Snapchat has a new route to go after local advertising and it’s a classic one—through local newspapers owned by Gannett.
On Thursday, Snapchat made an announcement that it has a sales partnership with Gannett, the newspaper chain that also publishes USA Today. “Gannett’s sales force will be trained and enabled to sell Snapchat advertising, build operations, and manage Snap marketing campaigns with local businesses,” Snapchat said in its announcement.
Snapchat is making a push to expand its advertising base because, like many digital platforms, ad growth depends on reaching thousands and millions of small businesses. Snapchat says that Gannett has a pipeline into 100,000 small businesses across the U.S.
Snapchat has been developing more tools for local businesses in the past year. Snap Map is one feature in the app where businesses can claim their spot in Snapchat’s virtual world and promote their venues. Snapchat said that as part of its deal with Gannett it would enable local businesses to distribute coupons, which is one of the foundations of the local newspaper ad industry.