Ogilvy, City of Chicago Team Up on Snapchat AR Lens to Encourage Mask Usage

Snapchatters can only unlock the lens by putting on a mask, and the agency said the lens uses its Chicago Design System to enable people to choose from different designs related to the city, including the logos of its sports teams.

Ogilvy deputy chief creative officer worldwide Joe Sciarrotta said in a statement, “We’ve been looking for ways to empower Chicago’s younger residents to share the precautions they are taking as they confront this pandemic. We saw this lens as a perfect opportunity to help young people prove through their social networks that they are making the right choices and truly believe ‘we are all one team.’”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot added, “Our youth are smart, civically minded people. They know their personal actions help keep them and their friends and families safe. By using this fun, unique tool, we reach them where they are—on their phones, on social media—and at the point when they have a choice to make about wearing that mask.”

And Han Nguyen, digital director for the City of Chicago, said, “As a city, we’re continually looking for innovative ways to combat the virus and reach residents where they are. So, when Ogilvy and Snap approached us with the opportunity to be the first to use this new AR lens, I knew we’d be giving our younger residents an experience they’d want to capture—and that’s how we’ll get masks on more faces.”