Near the top of your Account Overview page, these settings allow you “to apply performance recommendations automatically.”
There are five types of automatic adjustments that you can enable.
Campaign Structure
Definition: Ad sets may be combined or ads that are underperforming could be turned off. This may redistribute your budget.
There are two options within this category of automatic adjustment.
1. Reduce Auction Overlap: Auction Overlap can happen if you have multiple ad sets that attempt to enter the same auction. When it becomes a problem, it can drive up your costs. When that happens and this setting is enabled, the lower-performing ad set will be turned off.
2. Reduce Audience Fragmentation: Audience Fragmentation can happen if you attempt to split up your audience into multiple ad sets. This is inefficient and can drive up costs. If it becomes a problem and this setting is enabled, Meta will combine ad sets, audiences and budgets automatically.
Audience
Definition: Targeting settings may be adjusted to reach more people who might be interested in your ads.
Meta isn’t clear about what exactly could happen here, but I assume it has to do with all of the Advantage expansion tools. I can’t imagine this could come into play when using Advantage+ Audience or original audiences when your audience is already expanded.
If you’ve selected detailed targeting and you’ve turned Advantage Detailed Targeting off (assuming you have that option), Meta could automatically turn it on if it’s projected that you’ll get better results.
Creative and Format
Definition: Ad creative may be enhanced. This applies to media, text, ad format and other visual elements.
There are two options within this category.
1. Optimize Ad Creative: Standard Enhancements can be turned on automatically if it may improve results.
2. Expand Image: Meta may apply this enhancement to fit your ad in more placements by automatically adjusting image size.
Delivery and Engagement
Definition: Placements may be added or removed. Settings for outcomes may be adjusted.
I can’t imagine Meta would actually turn off placements. If you manually remove placements and Meta thinks you could get better results by using Advantage+ Placements, it will be turned on.
Spend and Schedule
Definition: Your budget will never be changed. Other bid and schedule settings may be adjusted.
I assume this is if you use manual bid strategies. If your ads aren’t delivering appropriately, those bids can be adjusted.
My Take
Many of these are from Automated Rules templates. Those templates are no longer available, and these do essentially the same thing.
These settings seem odd, and let me explain why…
If you don’t follow best practices, these adjustments will be made automatically. Examples:
- Not using Advantage audience expansion
- Creating separate ad sets for targeting
- Not using Standard Enhancements
- Not using Advantage+ Placements
Most advertisers already know that Meta wants us to use standard enhancements and Advantage+ Placements. If they didn’t turn those on when creating their campaign, why would they want them turned on automatically? You know that they’re going to be turned on.
I don’t turn these on because I almost always follow best practices. If I don’t, I set up the campaign the way I did for a reason. I don’t want Meta messing with that.
These settings feel unnecessary, but maybe I’m missing something.
