “Professional Snapchat Q&A Answer Giver” and Y Combinator partner uses Snapchat to mentor young entrepreneurs. “People like the feeling of access that is very raw, unedited, and inspirational. I’m kind of a life coach for thousands of people.”
CY R E N E Q Mission: The former Verizon web designer collaborates with such brands as Walmart and Disney to make pop art, including an adventure series starring Frozen’s Anna and Elsa. “On Snapchat, only you can see the engagement. And that’s the best kind of thing to lessen the pressure to post something great.”
KENNY MITCHELL Mission: Gatorade’s director of consumer engagement is reaching teen athletes via programs such as its Super Bowl Dunk lens (160 million views) and even a seven-minute animated film featuring Usain Bolt. “Part of what differentiates Snap Ads is its immersiveness. It’s full-screen with sound on.”
Additional reporting/writing by Jeff Beer, Claire Dodson, and Nicole LaPorte
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