Commentary: Meta’s Advantage+ Might Be Saving You Money, But Is It Costing You Conversions?
Strike Social
Strike Social SWAS ad technology minimizes ad costs and elevates success in campaign outcomes.
Are you one of those advertisers who jumped headfirst into Meta’s Advantage+, hoping for a quick win?
Recent data from Strike Social’s 2024 Facebook Ads Benchmark Report shows that while advertisers may benefit from a 51% drop in CPM, click-through rates have dropped by 54%.
While this suggests that while automation can lower your front-end expenses, it may not always foster stronger engagement.
Meta’s automated Advantage+ solutions promise efficiency, but do they align with actual business outcomes?
To better understand this trend, we analyzed CTR through impressions-based campaigns—not because CTR is the sole indicator of success, but because it helps measure the quality of engagement relative to ad exposure.
A lower CPM paired with declining CTR suggests that Meta’s broader audience reach under Advantage+ may not be driving the same level of user action as before.
For advertisers, this means that lower ad costs alone aren’t enough—it’s important to evaluate whether the traffic being generated is leading to actual conversions.
With Meta’s rapid algorithmic changes and ongoing product renaming, advertisers face frequent shifts that demand consistent strategy reevaluation.
Below is how experienced advertisers, like Strike Social’s Senior Digital Media Analyst, Shyr Laureta , view these developments.
Get the full data in our latest Facebook Benchmark Report
Disclaimer: The views and opinions shared by our expert do not necessarily reflect those of the entire Strike Social team.
(Note: All source references are provided at the bottom of the article)
Meta’s Latest Updates and Why They Matter
Meta has significantly revamped its ad platform by integrating more automated features under the Advantage+ umbrella.
These changes focus on hands-free optimization, covering everything from audience targeting to creative execution.
Advertisers are left with a fundamental choice: fully trust the algorithm or retain manual controls for more precise targeting.
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Q: Could you give a brief overview of Meta’s latest updates and why everyone’s talking about Advantage+?
Shyr explains that Meta has been rapidly rolling out Advantage+ features across Sales, App, and Leads campaigns.
These updates increasingly rely on automation—affecting everything from how audiences are targeted to how creatives are displayed.
Many advertisers face the core question of whether to embrace Meta’s automated approach entirely or maintain manual controls to ensure alignment with business objectives.
Understanding Advantage+ vs. Traditional Manual Campaign Set-up
Meta Advantage+ consolidates many campaign elements to prioritize rapid scaling and lower upfront costs. In contrast, traditional manual campaign set-ups allow advertisers to maintain tight control over every element, from audience segments to daily budgets.
Q: What exactly is Advantage+, and how does it differ from traditional Facebook advertising?
Meta’s Advantage+ is a suite of features that collectively hand more control over to the algorithm. To briefly explain the key differences:
?? Advantage+ Audience
Broad “suggested” targeting can uncover new prospects but may pull in less-qualified users if used blindly.
?? Advantage+ Creative
Automated enhancements—music overlays, resized visuals—simplify creative production but make it harder to isolate which tweaks improve or harm performance.
?? Advantage+ Campaign (formerly Automated App Ads or AAA)
Formerly Automated App Ads (AAA), these consolidated campaigns can scale quickly but may funnel budget into a narrow set of top-performing creatives.
?? Advantage+ Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO)
Budget decisions are made at the campaign level. The algorithm redistributes spend to what it sees as top-performing ad sets, but it could starve newer ad sets that need time to gather data.
Expert Commentary on Trusting Meta’s Recommendations
According to Shyr, relying exclusively on Meta’s automated suggestions carries inherent risks.
The algorithm is designed for broad, upper-funnel objectives. Brands seeking high-value leads or higher lifetime value often find that manual optimization remains essential.
Q: You’ve been running Facebook ads with Strike Social since 2015. What are your thoughts on trusting Meta’s recommendations?
Shyr emphasizes the importance of not relinquishing complete campaign control to the algorithm.
She points to a disconnect between how Meta optimizes (upper-funnel actions like clicks or installs) and what businesses actually need (quality leads, purchases, or higher lifetime value).
While the algorithm can successfully lower front-end metrics like cost per impression or cost per install, it might also attract low-intent audiences
The result is a campaign that “looks good” on the dashboard but may fail to deliver substantial ROI or actual conversions.
Key Performance Insights from Strike Social’s 2024 Benchmark Report
Strike Social’s 2024 Facebook Ads Benchmark Report provides data-backed observations on ad costs and engagement, shedding light on the benefits and drawbacks of broader automation.
Q: How do these insights align with the Strike Social 2024 Facebook Ads Benchmark Report?
The Strike Social 2024 Facebook Ads Benchmark Report uncovered two striking trends:
?? 51% Reduction in CPM: Advantage+ and expanded placements have driven down costs.
?? 54% Decline in CTR: Despite cheaper reach, the broader targeting pool often brings in less engaged users.
She explains that these findings reflect a core trade-off of extensive automation. Marketers may see reduced costs but at the potential expense of meaningful engagement and conversion quality.
Recommended Settings and Best Practices
Balancing automated features with manual oversight can prevent performance pitfalls. Here are specific measures advertisers can take to fine-tune their campaigns.
Q: With the complexities of Advantage+, how should advertisers configure campaigns to balance automation and control?
Shyr's personal recommended approach includes:
Campaign Level
?? Use Manual App Promotion where relevant
?? Disable Advantage+ CBO to keep tighter control over how the budget is allocated
?? Perform manual A/B tests rather than relying solely on Meta’s built-in testing tools
Ad Set Level
?? Disable Dynamic Creative when consistent creative evaluation is necessary
?? Opt for a daily budget instead of a lifetime budget, to avoid sudden spending spikes
?? Keep Advantage+ Audience to a limited portion of your overall budget, especially if you rely on very specific targeting
Ad Level
?? Use Partnership ads if it aligns with brand goals and partnerships
?? Turn off Multi-advertiser ads to reduce irrelevant placements
?? Consider Advantage+ Creative carefully, verifying that any auto-generated enhancements do not dilute brand messaging
Practical Do’s & Don’ts
Practical guidelines can help advertisers maximize benefits and avoid common mistakes when using Advantage+.
Q: What do you recommend people do—and not do—when using Advantage+?
Do:
? Leverage Advantage+ Placements to explore varied inventory
? Maintain a parallel manual campaign (about 30% Advantage+, 70% manual) for controlled tests
? Thoroughly evaluate and scale creative enhancements only after collecting sufficient data
Don’t:
? Depend solely on broad, automated targeting when higher-value leads are needed
? Allow the algorithm to finalize creative decisions without manual checks
? Overlook updates; Meta frequently tweaks these features, necessitating ongoing education and adaptation
Cross Platform Comparison
While Meta’s Advantage+ mirrors automated features on other networks—such as Google’s Performance Max and TikTok’s Smart+—each platform’s algorithm targets user behavior differently.
Advertisers should approach automation on Meta with the same caution they’d apply elsewhere, validating any immediate cost savings against actual downstream impact on sales or leads.
Future Outlook for Meta’s Advantage+
Meta aims to simplify campaign setup so that Advantage+ becomes the default. While this enhances speed to market, it may also narrow advertisers’ control.
Q: Where is Meta heading with these Advantage+ features?
According to Shyr, Meta seems to be streamlining its campaign setup to be more plug-and-play. While this could make campaign management more accessible, advertisers who want precise control over their targeting and spend need to take extra steps to override certain settings.
Meta’s automation-first approach signals where the industry is heading. Despite this, advertisers must pay attention to the details.
Those who can effectively guide the algorithm—rather than relying on it exclusively—will most likely benefit from Meta’s evolving capabilities.
?? QUICK UPDATE:
Our team has observed that Meta is now automatically enabling Advantage+ for Budget, Audience, and Placements in certain campaign objectives—even if you didn’t opt in.
Learn how to opt-out here.
Key Takeaways
1?? Automation vs. Engagement Trade-off: Lower costs do not necessarily drive stronger engagement
2?? Balanced Strategy: Combining Advantage+ with manual optimization can keep ad spend aligned with actual business objectives
3?? Testing & Monitoring: Regular tests, niche adjustments, and ongoing reviews of automated changes help sustain meaningful ROI
4?? Cross-Platform Perspective: Automation tools from any provider, including Meta, require continuous data analysis to ensure they meet a campaign’s deeper objectives
In essence, automation is a powerful ally but not a standalone solution
Advertisers who combine algorithmic capabilities with informed oversight are far more likely to see sustained, profitable results.
(Note: All source references, including details from the Strike Social 2024 Facebook Ads Benchmark Report, are provided in the next section)
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