The CPG Guys Podcast Summary
Episode: Brand Advertising Through Measurable Social Media with Snap Inc.’s Alanna Handelman
Release Date: August 2, 2025
Hosts: Peter V.S. Bond & Sri Rajagopalan
Guest: Alana Handelman, Head of Commerce in Canada Mid Market at Snap Inc.
Introduction
The episode kicks off with a brief announcement by Shree Rajagopalan about the upcoming Big Grocery Shop Kickoff Party in Las Vegas on September 28th, highlighting the event as a significant gathering for industry leaders. This sets the stage for the podcast's focus on consumer goods and retail media.
Guest Introduction
Peter V.S. Bond introduces Alana Handelman, an experienced leader in commerce at Snap Inc., emphasizing her role in driving Snap's mid-sized customer base across North America. Alana brings extensive experience from her eight-plus years at Snap, including launching the brand in Canada and evolving ad products. She is recognized in Marketing Magazine's 30 Under 30 list and resides in Toronto with her family.
Notable Quote:
Alana Handelman [03:23]: "I may, I maybe would rather be in Disneyland in Paris, but this is an excellent, excellent alternative."
Understanding Snapchat's Audience
The conversation begins with a common misconception: Snapchat is often perceived as solely a platform for Gen Z. Alana counters this by highlighting Snapchat's diverse user base.
Key Points:
- User Demographics:
- 900 million monthly active users.
- 80% are over 18 years old.
- 25% are aged 35 and above.
- Spending Power: The Snapchat generation in the US alone wields $2.2 trillion in spending power.
- User Growth: Snapchat is nearing the 1 billion user milestone, up from 850 million.
Notable Quote:
Alana Handelman [05:13]: "Snapchat is entering its 14th year and what we've seen is that snapchatters continue to come to the app because of this idea around connectivity."
Advertising Strategies on Snapchat
Alana outlines how brands, especially mid-tier ones, can leverage Snapchat's platform for both awareness and conversion.
Key Points:
- Full Funnel Growth: Brands can drive awareness, consideration, and conversion using Snapchat’s self-serve ads platform.
- Creative Engagement: Emphasis on "thumb-stopping" creative content, including video ads, user-generated content, and polished product shots.
- Creator Partnerships: Snapchat invests heavily in creator-based offerings, allowing brands to collaborate with influencers to enhance engagement.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [12:25]: "Whether that is creators coming, whether that is creator-based content... there's tons of ways to use your creative to actually help draw attention."
Alana Handelman [13:09]: "Sponsored Snaps... have actually become our highest reach takeover placement."
Snapchat in the Retail Media Ecosystem
The discussion shifts to Snapchat’s role within the broader retail media landscape, addressing budget allocations and partnerships with retailers and agencies.
Key Points:
- Integration with Retail: Snapchat assists brands in driving sales both directly through D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) channels and through retail partners.
- Agency Collaboration: Encourages agencies to diversify ad investments across multiple platforms, highlighting Snapchat’s unique audience.
- Measurement and Attribution: Emphasizes the importance of strong signal quality (e.g., Snap Pixel, Conversions API) for accurate measurement of ROI and sales lift.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [14:12]: "Snapchatters tend to be quite hard to find on other platforms... open up their investments and start to look at how they have a presence across multiple different touch points."
Alana Handelman [24:09]: "We want to make sure that all of our brands coming to Snapchat are able to see really high ROI from the platform."
Personalization and AI in Advertising
Alana delves into how Snapchat utilizes personalization and artificial intelligence to enhance ad effectiveness.
Key Points:
- Personalization Focus: Ensuring the right ad reaches the right person at the right time through advanced signal boosting.
- AI Integration: Leveraging AI to analyze user behavior and optimize ad placements across various Snapchat components like chat and camera.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [16:59]: "We are serving the right ad to the right person at the right time... through signals."
Alana Handelman [18:24]: "The Snap app has so many different components and surfaces within it... it allows us to really find that right Snapchat or where they are and where they're likely to take the action."
Advertising Products and Inventory
A significant portion of the conversation revolves around Snapchat’s unique advertising products, categorized into Content, Camera, and new Inventory Units.
Key Points:
- Content Ads: Vertical video ads suitable for various funnel stages, from impressions to purchases.
- Camera Features: Augmented Reality (AR) lenses and filters that provide immersive brand experiences.
- Sponsored Snaps: Innovative inventory units that allow brands to appear within individual chats, ensuring contextual and personalized engagement.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [19:13]: "Our ad products are almost even more so when I think about our ad products."
Alana Handelman [22:21]: "Sponsored Snaps... is a way for brands to be able to enter the chat."
Measurement, Attribution, and ROI
The hosts address challenges in measuring advertising effectiveness, particularly in the context of retail media.
Key Points:
- Shift from Vanity Metrics: Moving focus from likes and shares to meaningful business outcomes like sales lift and incremental impact.
- Signal Quality: Emphasizing robust signal integration (e.g., Snap Pixel, CAPI) to ensure accurate attribution and measurement.
- Common Frameworks: Recognizing the industry's need for standardized measurement frameworks to validate media spend.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [26:48]: "We have really been hyper fixated on... ensuring that data passes back in quality is there."
Alana Handelman [28:39]: "New to brand, incremental everything... that's where the industry will continue to lean into quite heavily."
Full Funnel Marketing Approach
Alana advocates for a comprehensive full funnel marketing strategy, integrating both upper and lower funnel activities to maximize impact.
Key Points:
- Consumer Journey: Taking consumers from awareness to consideration to conversion seamlessly.
- Avoiding Funnel Overload: Ensuring each stage of the funnel is addressed distinctly rather than overloading lower funnel tactics.
- AI and Personalization: Utilizing AI to enhance each stage of the funnel with personalized interactions.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [30:42]: "A full funnel perspective... helps shape every piece of that funnel."
Alana Handelman [33:19]: "Our company's really focused on AI to help supercharge everything that we're doing in really thoughtful ways."
Getting Started with Snapchat Advertising
In the concluding segment, Alana outlines the straightforward process for brands to begin advertising on Snapchat.
Steps to Activate:
- Visit Ads Manager: Navigate to ads.snapchat.com to access the self-service platform.
- Setup: Complete the onboarding process within approximately 10 minutes.
- Integrations: Utilize third-party integrations like Shopify to connect your storefront.
- Support: Access white glove service through account managers for tailored assistance and campaign optimization.
- Training: Take advantage of self-serve guided courses and certifications to enhance campaign effectiveness.
Notable Quotes:
Alana Handelman [35:51]: "Within about 10 minutes you will be fully set up and ready to go for your Snap campaigns."
Alana Handelman [37:27]: "We offer what I will call white glove service... to make activating on Snap even easier than you think it is."
Conclusion
Peter and Shree wrap up the episode by reiterating key statistics and encouraging listeners to engage with Snapchat advertising through the provided resources. They emphasize the importance of leveraging Snapchat’s unique strengths in a fragmented digital landscape to drive meaningful consumer engagement and sales.
Final Thoughts:
Peter V.S. Bond [36:10]: "Those are no joke and people should pay attention. And more importantly, I also think of contextuality in the world of cpg..."
Alana Handelman [35:46]: "By being contextually relevant and by having your brand show up where those conversations are happening..."
Key Takeaways
- Diverse Audience: Snapchat's user base extends beyond Gen Z, encompassing a significant portion of adults aged 35+ with substantial spending power.
- Full Funnel Marketing: Effective advertising on Snapchat requires a balanced approach addressing awareness, consideration, and conversion.
- Innovative Ad Products: Snapchat offers unique advertising formats like Sponsored Snaps and AR lenses that enhance engagement.
- Measurement and ROI: Focus on meaningful metrics such as sales lift and incremental impact, supported by robust signal integration.
- Ease of Use: Snapchat’s Ads Manager facilitates a straightforward setup with ample support and training resources.
For more information or to get started with Snapchat advertising, visit ads.snapchat.com as mentioned by Alana Handelman in the episode.