The Most Unique Audience Among Millennials and Gen Z is a Snap Away

Millennials and Gen Z Growth

Social media usage in Canada has experienced years of constant growth, particularly with Millennials and Gen Z. The statistics speak for themselves - social media users aged between 25 to 34 years made up the largest share of users in Canada, accounting for over 25 percent of its audience.

It’s clear that Millennials and Gen Z are using their favourite apps on a daily basis, whether it’s to express themselves or find the latest trend.

The real question among Canadian marketers, though, is not what platform has the largest audience but is instead which platform has the most unique audience. They are looking for a way for the brand to engage with their specific target audience, ideally having a dedicated following rather than an abundant amount of passive followers.

Reaching over 600 million people globally, it’s no secret that Snapchat is one of the world’s most popular social platforms. Snapchat also offers unique reach into young, highly-engaged, mobile-first generations as they embark upon major life moments — many Snapchatters are moving out of the house for the first time, renting their first apartment, getting their first credit card or their first car, planning their first trip on their own, and more.

During this time they also start building brand preferences and buying the day-to-day products that they will be loyal to for the rest of their lives, making the Snapchat audience a key demographic for marketers and advertisers.

In order to better understand Snapchat’s unique reach,Snap partnered with GWI to see how frequently dedicated Canadian Snapchatters use other platforms. The study was conducted globally and found that – even stacked against TikTok, YouTube, and others – the Snapchat daily audience is unique.

The results of the study demonstrate that Snapchat’s growing audience is not easily reached on other platforms. Among Snapchatters in Canada, 43% of daily Snapchatters age 16+ do not use Facebook every day. Perhaps even more interesting was it was found that more than half (54%) of daily Snapchatters age 16+ do not use TikTok every day. In addition, 72% of daily Snapchatters age 16+ do not use Twitter every day, and 44% of daily Snapchatters age 16+ do not use YouTube every day.

These findings tell us one thing - Canadian Gen Zs and Millennials love Snapchat.

In Canada, Snapchat reaches more than 80% of 13-24 year-olds and more than 2/3rds of 13-34 year olds. Canadians are drawn to Snapchat for its distinct offerings, and one of those comes in the form of a friendly avatar, which is exactly why the product was made. Snapchat was built for the Gen Z and Millennial audience, and the product continues to evolve to ensure their needs are met.

Snapchat is also home to Bitmoji - the Canadian homegrown brand behind the custom emojis that are seen beside a user’s profile picture. Bitmojis are a direct gateway for expression, allowing young Canadians to customize and see themselves in an avatar - a trend that is taking off in the social media landscape right now.

The bet on Bitmoji has resulted in happy social media users, with Snapchat being ranked as the #1 happiest platform when compared to other apps. With young Canadians specifically, over 75% of the 13-24 Gen Z population in Canada have a Bitmoji avatar.

Bitmoji is just one of the ways Snapchat is engaging young users, with Snap Discover offering the latest news in bite-sized platforms, and filters allowing users to “try on” their favourite brand and shop using the power of Augmented Reality (AR).

If there’s one thing we know about social media, it’s that Millennials and Gen Z are drawn to not only look at content, but engage with it. Finding the right social media platform comes down to just that, and brands will see results by narrowing in on what engagement means to them.

Written by Matt McGowan, Country Director at Snap Inc.

*Source: GWI Core Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4 2021. Sample Size: 3,650 Snapchatters aged 16-64 (including 1826 aged 16-24) who use the platform daily. Market: Canada.