The National Republican Senatorial Committee's Latest Mission: Make Snapchat Uncool The GOP campaign arm is urging members of the Senate to get on the platform.
By Laura Entis
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In case you didn't know, Snapchat is apparently really big with teens and millennials.
Founded in 2011, the photo-sharing platform has managed to retain its cool factor even after becoming a giant, established social network. While it still skews very young -- 45 percent of users are between the ages of 18 and 24 -- older folks are increasingly joining the platform in a bid to appeal to these snap-happy youths.
This includes Republican candidates for Senate. Or at least, if the National Republican Senatorial Committee has any say in the matter.
In a leaked memo (which also reads like a veritable advertisement for Snapchat) obtained by Politico, the committee urged Senate candidates to join the social network, which it helpfully points out has 100 million daily users who watch more than 8 billion videos per day on the app.
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"These are astounding figures and it's another sign that we need to start considering Snapchat in the same league as Facebook, Twitter, and Google," the memo says, before listing other (admittedly impressive) figures, such as "two-thirds of Snapchat's millennial users are likely to vote in the 2016 election."
All of which is to say, it's time for Republican Senate candidates to get on Snapchat already! To help candidates ready to take the plunge, the memo outlines five tips for success. From the practical -- "Don't make your snap story too long. Keep it less than 45 seconds as best you can." -- to the rather exploitative -- "You can also use young volunteers in your snaps by snapping them making calls, knocking doors, or just working around the office" -- the memo, like most memos, is pretty much the antithesis of cool.
Related: Snapchat Reaches 8 Billion Daily Video Views
We can at least take comfort knowing snaps don't last very long. In the near future, if you stumble upon a series of snaps featuring Republican candidates for Senate "driving in the car from event to event," at least know it probably wasn't their idea. Blame the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
