Snapchat has launched a new discovery tool that adds contextual information to branded stories, opening up new marketing avenues for social advertisers.
Aptly named ‘Context Cards’, the new feature will allow social media users to swipe up on individual stories published in the ‘Our Story’ feed, which will prompt an interactive pop-up display showcasing contextual information related to the brand in question.
The additional information available includes ratings and reviews from Foursquare, company contact details and hours of operation, and directions to relevant venues.
Moreover – much like Instagram’s ‘Stories’ feature – brands will now be able to direct users to another channel or their own website with a single swipe.
In a press release announcing the product launch, Snapchat said: “With Context Cards, Snaps become the visual starting point for learning more about the world – empowering our community to get more information about anything that catches their eye.
“The billions of Snaps created every day power products like Stories, Search, Snap Map and now, Context Cards. As we learn more about how to improve Context Cards, we will be adding more partners and additional information.”
The launch of this new tool further strengthens Snapchat’s move towards becoming a more media and brand-friendly mobile platform, with Snap Inc. (Snapchat’s corporate parent) releasing a publisher tool for advertisers earlier this year.
