Sponsored AI Lenses: Snapchat’s Answer To Increased User Engagement

On April 8 2025, Snapchat introduced a new advertising format to its repertoire: Sponsored AI Lenses, which are branded templates that can be interacted with by Snapchat users. Snapchat explains:

“This format generates personalized, AI-driven images that put Snapchatters at the center of unique brand moments, allowing them to express themselves while sharing their favorite brands with friends. “

Early Sponsored AI Lens experiments are promising. Brands such as Uber and Tinder have achieved higher average play times overall and greater interaction than their regular branded Snapchat Lenses.

Snapchat’s Sponsored AI Lenses are a form of experiential marketing. By putting users directly in your ad, they are instantly engaged and will be more likely to remember your brand. The Lenses will be housed in the Lens Carousel – a slider under Snapchat’s camera, where users can browse and apply available filters – which reaches around 300 million users per day. In-house studies claim they have the potential to secure brands a 25% to 45% increase in impressions daily.

The ad format is also optimized for sharing, increasing your brand awareness and chance of virality. At the tap of a button, users can send their branded Lens results with friends and, when the friend opens it, your Sponsored AI Lens will instantly open on their phone, inviting them to try it. This word-of-mouth sharing should work particularly well for brands wanting to create a buzz before or during a product launch.

To create Sponsored AI Lenses, brands will work with Snapchat’s production team to create up to 10 templates per Lens, which will be triggered by certain poses or prompts.

This ad format is only available as a reserved campaign called “First Lens Unlimited,” which is a 24-hour ad takeover, guaranteeing your Lens the top spot in the Lens carousel, globally. You’ll have to reach out to an Advertiser Solutions partner at Snapchat to reserve a day for your takeover and create your Sponsored AI Lenses, since this campaign type can’t be created on Snapchat’s online advertising platform.

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Kickstart your Sponsored AI Lens ad campaign with our limited time offer: when you spend $350 on ads, you get $375 back.

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Snapchat’s latest update to Lenses is an exciting way for businesses to engage their audiences and reach a huge number of potential customers. If you’re looking to expand your business globally, this form of advertising is likely to be effective – for example, recent data shows the popularity of Lenses, which are used by over 85% of Snapchat users in India.

Prices are yet to be confirmed, so it’s worth signing up to Snapchat Ads to discuss your options with an advisor.