Sophie Blake
Snapchat and Publicis Media have released new data highlighting the effectiveness of the platform’s First Ad Impression Takeovers, a format that ensures brands occupy the first advertising slot seen by users on a given day.
The joint analysis, based on 49 campaigns across Q4 2024 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), shows that these takeover ads deliver significantly stronger performance than auction-based buys. According to the findings, First Story Takeovers reached up to eight times more users, while First Commercials achieved five times higher reach compared to their auction equivalents. Cost efficiency was also improved, with CPMs for First Story campaigns averaging 22% below planned, and First Commercials delivering 47% savings.
The report also underscored the clutter-cutting ability of the format. Brands using First Ad Impression Takeovers achieved 2.5 times higher ad awareness lift compared to Snapchat’s benchmark, suggesting that being the first ad of the day drives stronger visibility and recall in a crowded digital environment.
In addition to awareness, Snapchat and Publicis found a measurable “halo effect” on conversions. Campaigns for brands such as Yango, Dubai Safari Park, and Bulgari showed notable improvements, including an 11x increase in conversions for Yango on takeover days. Bulgari reported a 3.5x boost in conversions, while Dubai Safari Park achieved a 2.6x increase in online sales.
The study also highlighted how Snapchat users devote more attention to ads on the platform than the social mobile average. Using Lumen’s attention measurement tools, consumers were found to spend 2.6 times more attention per ad impression on Snapchat than on other platforms.
The First Ad Impression format spans multiple placements, including First Story, First Commercial, and First Lens Unlimited (AR), with campaigns spanning industries such as luxury, travel, government, entertainment, and consumer packaged goods.
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