Hearst-owned men’s lifestyle publication Esquire took the concept of a pop-up to the digital realm with a 48-hour Snapchat Discover experience.

The magazine’s “The Esquire Guide to Grooming” launched Friday, Dec. 9 at 6 a.m. and extended into Sunday, Dec. 11, playing into the idea of a temporary shop by embracing Snapchat’s disappearing content. The Esquire Guide to Grooming featured need-to-know grooming tips for the millennial male as peak holiday party season begins.

Groomed for Snapchat
During the 48-hour editorial pop-up, Esquire provided grooming tips for millennial men looking to “up their style” for the holidays. Instead of creating a Snapchat Story, Esquire turned to the platform’s Snapchat Discover feature, a tool favored by publishers to create magazine-like content.

Topics included the best ways to disguise being hungover, the right haircut and mistakes to avoid and “how to instantly look more handsome,” among others. Esquire’s content relied heavily on visuals and video.

Similar to a print magazine’s format, The Esquire Guide to Grooming included an advertising partner. Italian fashion label Giorgio Armani sponsored the Snapchat pop-up and included advertorial Snaps, owned by the brand, for its Acqua di Gio cologne.

Armani’s 3 advertorial Snaps included two custom brand videos and a branded article. The exclusive branded article taught men how to wear fragrance.

In total, The Esquire Guide to Grooming included 18 Snaps, 15 of which were editorial content developed by the publication and 3 by Armani.

Screenshot of The Esquire Guide to Grooming on Snapchat Discover

Marketers hope that Snapchat and a retooled marketing mix will win millennials over.

For example, U.S. fashion label Michael Kors’ sponsored Snapchat lens for National Sunglasses Day garnered more than 104 million total views, according to the brand.

On June 27, Michael Kors allowed consumers to try on its Kendall II sunglasses via a one-day-only Snapchat filter lens. Using Snapchat as a virtual mirror, consumers were able to try on three colors of the Kendall II style, with each pair creating a different experience

Michael Kors’ main objective for working with Snapchat was to raise awareness and engage with a millennial and Generation Z audience (see story).

Publishers have also taken notice of Snapchat’s potential in tapping into today’s youth.

For instance, Condé Nast’s Vogue made its fashionably late debut on Snapchat Discover with millennial-centric content to usher in new subscribers during New York Fashion Week in September.

The Snapchat channel aired for the first time on Sept. 6 with a would-you-rather interview featuring reality star Kim Kardashian West and tips from model Miranda Kerr to appeal to the app’s millennial fan base (see story).