Exploring Meta Advantage+: A smarter way to manage ads?

You may have already heard about Meta’s new ad manager, Meta Advantage+, which promises to streamline and reduce the time spent managing ads across Meta’s apps.

Following the rebranding of Automated Shopping Ads, Advantage+ boasts a new algorithm utilizing AI and machine learning. This algorithm automates the advertising process for those working with ads on Facebook and Instagram.

According to Meta, the automation offers several benefits, which we’ll explore in this post. We’ll also explore the potential drawbacks of this automated advertising process.

What does this relaunch offer?

First, let’s clarify what Advantage+ specifically offers. According to Meta, when creating ads, you only need to define your business goals, timeline, budget, and the ad creatives such as images, text, and videos.

Using this material, Advantage+ automatically generates and presents various ad setups for Instagram and Facebook. These setups rely on Meta’s AI and machine learning algorithm, which automates the process of finding the most relevant placements, audiences, and geographic locations.

In the automated ad setup, it’s crucial to provide Advantage+ with inputs that can work across different ad formats on the platforms. Part of the automation process involves creating ads that resonate with target audiences and their interests.

If video-based ads perform better on Instagram while text-based ads generate more clicks on Facebook, the Advantage+ tool continuously adjusts the ad setup to optimize performance.

For some, this automated process might be a drawback as it removes the freedom to design and control the look and feel of ads. Below, I’ve outlined other advantages and disadvantages to consider.

Advantages of Meta Advantage+

Combining creative input with Meta’s improved audience targeting based on machine learning can make advertising more effective by reaching the right audiences and increasing conversion rates.

According to Meta, the Advantage+ solution saves time during the advertising process, leaving more room to focus on the strategic aspects of social media marketing.

Pitfalls of Meta Advantage+

Due to the automated process, you don’t have full control over which audiences your ads reach or the geographic targeting, which is limited to one country at a time.

Brand safety could also be a concern, as you cannot manually select where your ads will appear.

Since Advantage+ is built around purchase optimization and designed for conversion campaigns, it may not be suitable if your advertising goals differ.

Is Advantage+ the right ad tool for you?

In my opinion, it’s worth testing Advantage+ to see if it suits your business. If you don’t have specific requirements for placements or brand safety, or simply want a more automated process, Advantage+ could be a great option to try.

Worst case scenario, the automated process doesn’t align with your campaign model, and you return to your previous advertising method. In other words, Advantage+ can simply be part of your experimentation with marketing to determine what works and what doesn’t.