Nov. 27--On Snapchat's Discover feature, users get quick app access to a wide variety of mobile video channels from the likes of CNN, Vice, Buzzfeed and a dozen other media brands. Starting Friday, U.S. users get an option just for the holidays.
Online publishing and retail start-up Brit + Co will deliver holiday-themed content to Discover over the coming week as well as the week leading up to Christmas: articles and videos on how to make emoji ornaments, or tips on wearing a black dress for the holidays, or a primer on vegan eggnog.
It's a big moment for San Francisco-based Brit + Co. Six of its employees have spent most of the last six weeks preparing nearly 300 pieces of content, including 17 video ads for Google's mobile search tool.
It's part of a move by Venice-based Snapchat to widen its appeal to the young women and girls that already make up a majority of its users. Enticing them to spend more of their day on Snapchat could also lure dollars away from YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook -- all of which compete for the same advertisers.
The Brit + Co special has a sponsor, and an impressive one: Google. Brit + Co Chief Executive Brit Morin wouldn't say what Google will pay, nor would she quantify Snapchat's split.
In part, the special is a tryout for Brit + Co. Already, many high-end media outlets have channels on Snapchat Discover, together drawing about 60 million Snapchat users a month. Not all make Snapchat's long-term cut. This year, Yahoo and Warner Music Group got booted from Discover after a few months when users didn't take to their shows.
Morin hopes for a better fate: a longer term deal with Snapchat as a publishing partner and strong revenue as a result of it.
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