Targeting Students? Why Snapchat Should Be In Your Marketing Mix.

Freshers’ Week is one of the most concentrated moments of social activity in the student calendar. Thousands of young people arrive on campus, eager to connect, explore, and build their first networks. For marketers, it’s a rare window to reach a highly engaged youth audience at scale—and Snapchat is proving itself as one of the most effective platforms in this space.

Snapchat’s Reach Among UK Students

Snapchat’s presence in the UK is significant: around 23.7 million people use the app, making it one of the country’s top social platforms. What matters more for marketers is the demographic skew. Ofcom’s 2025 Media Use and Attitudes Report shows that 29% of 16–24 year olds in the UK name Snapchat as their main social media platform, ahead of TikTok (27%) and Instagram (23%). This puts Snapchat squarely in the centre of student life.

For advertisers, this audience is not only large but also habitually engaged. Snapchat is deeply woven into daily routines, often opened multiple times a day for messaging, story updates, and group coordination. Unlike TikTok or Instagram, which lean towards discovery and broadcast, Snapchat thrives on intimacy and immediacy — qualities that make it uniquely powerful for campaigns that want to feel authentic.

Freshers’ Week Campaigns in Action

Snapchat’s recent “Say It In A Snap” campaign, reported by Campaign, offers a compelling case study. Timed to coincide with Freshers’ Week 2025, the initiative featured outdoor and digital placements showcasing “real Snaps” from UK Gen Z students. Even more striking: the creative was developed by university students themselves, ensuring the campaign felt peer-driven rather than corporate.

This approach highlights that authenticity is key in an environment where young audiences are hyper-attuned to tone of voice. The campaign not only celebrated Freshers’ Week but also positioned Snapchat as the natural platform for sharing those early campus moments. Snapchat’s strategy of leveraging user-generated content and student creativity is a winning formula.

Why Snapchat Ads Work in the Student Context

For brands targeting students, Snapchat ads offer three distinct advantages:

1. High Attention, High Frequency
   Students use Snapchat multiple times a day, often as their first look in the morning. That habitual engagement translates into frequent ad impressions without overwhelming the user experience.

2. Formats That Match Behaviours
   From Snap Ads to AR Lenses and Sponsored Filters, Snapchat’s ad products integrate seamlessly with how students already use the app. During Freshers, for example, geofilters tied to campus events or AR experiences at local venues can create memorable, shareable touchpoints.

3. Peer-Led Relevance
   Because Snapchat is primarily about friends and private groups, advertising there feels closer to word-of-mouth than other ad platforms. When done well, it positions your brand as part of the student conversation, not outside it.

For professionals looking to test Snapchat ads, Freshers’ Week demonstrates the platform’s strength: high penetration among students, daily habitual use, and ad formats that map onto natural behaviours. While TikTok and Instagram may win on viral reach, Snapchat offers something more valuable in the student market — a role as the social glue.

If your brand wants to build authentic, lasting connections with students, Snapchat deserves serious consideration in your media mix.

Chat to us to find out more about Snapchat Advertising and what we can achieve for your youth-focused marketing.