Snapchat Outlines New Initiatives to Celebrate Black History Month

Snapchat has outlined its plans to celebrate Black History Month, together with themed Highlight challenges, new AR filters, and a brand new partnership to guarantee optimum illustration throughout its varied options.

First off, on Highlight – Snapchat’s launching a brand new set of Black History Month Highlight Challenges, which is able to see over $40,000 awarded to creators for collaborating in particular tasks aligned with the occasion.

Snapchat’s Black History Month challenges shall be up to date weekly all through February, and can contact on a variety of key themes:

• February 1 – 7 – Share what #BlackExcellence means to you
• February 8 – 14 – Present us what a day within the life at your HBCU seems like with #LifeAtMyHBCU!
• February 15- 21 – Use a location tag in your favourite native #BlackOwnedBusiness and inform us why you help them!
• February 18-24 – Educate Highlight on probably the most attention-grabbing #BlackHistoryMonthFacts.

Highlight, Snap’s tackle the full-screen, vertical scrolling video shift, has change into a preferred addition within the app, with the corporate reporting this week that complete time spent watching Highlight content material has grown more than 100% year-over-year. So whereas it’s basically a TikTok clone, the recognition of the choice as soon as once more underlines why apps replicate and duplicate such options. As a result of it really works, and it retains extra of their customers from migrating to different apps.

As such, it is also a great way for Snap to promote its Black History Month initiatives.

Snapchat’s additionally launching a variety of themed Lenses, created by Black artists:

“As we speak, Snapchatters can specific themselves with a group of augmented actuality Lenses created by Black AR creators like Enoch, Masharzi McCann, Kathryn Hicks and extra. On February 15, Snapchatters shall be in a position to discover a brand new assortment of Black History Month Lenses created by a bunch of seven Black AR creators.”

The themed Lenses will deal with three parts:

• Uncommon and untold tales – Sharing missed info concerning the Black expertise and historical past.
• Revisiting historical past and the promise of tomorrow – Recognizing how far we’ve come by spotlighting important accomplishments and beliefs for the long run.
• Diaspora – Discussing Black historical past because it applies to the diaspora, celebrating our variations and coming collectively in shared lineage.

That would assist to spotlight key messages by way of participating AR experiences inside the app.

Lastly, Snapchat’s additionally teaming up with the Magnificence in Inclusivity Affiliation (BIIA), to be certain that there’s an optimum mixture of illustration and variety throughout the app.

“BIIA is a brand new model auditing and certification system that may work with firms as a coaching useful resource to develop actionable targets and requirements for enterprise leaders to higher prioritize range and illustration throughout all areas of the sweetness enterprise. Snapchat will host a devoted profile for BIIA-curated content material to amplify BIPOC and allied creator voices as they share their distinctive tales.”

Black History Month is a vital time to acknowledge and replicate on the previous and present injustices inside societal constructions, and to contemplate how we will all contribute to bettering such transferring ahead.

Snapchat’s wanting to contribute to this broader dialog, and these themed ideas could possibly be a great way to spotlight such inside the app.