Snapchat, has now renamed itself as Snap Inc. This comes with a hot announcement, they aren’t just a simple app company anymore. They’re releasing a pair of camera equipped sunglasses call it Spectacles.
What Does It Do?
As you can see, Spectacles a lot more stylish than Google Glass. They record up to 10 second videos captured through a 115-degree-angle lens. This means it approximates how the human eye sees the world.
First hand users claim that watching the videos taken by Spectacles feels exactly like going back through one’s own experiences, as if rewinding memories. That, to us sounds very exciting and promising.
The videos you capture will get sent to the Memories Section of your Snapchat and you will be able to choose which one to post on your Story feed. Other features include:
1. Smartphone connectivity thru Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
2. Ability to rotate between landscape and vertical for video viewing
3. A battery life that should last for one whole day
4. Comes with its own case that also serves as the charger
Spectacles have been in Snapchat’s secret R and D since 2014. And Snap is just getting started with this type of tech. They are now labeling themselves as “a camera company.”
We may still need to wait a long time before Spectacles are seen not just as toys, but we predict that these will be a big deal considering the tech’s notable pedigree. Unlike Google Glass which has a negative reputation as unfashionable, pretentious, and creepy, Spectacles are stylish, fun, and less invasive in terms of functionality because videos are only 10 seconds. Thinking about how to leverage this new tech now could take your business to the front of the race. Here are some of our ideas.
How Your Business Can Take Advantage of Spectacles
A great way to promote your location or space
What’s fun about spectacles is that your audience will get to view your video as if they were actually there in your location. We think that’s the most important features of the Spectacles: it’s titillating short videos seen from a first person perspective. This would work great if you’re in the entertainment industry, if you want to feature a ride, if you want to feature a café, or even a space you want to rent or sell. The ideas are endless.
Demo your product, hands free
Snapchat is meant to host daily stories that can really be exciting and fun. But of course, since Spectacles is a hands free device, you get to shoot your videos while working or using your product, and that’s a huge deal for creating short demos or trials. You can now take your audience through the experience of using your product in a whole new way.
Provide Access to Live Events as Well as Private Content
People are attracted exclusivity. Get them access behind the scenes or behind the curtain through Snapchat. Fashion brands such as Michael Kors and Rebecca Minkoff have used Snapchat for sneak peaks on their collections before they went public. Spectacles will make this process a lot easier. You can also go behind the scenes on your events while wearing Spectacles and give your audience that feeling of having exclusive passes to your events as well as meeting your event celebrity or influencer “face to face”.
Create Incentives for Spectacles Users
Snapchat has been proven to drive significant foot traffic to events or physical businesses. Stage a fun event for your business where you can encourage people to join in the fun and record it with their Spectacles. Just provide them with incentives. Promise discounts, freebies, or special privileges and you can get a lot of user generated content through Spectacles. And you can also send these incentives via Snapchat itself. In one study, it’s been found that almost 60 percent of college students are likely to buy from a company when they get their discount coupon through Snapchat.
Snap's Spectacles will cost $129 and come in three colors: black, teal, and coral. They will be available in limited quantity sometime this autumn in the USA.
