Funnel Vision Issue #010

Happy Friday! Welcome back to Funnel Vision, the weekly newsletter that puts performance creative & growth marketing in focus. Brought to you by the crew at Ready Set.

It’s Friday the 13th 👻

While we’re not quite in scary season yet (though your local Walmart may feel otherwise) there’s still time to throw together a quick post to mark the occasion, like this one from ADT from a few years back.

But if you miss the boat today, fret not—there’s another Friday the 13th in December.

In today’s newsletter:

• Demystifying Meta’s most recent ad tool updates

• A chat with a 9-figure DTC CMO

• Lessons from the best ad we’ve seen this week

Reading time: 8 minutes

We Deciphered Meta's 2024 Ad Updates So You Don't Have To

Meta’s Ad Manager is a bit like that friend who’s constantly rearranging their furniture.

Every time you visit, something’s different. The couch that used to be against the wall is now floating in the middle of the room. The TV’s moved to a new corner, and suddenly there’s a beanbag where the coffee table used to be.

Just like that friend’s ever-changing living room, Meta’s ad tools are similarly in a constant state of flux.

As marketers, it’s part of the job to keep up. But that doesn’t make it any less mystifying.

So we dug into all of Meta’s recent major upgrades and releases (plus a few upcoming ones) and rounded them up into one handy-dandy guide.

Let’s dig in.

🤖 New AI tools for text & image generation

Since Meta launched its AI sandbox in May of 2023, several generative AI features have officially left the playground and entered the real world.

Here’s the graduating class of ‘24:

• Background Generation: Does exactly what it says on the label, creates multiple background versions for product images.

• Image Expansion: Expands images for multiple aspect ratios so creative can automatically fit across various placements.

• Text Variations: Generates alternate versions of ad copy to see what appeals to different audience segments.

Plus, while it’s not quite there yet, all of Meta’s AI ad tools will soon be powered by Llama 3. This impressive open-source LLM (which Zuck calls the “path forward” for AI) will surely add a few more cylinders to this growing AI engine.

💡Good to know: AI tools are still being rolled out, so they may not yet be available in your area.

Hype meter: 🔥🔥🔥

Flexible ad format replaces dynamic creative

Starting June 2024, Meta began phasing out dynamic creative in favor of  the new flexible ad formats.

What’s the difference? Not a whole lot.

You can still add variations of your primary text, description, and headline which the platform will then automatically mix and match with images or videos you provide (max 10).

💡 A key distinction: Flexible ad formats are applied at the ad level, whereas dynamic creative affected every ad within an entire ad set.

The flexible at format uses predictive learning to tailor ads on the fly, showing the most engaging version to each viewer.

Why does it matter? For better or worse, it’s another step-forward in Meta’s march to full AI-powered automation. 

• On the one hand, it simplifies the ad creation/management process, freeing you up to focus on creative strategy.

• However, detractors may say it’s just one more controlling lever taken away from advertisers.

Hype meter: 🔥

Conversion Value Rules

In August, 2024, Meta dropped a spicy announcement about a series of improvements to how campaigns are optimized.

One of the new features they’re testing is called Conversion Value Rules.

• In a nutshell: You tell Meta which results your value, and it will optimize your ads to do it.

Here’s a better explanation from Meta:

🤔 Interesting: If Conversion Value Rules sounds familiar, it’s because it’s been a long-term fixture of Google’s ad tools.

For Meta this is a move from “optimizing only for conversions to optimizing for value.” Cool part is, the definition of value is up to you—whether that’s LTV, profit, or another marker.

Conversion Value Rules are still being tested, and it’s unclear if or when it’ll be released. But it’s one to keep an eye on.

Hype level: 🔥🔥

Data restrictions that could impact targeting & reporting

In a more recent development, stories emerged this week that Meta plans to restrict the use of specific data in its business tools to enhance privacy. Data potentially impacted includes:

• Certain parts of URLs

• Custom UTM parameters

If this seems vague, it’s because it is.

Speculation is rife.

There’s very little official communication from Meta on this, outside of an email sent to a PPC expert, who shared it on LinkedIn.

Under these new restrictions (if they’re true) ads with hyper-targeted UTMs could be paused, custom audiences may need adjustments, and Events Manager reports will be less detailed.

In the event this rolls out, some practical steps offered by Search Engine Journal may come in handy:

• Audit UTMs & streamline down to core elements like source, medium, and campaign to avoid potentially restricted parameters

• Set up ad pause alerts to stay on top of campaigns that are affected.

• Explore alternative analytics and reporting tools

This is either a really important update that will affect Meta advertisers, or a total nothingburger. Stay tuned.

Hype level: 🔥

Improved attribution and targeting with 3rd-party analytics integrations

In a (confirmed) update that may totally contradict the above, Meta plans to enhance attribution systems and provide more accurate reporting and improved targeting.

One of those tools is Conversion Value Rules, which we discussed above.

The other is the long-awaited integration of 3rd-party analytics.

From AdExchanger:

An aggregated view of campaign data across multiple analytics platforms promises to give advertisers a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of how campaigns are performing and how to best optimize for customer events that lead to a purchase.

Over time, Meta plans to train their AI models on this data “to help fine tune campaign optimization”.

This integration process is starting now and will continue into 2025.

Hype level: 🔥🔥

CLICKABLE LINKS

🤔 OpenAI releases o1, an AI model with advanced reasoning. I'll be impressed when it can convince my 2-year-old to get dressed in the morning.

🦘 Australia introduces a controversial plan to ban children from using social media, citing a desire to get kids off their devices and “back onto the footy fields & swimming pools”.

💰️ Google loses $2.7B antitrust appeal, ordered by Europe's top court to pay up. And I thought my $25 parking ticket ruined my day.

😵‍💫 Feeling lost in Meta madness?

Hopefully that rundown brought you up to speed with the latest updates from the ad platform that never likes to sit still.

Still feeling a little mystified? There’s more where that came from…

In the next Screen Share session, master DTC marketer and 9-figure CMO Cody Plofker will walk us through the state of Meta advertising 🔥 

In this one-hour, you’ll learn:

🔑 Which new Meta tools actually matter (and which to ignore)
👋 Outdated practices to ditch ASAP
🤖 How to master Meta's AI tools for killer ads

It’s happening Wednesday, September 25 at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT.

Space is limited, and this session is filling up quick! Secure your spot below.

AD OF THE WEEK ✨

Of all the awesome ads we shipped this week, this was our top spender. Let’s break it down into actionable takeaways you can apply to your creative.

This is an ad from men’s healthcare brand, Hims.

There’s three driving factors at play here:

✂️ The gentleman in this ad is an actual barber. His professional expertise, and the familiar setting of the barbershop, creates a sense of comfort and trust.

🗣️ The dialogue is a mix of scripted lines and organic responses to questions, which creates an organic and natural narrative.

🎥 Visual storytelling tactics like close-ups and shots of the barber using the product creates visual proof and maintains viewer engagement

🗯️ Strategic messaging and powerful wording like “hair regrowth secret”, especially from an authority figure, taps into the audiences innate desire for a solution.

Why it works: This ad succeeds by positioning the product as a professional-grade solution endorsed by a trusted expert. The barbershop setting creates a sense of camaraderie and openness about hair loss, traditionally a sensitive topic for men. By blending authentic expertise with relatable scenarios, it builds a compelling case for the product as the viewer's path to hair regrowth success.

👏 Shout out to Ready Set Creative Strategist, Josh LeGuern, and the entire Hims team for putting together this smash-hit ad!

That’s it, that’s all.

Have a great weekend, folks. Catch ya next time!

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