Snapchat has this week announced the launch of a new ad offering called 'First Commercial', which will enable advertisers to own 'the influential first commercial a user sees when they tune into Snap’s robust suite of shows'.

The offering will help Snapchat maximize the potential of its original content offerings - in its most recent performance update, Snap noted that the total daily time spent by Snapchatters watching Discover content has increased by over 35%, year-over-year, while total daily time spent by Snapchatters watching Shows has more than doubled versus Q1 2019.

Indeed, over the last year, Snap has seen a steady rise in interest in its Snap Original programs, with more than 60 of its original shows now reaching monthly audiences in excess of 10 million viewers. A recent addition is "Will From Home", a lockdown show hosted by Will Smith, which saw over 15 million viewers in its first three episodes.

With increased audience reach and interest, Snap says that its First Commercial ad slot will help brands maximize their reach and resonance with Snap audiences, essentially providing a premium ad spot, more aimed at high-end brands.

In addition to this, Snapchat is also expanding its Snap Select curated ad programming options to five topic options, up from two in its initial iteration.

Now, advertisers will be able to select specific programming bundles in 'Sports', 'Entertainment', 'Beauty', 'Lifestyle', and 'News', helping to ensure optimal reach to engaged viewers in each vertical within the app.

As you can see here, Snap Select offers premium, non-skippable ad placements, which will now be available in more themed sets.

And lastly, Snapchat is also launching a new Vertical Video Conversion tool in Snap Publisher, which will enable advertisers with horizontally-aligned assets to easily convert them into vertical format.

These are some interesting new options for Snap, and while the main ad changes are more focused on bigger spending brands, the video conversion tool could come in handy for many, providing a simple option to convert your existing video content into Snap's key presentation mode.

And while results will vary - and you'll likely generate best response by creating platform-specific content - it's another option to consider to expand your reach, while the premium video options could also help to boost interest in Snap's programming through aligned cross-promotion by big brands.

Snap Select is only available to advertisers in the US at this stage.