Learning to Trust the Algorithm: A Guide to Meta’s Advantage+ Features
Despite natural instincts for the need of control, in recent years digital marketers and indeed clients alike have had to learn to ‘let go’ of this way of thinking and lean into the algorithm of Meta in order to drive the most efficient results. Trusting a platform enough to allow it to make decisions based on brand, audience and strategy can be a daunting process, but the results speak for themselves. Meta’s latest report figures clearly show the benefits maximizing performance with their suite of AI-powered ad tools.
32% increased return on ad spend when using Advantage+ shopping campaigns
26% improvement in average cost per acquisition when using Advantage+ app campaigns
14% more incremental purchases per amount spent when using Advantage+ creative
5-times increase in reach when using Advantage custom audience (https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/meta-advantage)
After all, you may think you know your audience and what they want, but do you really? Meta’s systems can delve into the depths of each person’s individual online habits, reaching a potential group of engaged users you may not have even known existed!
Most recently Meta has claimed to have expanded on its already established Advantage+ creative suite, and is asking users for even more faith in its learnings to ‘opt in’ to join a test of new AI generation features. In Jon Loomer’s most recent article, ‘Test New AI Generation Features in Ads Manager’, he explores these new AI-powered enhancements declared in Meta’s latest Advantage overview that are not currently part of the core Advantage+ Creative toolbox.
These can be broken down into 4 components that are available for testing (for only some users thus far):
• Image expansion
- Background generation
- Text extraction optimization
- Expand video
Unpacking what this could mean in a ‘real life’ advertising scenario is both interesting and exciting! Requesting multiple image sizes or the risk of Meta cropping vital information out of creative could be a thing of the past, as the ‘zoom and crop’ tool is cast aside. As part of the testing process, Meta will be able to generate new components of your image based on size placement size requirements:
Background generation will now be available for more than just ‘catalog ads’, and if users allow the testing to go ahead, Meta can expand on its creativity, and use AI to generate aesthetically pleasing backgrounds for an otherwise plain creative:
Hand in hand with this option comes the next feature: text extraction. Available to be seen in the above example, “keywords and phrases” can be taken from your original text and displayed in certain locations, although perhaps this isn’t for the faint of heart or ‘laidback’ marketeer, as there will never be a preview of just how Meta will serve this ad and so it is very much throwing caution to the wind…
Finally, we look into the last AI test of ‘expanding video’. Again, much like with image expansion, requiring multiple asset sizes for each placement will be a distant memory as Meta will be able to automatically generate a top and bottom landscape to a video (as seen in the example below where the sky has been expanded and water added), making it suitable for numerous placements without multiple asset sizes needing to be provided.
So….as always with everything in the world of social advertising, we can establish from the above that this will be very much a test and learn process but will only work if we allow it to. The more you give, the more you get back! The new features are perhaps not for the more cautious among us or those not quite ready to hand over any remaining control and fully ‘let go’ of their own ideas of strategy, but they certainly point to a very exciting future in terms of advert quality, platform capability and audience learnings.
Sources:
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-shares-insights-ai-based-advantage-ad-suite/729424/
https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/meta-advantage
