Meta Is Phasing Out Manual Targeting from Advantage+ Campaigns: What It Means for Marketers

Meta, the advertising powerhouse behind Facebook and Instagram, is fundamentally shifting how marketers reach their audiences. Manual targeting within Advantage+ campaigns is being phased out, replaced by AI-driven automation. Instead of manually selecting audience segments, Meta's AI will now fully control targeting, placements, and budget optimisation.

Meta's latest update removes traditional manual targeting options, with all new sales, app, and lead campaigns defaulting to AI-powered optimisation. Currently, this rollout has been applied selectively to certain business accounts, with broader implementation expected soon. Advertisers still have the option to revert to manual campaigns, although it remains unclear how long this option will be available. This shift is driven by evolving data privacy regulations and reduced tracking capabilities, pushing Meta to leverage AI to deliver better-performing campaigns in a privacy-first environment.

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This transition to automation is part of a broader industry trend where AI increasingly handles critical tasks like targeting, bidding, and budget allocation. Google's Performance Max campaigns are another clear example of this shift, designed to automate across all of Google’s inventory, from Search to YouTube, using machine learning to optimise results in real time.

As with Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns, marketers are moving away from manual, hands-on campaign management towards roles that prioritise strategic thinking, creativity, and data analysis. Automation isn't just reshaping workflows, it’s creating opportunities for efficient scaling and deeper strategic engagement, while also challenging advertisers to stay flexible and data-informed in their strategy.

For experienced advertisers, this update presents both opportunities and challenges:

Pros:

• Improved Efficiency: Continuous AI-driven optimisation can lower costs and boost overall campaign performance.
• Scalability: Less manual intervention allows campaigns to scale quickly across diverse audience segments.
• Adaptation to Privacy Changes: AI-targeting handles stricter data privacy regulations effectively.

Cons:

• Reduced Granularity: Losing manual control may impact highly targeted campaigns essential for niche markets.
• Limited Transparency: AI decision-making processes are often opaque, complicating performance analysis.
• Learning Curve: Initial campaigns may experience an adjustment period as algorithms adapt.
• Reliance on Creative Quality: Effective creative is now critical; poor creatives can severely impact results.
• Difficulty Applying Insights: Automation may reduce clarity around specific audience insights useful for broader strategy.

Having managed extensive paid media campaigns across diverse industries, I’ve observed significant differences in how AI-driven targeting performs based on campaign objectives.

Advantage+ campaigns excel in eCommerce when sufficient data (such as multiple assets and consistent sales activity) feeds the system, enabling optimal AI performance. Campaigns and accounts with limited creative assets, recent sales or lower data volumes can initially struggle to gain traction.

Conversely, for campaigns where success isn't measured by direct monetary ROI but rather by user actions and KPIs, like sign-ups, follows, or engagement—Advantage+ can falter. In these scenarios, I noticed a high volume of initial interactions, but the engagement quality was notably lower. Users rarely progressed beyond basic interactions, such as initial clicks.

Switching back to manual targeting resulted in fewer total interactions, but significantly higher quality engagements, translating into deeper connections with the audience. The crucial insight here? AI-driven automation is powerful but not universally effective. Marketers must retain strategic oversight and adapt their approaches to match specific audience behaviours and campaign goals.

Meta’s update mirrors broader industry trends, with platforms increasingly adopting AI automation to manage and optimise paid media. Digital advertising's future will be characterised by a balance of advanced automation with insightful human strategic oversight.

Meta’s decision marks a significant evolution in digital advertising. Although direct control over audience targeting is reduced, the potential gains in efficiency, scalability, and privacy compliance are considerable.

However, it’s crucial to recognise that much of Meta’s advertising data remains opaque, limiting full transparency into the insights behind campaign performance. Ultimately, these platforms should primarily function as top-of-funnel tools, designed to move leads and data into owned channels such as newsletters or CRM systems.

Now more than ever, robust websites, backend solutions, and a clear long-term strategy are essential. At Tell Your Friends, we specialise in developing strategies that leverage advertising channels effectively, driving meaningful user connections and building sustainable, long-term relationships with your audience.