Kuwait's OptimizeApp, a leading ad-tech platform for SMEs, has joined forces with Snapchat in a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to empower small and medium businesses across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with powerful digital advertising solutions.Building on its track record of simplifying advertising for SMEs, OptimizeApp offers a user-friendly platform with localized interfaces, payments, and account management – perfect for regional needs.Partnering with Snapchat unlocks access to a highly engaged audience. With Snapchatters in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) opening the app over 45 times a day, this is a prime opportunity for SMEs to reach new customers.Benefits for SMEs:Seamless Integration: OptimizeApp provides a smooth experience for integrating and optimizing Snapchat advertising solutions. Expert Guidance: SMEs will receive comprehensive education and support throughout their digital advertising journey with OptimizeApp.Campaign Management: Leverage OptimizeApp's expertise in creative development, campaign management, and reporting to maximize the value of advertising budgets.This partnership highlights both companies' commitment to "democratizing digital advertising." By equipping SMEs with the tools and knowledge they need, OptimizeApp and Snapchat are empowering businesses to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.Bader Alkazemi, Founder & CEO of OptimizeApp, said: "We're excited to partner with Snapchat to empower SMEs across MENA. Our platform offers a comprehensive solution, helping businesses launch and manage effective digital ad campaigns."Freijeh, VP of Snap Inc. MENA, said: "We're thrilled to join forces with OptimizeApp to support SMEs. Through partnerships like this, we believe we can significantly help them reach a wider audience and drive real results."

Middle East: As the MENA region’s creator economy continues to expand, Snap Inc. is introducing a variety of new programs and features helping creators to build sustainable businesses as well as grow and engage with their audiences.Publishers and established content creators in MENA are already successfully growing their communities on Snapchat. Meanwhile, emerging creators are being discovered and elevated from Snapchat’s creator ecosystem. Total time spent watching content on Spotlight–Snapchat’s entertainment platform for user-generated content–grew more than 200% year-over-year, and Spotlight reached more than 350 million monthly active users on average in Q1 2023. By providing game-changing content and revenue share opportunities, Snapchat is proving to be a real moneymaker for both established and aspiring creators who have learned how to take advantage of its latest features.“Snapchat offers creators at all stages of their career, aspiring and established, a variety of programs, opportunities and tools to help them grow their audiences and build sustainable businesses across Stories, Spotlight, and Discover, making content creation a full-time career. We continue to notice that creators value Snapchat because it provides unique reach, relevance, and revenue and we are excited to continue supporting creators every step of the way and empowering them with the tools they need to unleash their creativity and succeed in leaving a lasting impact on our platform,” said Julie Bogaert, Head of EMEA Talent Partnerships at Snap Inc.The new offerings for creators come at a time when Snapchat’s monthly addressable reach in the MENA region continues to grow, and the platform’s global daily active users (DAUs) increased 12% year-over-year to 406 million as of Q3 2023.“Snapchat is a key aspect in our business and brand because it directly connects the creator to their audience. The Snapchat story ads program is a big motivator for creators to keep using the app and constantly thinking outside the box to create more engaging stories, polls, and Q&As. The revenue stream coming from it is very rewarding and truly has become a main source of income for many creators,” added lifestyle Snap Star, Aliona Shcherba @aliona.ess.New Monetization ProgramsCreators with at least 50,000 followers, 25 million monthly Snap views, and who post at least 10 Stories per month, may now be eligible to join the Stories revenue share program. Snapchat's Stories revenue share program has transformed the creator landscape by seamlessly integrating ads within creators' Stories. The program provides a consistent source of revenue, enabling creators to reinvest in producing exceptional content. Early global adopters of the Stories revenue share program have experienced remarkable success, posting more frequently and witnessing a significant increase in engagement.Snapchat also continues to champion aspiring creators through its Spotlight reward program. Increased rewards are available for those who create top-performing Spotlight Snaps, incentivizing creativity and empowering creators to turn their passion into a lucrative career.“Snapchat maintains a creator’s classy and reputable image, and at the same time is considered a good investment in a creator’s content because it brings a great source of income. It motivates one to build stories from morning until the night with enjoyment, and allows the creator to be their true self without editing and be appreciated from the app for it,” said lifestyle Snap Star, Yazan Abweny @abo.zayan.Public StoriesSnapchat understands the importance of amplifying creators' reach while maintaining its authenticity as a place for genuine connections. To address this, Snapchatters aged 18 or older can now post their own Public Story. By seamlessly switching between sharing content with friends and adding it to their Public Story, for the first time creators can expand their audience and connect with friends all within the same account. Additionally, by saving a Snap to their Public Profile, creators gain access to invaluable content performance insights and Story Replies, allowing them to engage more effectively with their audience.Expanding Creator ContentSnapchat is also bringing creator content to new surfaces across the platform, like Snap Map, making it easier to discover creators across Stories and Spotlight. For instance, creators can now tag locations in their Spotlight Snaps, significantly amplifying their exposure and enabling their videos to appear on place profiles on the Snap Map.Furthermore, Snapchat has introduced the ability for creators to save their favorite Stories to their profile. Snapchatters can then explore these Stories, discovering new creators to follow and diving deeper into Stories from their favorite creators.“As a Snap Star creator, I enjoy engaging with my audience and quoting their replies on my Public Story. This feature has created a unique and vibrant community on Snapchat where I can connect with my audience, answer their questions, and engage in meaningful discussions. I gained more than 70 million Snap views in the past month from the variety of content I share and the direct interactions I have with my audience. This also enhanced the bond between me and my viewers, and allowed me to create content that is more relatable and joyful for my audience.I was also able to benefit from Spotlight, where I post my short form content to a wide and diverse audience. I reached new viewers who may not have discovered my content in the past, gaining more than 10 million views in the past two weeks on my creator account, and a rapid growth of my subscribers. Another appealing aspect is the ability to gain monthly rewards on Spotlight based on factors such as views and other engagement metrics,” added Bader Al Safar @baderalsafar; a content creator who showcases a lot of his diverse talents through his content. From the vibrant world of sneakers and fashion, all the way to his food ASMR eating mukbangs, where he tries the most unusual snacks from around the world.Additional FeaturesThe platform has and will continue to roll out new tools for creators to help them build their presence and express themselves. Creators can now have more control over the replies that appear on their videos with Spotlight Replies, and can react to and re-share Spotlight Snaps with Remix. Other new tools allow creators to add a Linktree to their Public Profile and to add sounds to Lenses.

Snap Inc has unveiled Lens Studio 5.0 Beta, which offers several new benefits. The announcement was made at its sixth annual Lens Fest 2023 event. The new version of Lens Studio supports more advanced AR development by collaborative teams. The new version offers several new benefits such as:Better performance for building more complex AR projects, and now projects load 18x faster. The compamny teamed up with Open AI to offer a new ChatGPT Remote API. Now, any Lens developer can leverage ChatGPT in their Lenses, unlocking new types of learning, conversational, and creative experiences for Snapchatters. Also, a new 3D face mask generator enables anyone to build their first potentially viral self-expression Lens within a matter of seconds, combining Gen AI and Snap's state-of-the-art face mesh capabilities.5.0 Beta also supports version control tools like Git for better project management. Multiple developers will be able work on projects at the same time. AR developers from around the world attended the event to celebrate the innovation and creativity of community, and share new tools for building the next generation of AR experiences. According to Snap, there are now 330,000 developers building on Snap’s AR platform who have created nearly 3.5 million Lenses, which in the last year have been viewed by Snapchatters more than 3 trillion times.The company said that its mission is to offer this growing AR community the most advanced tools available to build next-generation experiences for the Snapchat community and beyond through Camera Kit and Spectacles. Beyond new tools, Snap is continually finding new ways to support developers as they build their business and audience on its platform. Last year Snap introduced Lenses with Digital Goods so developers could build business models directly into their Lenses. Now, Digital Goods are available to any developer so they can offer exclusive AR features within a Lens that Snapchatters can unlock for a fee. A new section of Lens Explorer will promote Lenses with Digital Goods so they’re easy for Snapchatters to find and try.Snap has also seen great momentum with our Lens Creator Rewards programme which kicked off this summer, offering a monthly reward of up to $7,200 dollars for top-performing Lenses in selection regions. In the first month, more than 45,000 Lenses opted in, generating over 5 billion Lens interactions by Snapchatters.

Calling out design aficionados for a one-of-a-kind opportunity powered by Garnier Green and Snap Inc. Snapchatters now have a chance to inspire the design of the next Garnier Tote and create for a noble cause while at it. Set to run till September 27, the Shop Greener, because Saudi Deserves Green initiative is in support of Garnier Green Beauty’s latest campaign that aims to engage with communities across the Kingdom to encourage sustainable beauty choices.Hop on to the trend by using the Green Beauty Lens this KSA National Day exclusively on Snapchat by flipping the camera to engage with an AR powered customizable tote bag experience. Amateur and professional designers can show off artistic flair and submit awe-inspiring designs to @GarnierKSA for a chance to inspire the design of the next Garnier Tote. The winner will be contacted via Snapchat and features from their design inspiration will be showcased on the physical tote bag and available at Panda stores. Plus customers can also grab a tote bag for free on purchase of any Garnier product. Not only that, but if they come back with the tote bag, and purchase Garnier products worth only SAR50, they will get SAR5 cashback!In this era of revolutionary user-generated content powered by AR on platforms like Snapchat, brands are embracing novel ways to address crucial societal issues. Using AR to advocate eco-conscious beauty, Garnier Green Beauty Campaign’s latest campaign is employing AR technology to make Saudi greener. Leveraging Snapchat’s far-reaching monthly addressable audience of 22 million in KSA, along with a staggering 90% reach among 13-34 year olds, the competition aims to foster youth participation in promoting sustainable practices.Ahmed Wagih, General Manager Consumer Product Division Middle East, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "Garnier's unwavering commitment to a greener and more sustainable Saudi Arabia has been our driving force for years. This National Day, we're proud to introduce an AR lens x Snapchat experience that empowers consumers to design their own digital sustainable tote bags. Not only that, but they can get a free locally designed tote bag at the nearest Panda store! As we celebrate Saudi Arabia's heritage, we also celebrate our shared responsibility towards a greener future."“According to our KSA Augmentality Shift Report, 77% of consumers agree that they feel closer to brands or products that offer AR experiences. We take pride in collaborating with Garnier Green to help reduce environmental impact through the power of AR, and to raise awareness and catalyze change on environmental issues that can have an even bigger influence to champion real change. We eagerly anticipate KSA’s actively growing Snapchat community to partake in this eco-friendly initiative, helping Garnier pave the way to a more sustainable world,” said Mariam Koumaiha, Brand Strategist at Snap Inc. in MENA.