Snapchat has partnered with the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon for an initiative that will see the entire marathon course covered with more than 40 different geofilters enabling both on-course runners and at-race supporters capture the experience on the social media platform.
The recently floated social media giant is stationing more than 40 location-based Snapchat Geofilters throughout the 26.2 mile course: thus allowing racers to share their own Los Angeles Marathon’s unique style with friends and followers on social media.
The Snapchat graphic overlays will be built around the various city landmarks that sit beside or can be seen from the course: they will range from Dodgers Stadium to Santa Monica Pier.
We’re teaming up with Snapchat to make social media history! On race day, the entire marathon course will be covered with 40+ geofilters! pic.twitter.com/3EDrVqXz30
— Los Angeles Marathon (@lamarathon) March 1, 2017
This event activation Snapchat initiative will be the largest ever conducted in the endurance industry and it also enables participants to try and break the Snapchat record for ‘Longest On-Demand Geofilter Initiative’ at 26.2 miles.
The Los Angeles Marathon organisers and Snapchat launched the initiative with a promotional campaign that saw special-edition geofilters placed at some of the course locations and throughout local LA fitness centres.
.@Snapchat–@lamarathon providing runners 40+ geofilters in record-breaking initiative. On @SportTechie https://t.co/HR9FMAzXUg #SMsports pic.twitter.com/x9wK1mCNW6
— Mark J. Burns (@markjburns88) March 1, 2017
The launch was also pushed across the partners’ social media platforms.
‘We’re proud to continue our tradition of innovation and ingenuity,’ comments Tracey Russell, Chief Executive of Conqur Endurance Group, organiser of the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon.
‘This is an exciting way for our athletes, spectators and the Los Angeles community to engage with one another on a social level while simultaneously setting a world record.’
The race, which will take place on 19 March, will sees more than 24,000 runners tackle to course and will be watched by around half a million fans.
On race day, interested viewers can follow all of the action on Snapchat at @lamarathon.
Activative Comment:
This being LA, surely at least one runner will cruise the course wearing a pair of Snapchat Spectacles and thus making the most of this partnership.
The initiative is partly a branding effort and awareness led initiative revolving around building connections and shares in the Los Angeles urban area.
But it is also a marketing showcase.
After all, it also follows on from Snapchat’s recent decision to streamline its ad formats with 16 new platform marketing partners (as it aims to offer more creative campaigns in response to Facebook rapid adoption of Snapchat-like features in its own Instagram Stories platform).
So this kind of real-time, major event partnerships can demonstrate Snapchat’s location-based photo content leadership to potential marketers.
The timing of this innovative Snapchat marathon partnership leverages last week’s Snap Inc Wall Street float (which saw the social media darling raise an astonishing $25bn).
But is there a fund raising strand behind this initiative?
After all, most sponsors familiar with marathon marketing understand the powerful pillar of charity donations and support that underpins so many marathons and motivates the participants.
After all, other recent inventive tech-led marathon sponsor activations in recent weeks have been tied to charity incentives and cause fund raising: these include Samsung’s ‘Marathon Game’ virtual coin charity fundraising title sponsorship activation of the Tel Aviv Marathon (see case study) and Lucozade Sport’s Instagram-led ‘Made To Move’ campaign leveraging its London Marathon partnership (see case study).
Links:
Snapchat
https://www.snapchat.com/l/en-gb/
LA Marathon
https://twitter.com/lamarathon
Skechers
