There the company made several new ad products public during New Fronts 2024, such as new ways to include AR elements in campaigns, better options for creating AR, more content partners, and much more.
    The messaging around the event was AR and all the ways in which Snap is building out its ecosystem of the AR.

To this end, Snap launches AR Extensions, which will allow advertisers to natively incorporate AR Lenses and Filters into all ad formats
Snap says this will mean that "advertisers will be able to show their products, their IP, and share their branded world with Snapchatters through augmented reality directly through their ads.".

It also promises to further simplify the creation of AR, in a move that will get more brands into the picture of using AR. Snap is looking to launch automation tools, intending to step through the process of building a Lens.

Snap says one of the specific goals of this new system is to make it faster for brands to turn 2D product catalogs into try-on experiences. And the more and more Try On options Snap adds, that could be an important way to increase connections and engagement in the app.

And once you have created 3D models of your products, which might enable entirely new forms of promotion and exposure, even, potentially, in other apps.

Snap's also bringing generative AI to its AR creation process, which could be another big step.

Snap claims the best use for its newest AI tools is to make a complex job easier. Brands will soon be able to create AR Lenses using just conversational prompts. And if that works, and can really make it much easier to build custom, engaging AR experiences, you can bet that many more brands are going to be looking into it-especially given the resonance AR can have in an app.

Indeed, Snap is the largest originator of AR trends and has long been the leader in the space. The natural progression for Snap, then, would be AR glasses via a new iteration of its existing Spectacles device, but recent cost-cutting measures, and intensifying competition in the AR race, could have derailed Snap's plans somewhat in this regard.

Snap SEO Evan Spiegel said AR is still one of its focuses, so it could be still on track. But we've not heard much about AR-enabled Spectacles for a long time, though they do exist and have been in real world testing with chosen creators for a while now.

Though even if it's not through its own AR glasses, one way or another, more immersive, engaging AR experiences are coming, which might make these latest Snap ad creation updates even more valuable going forward.

Snap's also looking to give users more exclusive content, this time through partnerships with Live Nation as well as various sports leagues, including the WNBA, NBA and NFL.
Exclusive, behind-the-scenes content from artists and music festivals will be available on the app thanks to Live Nation, but Snap continues to share direct content from many professional sports leagues through its existing deals.

Snap is also partnering with NBCUniversal on innovative AR experiences for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Several Snap Stars will be attending the Games to share exclusives in the app as well.

Also:

We're launching Snap Sports Network, a sports channel on Snapchat that covers sports in an extremely nontraditional way. Dog surfing, extreme ironing, water bottle flipping-yup, all those things. Snap Sports Network is a new way of content programming brands can utilize through sponsorships and product integrations."
Extreme Ironing could be good. Definitely seems to fit the Snap content profile.

Snap has been making some big plays in content lately, backing away from its original Snap Originals programming and towards partner-sourced material and creator highlights. That'll save Snap money in production, while giving prominent creators a bigger spotlight, and these new partnerships are another step to the next phase of its content push.

Which could provide more advertiser potential, both through unique programming and big-name creators.

These are really interesting updates, with a lot of potential, though the same could be said of Snapchat more broadly. Snapchat definitely has the reach, with the app remaining a key connection tool for younger users, and it also arguably has the most innovative, inventive AR tools around.

And yet Snap's business efforts have stalled and sputtered - rather oddly for an app that's so much more private, which has curtailed its ad potential in so many ways.

It is improving, however; the last earnings report showed a dramatic growth in SMB advertising on the app, and the company is increasingly turning its growth strategy into more mature, higher income markets, as opposed to developing regions.

Perhaps, though, that will see Snap better capitalize on that potential, and become a bigger consideration for more brands moving forward.