Snapchat Commits to the Metaverse With Launch of 3D Bitmojis
Snapchat is going 3D. In 2016, Snapchat acquired 2D digital sticker app Bitmoji for north of $100M. After obsessively embedding Bitmoji into the app for years, from Chat to Profile to Maps and more, Snapchat's 3D Bitmoji avatars represent their single biggest opportunity yet. Full take here.
Key insight: Over 70% of Snapchat's 280 million daily active users already have a Bitmoji avatar linked to their account. The more Bitmoji-centric experiences, personalization, and collectibles Snapchat adds, the more users will internalize and relate to their digital identity within Snapchat. The entire social media industry business model depends on one's ability to arrange and humanize a digital feature-set in such a way that the user deeply respects their online profile as an extension of their true self. Video game companies are implementing social media experiences, social media companies are implementing video game experiences, and the power users of each view digital avatars as that extension of self. Like Stories, Audio Rooms, and Short-Form Video, expect all social media giants to eventually make an avatar-related play. The thing about Snapchat? They have a 5 year head start.
All the best,
Christopher Travers