Hasta La Ideas

The Economist is joining Snapchat’s Discover feature, where it will publish 14 or more snaps that are focused on one theme. The stories will be posted during the weekend.

If The Economist and Snapchat sounds like an odd pairing, that’s because it is. The magazine prides itself on in-depth coverage of complex subjects, which don’t exactly lend themselves well to short, disappearing videos.

However, The Economist—like every magazine—needs as many revenue streams as possible, and so Snapchat it is. In fact, the first installment of The Economist’s snaps will be packed with Goldman Sachs ads.

In a statement, The Economist’s deputy editor Tom Standage made the magazine’s case for Snapchat users by saying, “We think our global, comparative and evidence-based outlook, with a dash of wit for good measure, is a perfect fit for the Snapchat generation.”

That might all be true, but what he was really doing was selling the magazine to advertisers. “The Economist is young and hip, too! Come, spend your money!”