A Snapchat geo-filter will help QMart to engage with Millennial consumers at the ACL Music Festival.
By Amber Koontz, Editorial Assistant
QMart, a chain of 24 convenience stores owned and operated by Northwest Petroleum, has announced that it will offer an on demand Snapchat geo-filter at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival, which is scheduled to take place at Zilker Park for two consecutive weekends in Austin, Texas. The event will take place from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 and Oct. 7-9, and it is expected to draw 500,000 attendees.
A Snapchat on demand geo-filter is a branded, custom graphical overlay that identifies the user’s geographic location and allows users to take a photo or video and select an overlay to accompany the photo or video. To use a Snapchat geo-filter, users must be in a specific geographical location, which is referred to as the “geo-fence.” The geo-fence for the QMart filter encompasses the entire southeast side of the Austin City Limits Music Festival grounds. Users in the geo-fence can simply take a photo or video then swipe right to choose the “QMart @ ACL” geo-filter.
“Snapchat on-demand geo-filters offer a massive competitive advantage since 1) many brands have not tapped into this and 2) millions of Millennial Snapchat users love to share filters even if they are branded,” said Meelad Al-Arashi, marketing and public relations manager for QMart. “I decided to implement this unique digital engagement strategy to increase brand name awareness and recognition of our QMart convenience stores at a festival that draws more than half a million people with the hunch that no other convenience store would be present at the festival, let alone putting the geo-filter to use.”
Al-Arashi noted that Millennials say that they spend approximately 40% of their day on Snapchat. “It’s the definition of a no-brainer from a marketing and branding standpoint.”
QMart hopes that the brand’s unique filter will encourage Millennials to engage with the company and to share the brand’s image with their friends. Marketers are spending more on engaging with Millennials than any other group, and as Millennials account for 70% of all Snapchat users, this strategy seemed to be the perfect way to engage with Millennial consumers.
“Our goal is to cater to Millennials’ interests, and that translates to being where they are, all the time,” Al-Arashi said. “Millennials said they shop at c-stores almost every day. With Snapchat we hope to link Millennial shopping behaviors with social interests.”
The QMart Snapchat filter extends from the Festival’s Platinum Shuttle boarding area to the Miller Lite Game Hall. The area includes Tito’s Vodka Plinko Parlor, the VIP Grove, the Platinum Lounge and State Farm’s Quick Help station.
