Build an augmented reality Lens people want to send to friends, and pay to put it in front of a whole country for a day.
McDonald's in Saudi Arabia needed to fill more than 850 roles. It ran a 24-hour sponsored Lens on Snapchat, backed by Snap Ads and five local influencers, inviting people to apply from inside the app. It received 42,972 applications against a target of 10,000 (Snap case study, undated).
The format's fame dates from Cinco de Mayo 2016, when Taco Bell's taco-head Lens was viewed 224 million times in one day. What Taco Bell paid was never reported, and no sales figure was published (Marketing Dive, 12 May 2016).
Consumer brands, retailers, employers and destinations reaching under-35s, and anyone selling in Saudi Arabia.
A Lens is an ad people choose to use and then send to friends, so every use is a personal recommendation. In Saudi Arabia, Snapchat ads reach the equivalent of 72.9% of the population (DataReportal, late 2025), so a national day or a big launch can reach a large share of the country at once. Saudi Tourism's one-day Founding Day Lens reached 15 million Snapchat users (Arab News, July 2024), and Snap's case study reports over half a billion impressions.
Vendor. McDonald's Saudi Arabia and Saudi Tourism figures from Snap case studies. Reported. Taco Bell from Marketing Dive (May 2016), Saudi Tourism's reach from Arab News (July 2024).
Cost to test. A national sponsored Lens day is a large media buy. A smaller test can run a Lens as a targeted ad for a few thousand dollars.
Kill it if applications, sales or bookings during the Lens day are no higher than in the week before.
Lenses earn plays, not always sales: Taco Bell never published one, so measure the action that follows. Snapchat's strength is younger audiences and the Gulf, and elsewhere it may reach the wrong people. Influencers in Saudi Arabia need a Mawthooq licence.
The Unhinged Mascot, Seed 500, Ad to WhatsApp
A 30-minute call first. If it fits, two calls in one week and a written growth plan you keep.