AB Inbev brand Bud Light has struck a partnership with Snapchat, the photo and video sharing app with more than 200 million users, of which over 70% is below the age of 25.
The social media application has been making advertising deals with many big companies over recent years. However, Bud Light is the first alcohol brand on the platform to send users video ads in additional to dedicating a space in the app where users can share photos and videos from Bud Light’s ‘Whater, USA’ event.
Snapchat asks users for their age when signing up for an account. When users give an age of 13 years or younger, they get limited functionality being able only to take and edit pictures, instead of also sharing and receiving pictures or videos. The Snapchat ads are age-gated so that only consumers who are 21 years or older will see them.
While it’s positive that there is something done to bar minors from the full functionalities of Snapchat as well as in-app alcohol ads, the figure of 70% of the users being below the age of 25 is probably a significant underestimation. Previous research has shown that 49% of 9-12 year olds fake the age on their profiles; as well as 14% of 13-16 year olds.
Beyond asking users their date of birth, Snapchat and Bud Light do nothing to validate to verify the age of their users, consequently this new partnership might still lead to significant numbers of minors being exposed to interactive alcohol advertising.
Source: Adweek.com 29/05/15
