Snapchat Rolls Out Advertising This Weekend In The U.S.

Snapchat Inc., the maker of an app for sending messages that vanish after a few seconds, is set to unveil its advertising model this weekend in the United States. The app has not been monetized and until now was ad-free.

In an announcement, the company said "it’s going to feel a little weird at first, but we’re taking the plunge."

The two giants in the mobile ad space are Facebook and Google, hands down. Combined, their businesses are responsible for serving up two-thirds of the world's mobile ads. That said, mobile advertising is still a huge industry that will total $18.99 billion in the U.S. this year, which is up 78% from $10.67 billion in 2013, according to eMarketer.

It's only sensible that Snapchat should want a seat at the table with its highly engaged user base that sends and receives 700 million photos and videos a day.