Why is Snapchat taking over Instagram?

Snapchat has recently revealed it has added 13 million daily active users over the past quarter, bumping its total daily user count to the highest number the app has seen in recent years – 203 million.

With the confidence boost that came along with rising numbers, Snapchat has also introduced a hilarious global ad campaign called “Real Friends,” which is taking a swing at Instagram’s home base.

Partnering with Instagram influencers, Snapchat is flooding the rival app’s hashtag #realfriends with quotes about friendship – including Snapchat’s distinguishable ghost logo and bright yellow.

According to CMO Kenny Mitchell, the goal of Snapchat’s campaign is to celebrate friendships and the role that they play on the platform. In my opinion, it is also to prove that the best place for candid friendships is on Snapchat – not Instagram.

We’ve written about the dangers of social media creating illusions of perfect lives online. Snapchat is playing into the fact that users can be themselves here more than they can be on Instagram.

While the campaign is not directly calling out Instagram, I have to wonder: Is it right to throw your competitor under the bus, especially in their own arena? It depends on who you ask: CNBC thinks of it all as “a bit of friendly fire,” while Mashable calls it “not so subtle trolling.”
So, what do you think? For Snapchat, they are sticking to their brand voice and overall messaging. What’s wrong with throwing a little shade?

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