Survey: Snapchat is a fleeting hobby, and ads don’t stick

A recent survey released by Fluent, a people-based marketing platform, may show Snapchat’s peak coming to an end. The survey consisted of 3,327 adults over the age of 18 in early February with interesting results.

Of importance was the possible fleeting impact of Snapchat. Some key findings:

• Nearly half of the people answering the survey (who are not necessarily Snapchat users themselves — only 24.2 percent of total respondents use the service) think Snapchat is just a fad (47.9 percent). The younger demographic skewed more heavily toward Snapchat’s longevity (68.8 percent between 18 and 24 think it will stick around), while only 45.2 percent of those 55 and over felt that it has a long life ahead.
• The media-sharing network is naturally most popular among the younger age bracket. Nearly 78 percent of users 18–24 use Snapchat at least daily, with two-thirds of those using Snapchat “all the time.” Among older Snapchat users 55+, 43.8 percent reported using it daily (31.3 percent used it “all the time.”)
• That said, even though it is currently popular, one-third of all Snapchat users believe they won’t even be using it five years from now, and men seemed more uninterested in continuing with the service. Nearly 50 percent of users said they won’t be using the service 10 years from now.
• Opinions on long-term Snapchat use also seem to be an age thing. Those surveyed under the age of 35 said that they are less likely to use the service when they turn 35 (55.4 percent).

Competition?

• There’s also room for a new service to steal what Snapchat’s best at. A majority, 62.3 percent of respondents, said they will switch to a newer alternative to Snapchat if one launches.
• This is an interesting response, considering how similar Instagram is to Snapchat; and yet 72.7 percent of Snapchat users have never created or viewed Instagram stories. Among those, 44.6 percent are between the ages of 18 and 24; 84.5 percent are above 55.
• Those who did say they’ve created or viewed an Instagram story remain loyal to Snapchat, though. 53.1 percent prefer Snapchat to Instagram.

Ads? No thanks

• Snapchat ads may exist, but they’re not a popular mainstay on the network. Only 9.4 percent of Snapchat users never skip ads, but 7.2 percent report they “rarely” skip ads. Nearly half (44 percent) “always” skip ads, 25.1 percent “often” do, and 14.3 percent “sometimes” skip them.
• Fifty percent of users 18–24 “always” skip ads, but 27.1 percent of users 55+ do. Only 7.6 percent “never” skip ads among users 18–24 (versus 20.8 percent of those 55+).

Key Snapchat influences

• News media (such as CNN and The New York Times) do not have much of a presence on Snapchat; while they may have a profile, they don’t get many eyeballs. Only 38.7 percent of users reported following publisher accounts on Snapchat. This didn’t improve by age bracket; in fact, 37 percent of Snapchat users between 18 and 24 do report following news media, but only 22.9 percent of those age 55+ report doing the same.
• On the other hand, sports accounts saw a little more of a draw on Snapchat: 42.1 percent report following accounts such as ESPN or the NFL, and this was most popular for men (50.1 percent follow compared to 36.0 percent women who also follow sports accounts).
• Only 43.2 percent of users follow pop culture Snapchat accounts.
• Internet celebrities do have influence, though. 51.4 percent report following popular internet celebs. This is especially true for those who are 18–24 (60.5 percent). However, TV celebs just don’t have the same appeal (48.1 percent).

With Snapchat’s IPO almost imminent, is the service sustainable? These findings make it hard to tell.