Snap has partnered with Microsoft Advertising to provide sponsored links into its AI product.
My AI, an AI chatbot, was introduced earlier this year to Snapchat users and the firm has recently begun testing sponsored links into My AI in order to surface relevant content and experiences to Snapchatters from select partners.
For example, if a user asked My AI where to have dinner, the chatbot could reply with a link sponsored by a local restaurant or food delivery app.
Or if the user wanted suggestions for a weekend trip, My AI could return a link from an airline or hotel. It also could recommend where to buy a product the user was inquiring about from a local retailer.
Snap and Microsoft will be partnering on these link suggestions, Microsoft announced at its advertiser event last week.
Powered by Microsoft Advertising’s Ads for Chat API, Snap’s sponsored links will connect the user with relevant partners related to their conversation, while also allowing advertisers to reach customers at the moment they have an interest in their offering.
Turning AI chatbot conversations into a new ads landscape is not a new concept for the social media platform.
Following the launching of its own AI chat experience, Bing Chat, Microsoft began experimenting with inserting ads into the chat from its over 7,500 Microsoft Start partner brands in a test to see if it could drive more traffic to the publisher’s website from chatbot users.
Snap’s ads would work similarly to those provided by Bing and Google, as they’re also in the form of Sponsored Links related to the conversation.
The My AI ads partnership could potentially see Snapchat becoming a place where younger Gen Z users search for products and services by way of AI chats, in lieu of using a search engine like Google.
The Sponsored Links feature remains in ‘an early experimental phase to ensure they design thoughtful, useful experiences for the community.
The company suggested it’s also working with a variety of other partners to enhance My AI in the future.
