Meta's New Ad Campaign Type: What it is, why it matters and how to make it perform
When we all first heard about a new type of ASC and ASC-only coming to Meta, as advertisers, we naturally all got worried – understandably, when an entire campaign type (manual/non-ASC) we were told was going away. However, after Meta released official communications around the change, set to fully roll out in Q2 2025, we’re eased a bit. Keep reading for the full rundown.
TL;DR of what we know:
BAU and ASC named campaigns will go away and it'll just be Advantage+ Sales Campaign (renamed from an Advantage+ Shopping Campaign”)
It's basically current Meta Business-As-Usual/Manual campaigns, but if you opt-in to enough Advantage+ products, it becomes the newly renamed "ASC"
Meta says to expect this rolled out to all accounts by Q2 of this year (2025)
These updates indicate Meta’s continued push toward AI-driven automation, making it crucial for ad buyers to adapt their strategies for maximum performance and efficiency
The rumors of this announcement were much more concerning for performance and the actual changes are a bit underwhelming. Not much action is needed for rollout
What is it?
Meta is releasing into Beta testing in Q1 2025 and is planning a full rollout in Q2 2025 of a new Opportunity Score and ASC Unification. There will be one type of campaign instead of a choice for “Manual” or “ASC” at the campaign building section and there will be options to turn Advantage+/AI on or off for each section it offers it.
Why is Meta doing this?
These updates indicate Meta’s continued push toward AI-driven automation, making it crucial for ad buyers to adapt their strategies for maximum performance and efficiency. They also said in official comms released Thursday, February 6, 2025 that they are doing this in an “ongoing effort to deliver more value to businesses,” and in order to “inform future enhancements of [Meta] products.”
Key Updates from Meta’s Beta Test Announcement:
New Opportunity Score System – Meta is introducing an opportunity score (0-100 scale) to measure how optimized campaigns, ad sets, and ads are, based on the number of Meta Ads Manager recommendations applied.
Beta Test Starts February 10, 2025 – At least one of your ad accounts may be automatically included in the beta, offering early access to these updates.
AI-Driven Campaign Optimization – Meta is expanding AI-driven Advantage+ automation, making it easier for businesses to maximize campaign performance with proven recommendations.
Streamlined Campaign Setup – The sales, app, and lead campaign flows will now start with AI-driven optimizations by default, while still allowing manual controls.
New ‘Campaign Opportunities’ Section – Advertisers will see a new ‘Advantage+ on’ indicator in Ads Manager, signaling the optimal level of AI-driven automation. If manual adjustments impact AI optimizations, Meta will provide real-time guidance to turn ‘Advantage+’ back on.
Rebranding of Advantage+ Shopping – Advantage+ shopping campaigns will now be called ‘Advantage+ sales’ campaigns, reflecting expanded automation use cases.
Minimal User Action Required – There is no immediate action needed to participate in the beta. The updates will be automatically reflected in the Ads Manager interface.
Existing Campaign Settings Remain Unchanged – Meta ensures that current duplicated or replicated campaign settings will continue functioning normally, with adjustments only appearing in the new campaign setup interface.
What can I do to make it perform?
We’re not expecting much to change after the full rollout (or start of the Beta test for applicable accounts). There will still be the option to run a campaign without any ASC+ options turned on, though Meta’s interface will show notices that having the AI systems OFF might negatively impact performance. Essentially, expect more of the below notices that we already have when turning Advantage+ audiences off:
We’ll continue to update this blog as more information and learnings around the campaign type consolidation is released and in use.
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