• by Colin Kirkland , 4 hours ago

As Meta strives toward a fully AI-powered advertising business, the tech giant continues to introduce automated and generative ad features.

This holiday season, brands can expect new ways to work with creators and sell products with Reels, as well as updated consumer targeting options and marketing insights. 

Looking to facilitate more creator collaborations for businesses with global reach, Meta is adding language and region filters as it onboards creators in new regions to Instagram’s creator marketplace. 

Marketers will also have the option to merge partnership ads with Advantage+ catalog ads in order to tap creators to merchandise their products.

Meta will automatically turn single media partnership ads into catalog ads via a “Show Products” feature if the algorithm thinks it will increase performance. 

According to Meta, advertisers who tested this update saw a 4% higher click-through-rate and 3% higher conversions compared to regular partnership ads. 

On Instagram, advertisers will also be able to showcase creator testimonials in their partnership ads. 

With video consumption up 20% year-over-year in the U.S. across Meta’s family of apps, the company is prioritizing video merchandising options for advertisers, specifically for Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta is testing the ability to automatically turn a single media Reels ad into a shoppable ad format highlighting products from a brand’s catalog via the “Show Products” optimization. To provide more transparency, the company is also sharing more brand info when users swipe through Reels. 

In addition, Instagram Reels can now be featured in catalog ads in the carousel format, an update that Meta says is driving a 7% increase in conversion rates on average. 

Giving more power to its AI-powered ad systems, Meta is introducing a “Flexible media” option this holiday season that delivers ads into new placements when Meta’s models predict they will help brand performance. The feature, now available globally, has helped brands achieve a 23% increase in conversions, the company says. 

Whereas, the “Related media” feature recommends existing media to include in new ad sets, inviting brands to increase the volume and diversity of available creatives. 

Meta is also expanding its omnichannel ads to all advertisers globally as a way to drive sales activity based on where customers are more likely to make a purchase.

Shops Ads are also coming to new markets including Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Lastly, Meta is bringing email sign-up offers to more businesses on Facebook, “allowing marketers to highlight new customer promotions in exchange for customer email addresses.”