• by Colin Kirkland , June 24, 2024

Adding to its Advantage suite of artificial intelligence (AI) ad tools, Meta is testing a new creative option on Facebook Reels that takes an advertiser’s proposed content and  automatically suggests a top-performing variation before posting.

Examples of the new feature are popping up on Threads, as Meta asks a handful of Facebook Page managers to try out “Auto A/B Testing” in the Reels posting page to test different versions of a Reel with “various captions, covers and more and distribute the top performer for you.”

Screenshots of the feature also highlight Meta’s insistence that its AI system will “maximize” brands’ and Facebook page managers’ efforts while saving them time.  

“Once enabled, Facebook will optimize by default future reels posted by brands or content creators for better engagements: plays, likes, comments, shares etc.” wrote one Threads user prompted to play around with the new feature.

For the past few years, Meta has been working to build out its Advantage suite of automated ad tools, which aim to provide brands with the ability to allocate more time for creative strategy without the need to focus as much on mundane tasks. The system uses machine learning to match the right audiences with brands’ in-app ads while providing creative elements.

Since its official launch in 2022, the technology giant’s Advantage advertising suite has grown with the addition of automated text and image variations for ads on Instagram and Facebook, automated campaign targeting across all campaign objectives, automated budget scheduling and mid multipliers for campaign enhancement during the 2023 holiday season and more.

The AI-driven ad tools have worked to rebound Meta’s ad business after the enforcement of stricter data regulations and Apple’s privacy software updates, which resulted in a $10 billion annual loss for Meta’s ad revenue. In April, the company reported revenue increasing at the fastest rate since 2021, with a 20% year-over-year increase in ad impressions across its family of apps, and $7.5 billion in new ad revenue compared to Q1 2023.

Furthermore, ad spend via Advantage+ Shopping and Advantage+ App Campaigns more than doubled since 2023.

Brands and page managers on Facebook should keep in mind, however, that Meta’s automated tools like Auto A/B Testing for Reels are basing best results on Meta’s system’s understanding of what will work best. As more people receive access to test new automated features like this one, it may be worth comparing the results of an automated campaign to a manually created campaign to see how Meta’s system performed.