In recent years, Meta has transformed from a social networking titan into a technology behemoth deeply entrenched in artificial intelligence. Its Advantage+ suite, once just another tool in the digital marketer’s arsenal, has now evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem of AI-driven solutions that take the guesswork out of campaign management. The company’s latest Advantage+ innovations – set for global testing – introduce automation tools, AI-optimised lead generation, and an expanded Opportunity Score, all designed to refine advertisers’ strategies with minimal manual input. Marketers accustomed to fine-tuning audience segments and manually adjusting ad parameters are finding themselves in a new reality—one where AI handles much of the heavy lifting.
“Today, Advantage+ shopping campaigns (ASC+) has been one of our fastest, most consistently growing AI-powered ad products, most recently growing 70% year-over-year in Q4 . Since the launch of Meta Andromeda (a personalised ads retrieval engine), we’ve seen an 8% improvement in ad quality, better personalising the ads we show from Advantage+ campaigns,” says Krassimir Karamfilov, VP of product , Meta.
Now, Advantage+ leads campaigns, a key feature of the latest update, promises to identify high-quality leads with precision, trimming the excess costs associated with traditional lead-generation strategies. In early tests, campaigns using the Advantage+ AI setup showed a 10% reduction in cost per qualified lead, according to the company.
But it isn’t just about cost-cutting. The expansion of Meta’s Opportunity Score, a tool that assigns advertisers a performance rating along with tailored AI-backed recommendations, signals a shift toward a more guided approach to ad management. “This tool offers a 0-100 point score unique to each advertiser to educate how well their campaign is set up to maximise performance,” says Karamfilov .
With this, the company has effectively turned its ad platform into something more akin to a financial advisor—an omnipresent, data-driven assistant nudging businesses toward the most efficient choices. Early tests suggest that businesses that heed these AI-powered suggestions see a 5% reduction in cost per result, a modest but meaningful improvement in an ecosystem where ad budgets are scrutinised down to the decimal, the company claims.
For Yasin Hamidani, director at Media Care Brand Solutions, the implications are clear. “Meta’s Opportunity Score and Advantage+ insights simplify decision-making, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance ROI,” he notes. Given Meta’s dominance in digital advertising, widespread adoption is likely. However, challenges include overreliance on Meta’s AI, which may limit advertiser control and customisation. Smaller businesses might also struggle to interpret insights effectively.
Additionally, data privacy concerns and potential over-automation could impact creative flexibility, he highlights.
For others, the shift isn’t just inevitable—it’s an opportunity. Abhilash Madabhushi, founder of Consuma, sees the rapid integration of AI in marketing as a defining moment. “Think of AI the way we thought about computers and smartphones when they first arrived—a revolution, not a replacement,” he says. “The sooner advertisers embrace it, the more valuable they become.”
Meta, of course, isn’t blind to the anxieties AI provokes. By renaming Advantage+ shopping campaigns to Advantage+ sales campaigns, the company is signaling a broader ambition— one that extends beyond e-commerce into every corner of digital advertising. Campaigns enhanced by AI will now carry an ‘Advantage+ on’ label, a subtle yet unmistakable marker of the increasing role automation plays in the way brands communicate with consumers.