Blog 3: Snapchat Ads Getting Creepy

We've all fallen victim to some creepy targeted advertising while browsing the Internet. I'm constantly noticing that my Facebook page is littered with ads for a pair of shoes that I had just been eyeing on another website. Snapchat is going to be joining Facebook, Twitter, and Google in ad targeting since it has hired Oracle Data Cloud, an offline data provider.

What does this mean?
Basically, Snapchat will now stalk your offline activity to deliver targeted ads in your app. Oracle has a database of over 110 million households, $2 trillion in consumer spending, and over 1,500 brands. So, it is pretty likely that you are somewhere in their database. However, there is some good news - you can opt out of these targeted ads. To disable them, tap the ghost icon at the top of the screen in camera mode, enter Settings by tapping the gear icon in the top right corner, select "Manage Preferences", then "Advert Preferences", and finally there you can turn off the "Snap Audience Match".

Unfortunately, this won't exempt you from all Snapchat ads. Snapchat will still present ads based on your online, in-app activity. So, Snapchat will still be able to lightly stalk you, but not nearly as intense as with the Oracle data.

The reason for Snapchat's elevated stalk-level is likely due to their future IPO. Apparently investors just really love to see high ad sales. Who would've guessed?