Meta has introduced changes that enable advertisers to reach their audiences based on how they spend their time – whether through video, messaging, ads or AI enhanced experiences.
Facebook Reels ads have new audio options. Brands now can add songs from the free Meta Sound Collection, that can be added to carousel ads on Reels. Businesses can select a song from the library or allow the app to automatically choose the best music for an ad based on its content.
A test has been launched of post-loop ads, four- to 10- second skippable and standalone video ads that play after a Reel has ended. When the ad finishes playing, the original reel resumes and loops again. A test of image carousel ads for Reels has also been launched. The carousel ads are horizontally-scrollable ads that can include anywhere from two to 10 images and are shown at the bottom of Facebook Reels content.
Meta is also rolling out Advantage Custom Audience, a targeting automation product that leverages an advertiser’s Custom Audience as a way to reach new and existing customers. It goes beyond the usual 1%, 5%, or 10% audience similarity ranges, while also prioritizing delivery of ads to the Custom Audience. The process is guided by AI and machine learning to help improve advertiser campaign performance with less manual effort.
Instagram has also received some enhancements including new ad placements and formats. Businesses can place ads in Explore home and the profile feed. AI-powered multi-advertiser contextual ads have also been added. When a person engages with an ad, other ads that may be of interest to the viewer are delivered underneath it. Meta says that adding multi-advertiser contextual ads to existing Instagram feed ad campaigns resulted in the ads outperforming running campaigns for the Purchase outcome compared to those that did not include multi-advertiser ads.
Meta has been placing a big bet on short-form video through Reels on Facebook and Instagram, which it says is better for the company’s ad-based business in the long term.
This is despite the fact that many users – including some of its most high-profile influencers – have been vocal in their distaste for the changes implemented in this strategy, including pushing Reels as a default format on Instagram, suggesting content from creators a user doesn’t follow, a higher ad load and testing a TikTok-like full-screen interface. This led head of Instagram Adam Mosseri to post a video acknowledging users’ frustrations and that the changes are “not good” yet, but reiterating that video would become more prominent on the platform regardless and the company would be working to “get better.”
