Meta's push into Generative AI ad creation
In this week's Digital Digest, we will take a deep dive into Meta's drive to incorporate Generative AI into ad creation within the platform in Ireland.
In October 2023, Meta announced its move to roll out its first generative AI-powered features for ad creatives within the Meta Ads Manager, with the global rollout to be completed by 2024. These features include background generation, image expansion and text variations.
In the past few months in Ireland, we have seen the platform's AI tools expand to include the following features:
Opportunities: Video Expansion is a tool which generates unseen pixels in each frame to expand the dimensions of the video, to make it appear "more native" to the platform. This aligns with broader changes to how ads are surfaced on Instagram, including tests such as Instagram Ad Breaks, which aim to maximise on-screen attention.
For example, a 1:1 square video could be expanded to a 4:5 aspect ratio to make it appear more native to Instagram.
Meta is trialling capabilities to improve brand voice and tone within creatives, powered by generative AI. An example of this would be introducing text and logo overlays within the image itself.
The gen-AI drive brings the promise of boosting the volume of content creation with greater efficiency and personalisation.
Clear Challenges: However, while gen-AI on the Meta platform is still in its early stages, we have found some elements, such as the image generation tool, pose risks to quality control and brand safety, with some inaccuracies and biases. The text generation feature understandably raises brand suitability concerns among advertisers, who feel it doesn’t capture their unique tone and voice. Questions around creative control remain at the forefront when gen-AI is discussed as an opportunity to test in ad setups.
Summary: The platform has been pushing advertisers to test out its AI-based ad creation elements, with these features becoming more integrated into the ad setup process than ever before. In an excerpt from Marketing Dive, "more than 4 million Meta advertisers are now using at least one of the tech firm's generative AI tools". The overlap of AI and ad creation presents both opportunities and challenges for advertisers, with brand safety remaining a top priority. Meta will continue to invest in and push advertisers to use its AI tools, meaning brands will need to implement a strategy that balances both safety and innovation.
Read more here:
https://www.facebook.com/business/news/generative-ai-features-for-ads-coming-to-all-advertisers
FAQs About Meta’s Generative AI Advertising Tools
What generative AI features are available in Meta Ads Manager?
Meta’s generative AI advertising tools include background generation, image expansion and text variations. Additional capabilities discussed in the article include video expansion and tools designed to improve brand voice and creative personalisation. Feature availability may vary by account and market.
What challenges can Meta’s AI advertising tools present?
Meta’s AI advertising tools can present challenges relating to creative accuracy, quality control, brand consistency and advertiser control. AI-generated assets may contain inaccuracies, bias or content that does not accurately reflect a brand’s tone of voice.
How widely are Meta’s generative AI advertising tools being used?
At the time the article was published, Meta reported that more than four million advertisers were using at least one of its generative AI tools. This indicated growing adoption as AI became more integrated into campaign creation and optimisation.
How can brands balance AI innovation with brand safety?
Brands should establish clear guidelines for using AI, maintain human oversight and carefully review all AI-generated assets before publishing them. Testing the tools gradually can help ensure the resulting content meets the brand’s creative, accuracy and safety standards.
