Meta rolls out new advertising tools

Meta unveiled a series of new advertising tools at Advertising Week, including AI-powered video animation features, expanded creator collaboration options, and enhanced Collections ad formats. These updates are aimed at improving engagement and making it easier for advertisers to create and promote content across all platforms.

The company posted on the official blog, "As people's time spent with videos on Instagram and Facebook grows 60% of time on both Facebook and Instagram is now video, we want to make it even easier for people to find reels and other videos they love on Facebook."

The most notable announcement was Image Animation, a new feature that allows advertisers to animate still image assets using text prompts. This tool enables the creation of video content from static images, which can be particularly useful for those with limited video resources. Early feedback suggests that this feature can extend the lifespan of ad creative by offering more engaging formats.

Alongside Image Animation, the company is also expanding its AI-based Video Expansion tool, which allows brands to adapt their video assets into various formats using predictive AI technology. This feature, in development for over a year, now offers more brands full access to video creation capabilities within the company's system, helping advertisers generate content efficiently and in multiple formats.

Meta is also enhancing its collection ads with new features that integrate creator content. Advertisers can now upload creator images or videos as 'hero' assets for Collections ads, which will display both the brand and creator handles. This new format taps into the authenticity of creator content to engage audiences and maximise interest, leveraging both the reach of influencers and the company's AI systems.

 Further strengthening creator partnerships, the company is testing the ability to include creator testimonials in partnership ads. Additionally, it is consolidating partnership ad tools into a single page called the 'Partnership Ads Hub' within ads manager, simplifying the management of influencer collaborations.

 In terms of video-focused strategies, the company also announced its upcoming video tab, which will provide more advertising opportunities by separating video content into its own section. This tab will feature a variety of ad formats, including standalone video, carousel ads, in-stream ads, and overlay ads, allowing advertisers to better reach their target audiences through AI-driven delivery models. However, its success will depend on user adoption of the new tab, which remains to be seen.

With video content now accounting for 60% of all user time on Facebook and Instagram, these updates highlight the company's continued focus on video. AI-driven tools like Image Animation and Video Expansion aim to make video content creation more accessible to advertisers, even those without extensive resources. These tools could significantly enhance ad performance, although results will depend on how well they are executed and received by audiences.