We Are Social brings (Cynical) Cupid to life for Valentine’s Day with Snapchat’s Lens Studio

Cristina Blanaru Ads, Creativity

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been a time for flowers, chocolates and all things hopelessly romantic. However this year, global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has brought Cupid to Snapchat – but not quite as you might imagine him.

By combining the talents of its creative technology and future technology teams in London and Paris for its latest Social Tech Experiment, We Are Social has utilised Snapchat’s recently launched Lens Studio – a new tool which allows anyone to create and publish their own World Lenses – to bring to life the sharp-tongued and cheeky #CynicalCupid, giving users all the answers about love they may not want to hear.

To discover Cynical Cupid’s words of romantic ‘wisdom’, users simply need to launch Snapchat on the default camera view and hover over the Lens Snapcode below. Once the Lens is fully loaded, a pop-up will appear to unlock Cynical Cupid for 24 hours. Users can then ask Cynical Cupid “Will I ever find love?” and get one of a series of satirical answers which they can record and share with followers and friends.

Nathan McDonald, Co-Founder & Group CEO at We Are Social, said: “It’s exciting to see our expertise in social and our ongoing commitment to innovation come to life in such a fun and creative way. Collaboration between our teams in Paris and London has given us a unique opportunity to be one of the first agencies to design our own World Lens via Snapchat’s Lens Studio. Combining our understanding of user behaviour on the Snapchat platform with the creative possibilities of the Lens technology enables us to better inform our clients on upcoming trends, whilst showcasing the capabilities of our creative technology teams.”

Stéphane Maguet, head of creative technology at We Are Social in Paris, added: “Across the business we’re constantly looking for ways to utilise the latest technology and platform updates for our clients, and our monthly Social Tech Experiments provide the perfect forum for us to do that. Snapchat’s Lens Studio offers a unique opportunity for brands and individuals to express their creativity through a previously restrictive and costly format, and Cynical Cupid has provided a humorous and unique showcase of just what this update has to offer.”

To discover “Cynical Cupid”, flash the SnapCode and he will appear :

  • On Android: Turn up the “Media” volume on your mobile, not the “Ringtone” one
  • On iPhone: Turn up the general volume on your mobile, and deactivate the silence mode
  • Launch Snapchat app on the default camera view (not the frontal one)
  • Point the camera to the Lens Snapcode and hold your finger until the Lens is fully loaded
  • A pop-up appears, tap “Unlock for 24 hours”
  • To record the Snap, hold one finger on the central button at the bottom of the screen, ask “Will I ever find love ?”
  • While still holding the record button, just tap Cupid’s head which has appeared on the ground facing the camera.
  • Some hearts will appear and then Cupid will answer.
  • Record and share with friends and followers.

Credits

  • Matthew Payne: Head of Creative Technology, We Are Social in London
  • Stéphane Maguet: Head of Creative Technology, We Are Social in Paris
  • Thomas Guilhot: Executive Creative Director, We Are Social in Paris
  • Allistair Campbell: Executive Creative Director, We Are Social in London
  • Benjamin Bartholet: Designer & Technologist, We Are Social in Paris
  • Jacques Denain: Art Director, We Are Social in Paris
  • Fabien Gailleul: Art Director, We Are Social in Paris
  • Fabien Gaëtan: Creative Planner, We Are Social in Paris
  • Diego Chicharro: Senior Strategist, We Are Social in London
  • Casper Vahlgren: Junior Strategist, We Are Social in London
  • Ryan Dubras: Senior Communications Executive, We Are Social in London

 

We Are Social is a global agency delivering world-class creative ideas with forward-thinking brands. With an international team of over 700 and offices in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Munich, Berlin, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Sydney, the agency makes it its mission to put social thinking at the center of marketing. Among its clients are brands like adidas, Netflix, Samsung, Lavazza and Google.