There are several AI-powered enhancements that are not currently part of the core Advantage+ Creative toolbox. You can opt-in to join a test of the new AI generation features.
My assumption is that the enhancements available within these tests will be a moving target. When new enhancements become available, they’ll likely be sent to testing first. As of the time of this post, there are four enhancements that are part of this test, and this has grown quickly during the past few weeks.
As of this moment, you may be able to test the following:
- Image expansion
- Background generation
- Text extraction optimization
- Expand video
Let’s discuss how you can join this test and how each enhancement appears to work…
Access the Tests
Go to your Advertising Settings.
Under “Creating Ads,” there’s a box for Advantage+ Creative. Click that.
You will then have an option to opt-in to “Test new enhancements.” Check the box.
I haven’t found any documentation on the process for opting into these tests, so the details we see here are important.
First, this…
You are eligible to test new enhancements if you are currently opted into all Advantage+ creative enhancements. These test enhancements will be tested across all eligible campaigns for this ad account.
There is plenty of room for interpretation here because it’s not entirely obvious to me what this means. It appears that these tests will only apply if you accept all Advantage+ Creative enhancements for a given ad.
And then this…
We may show fewer than 5% of your ad impressions with new enhancements. This can help us improve our creative enhancements and increase performance for your ads. Turning this off will not affect your Advantage+ creative preferences.
When these enhancements are tested, they “may” account for fewer than 5% of your ad impressions. I can only assume that Meta would have used “will” here if it would definitely be fewer than 5%. But, the main thing is that it won’t be many.
Once opted in, there’s a box below that will allow you to choose the specific tests that you want to allow.
As of this moment, I’ve enabled the four enhancements that are available to me. As you can see by the start dates, Meta is rolling these out quickly. Once I’ve opted in, I’m automatically opted in to any new enhancement (and you can individually opt out).
If you click Edit Tests, you can get more details about each individual enhancement.
Image Expansion
I can confirm that this enhancement was originally part of the core Advantage+ Creative toolbox. For whatever reason, it’s been moved to testing.
Maybe it has some bugs to iron out, but image expansion could be an enormously valuable enhancement. If you provide a square image, Meta could automatically expand it for 9 x 16 using AI.
This isn’t just a matter of zooming and cropping. Meta will generate the top and bottom, as the example shows above.
Background Generation
Along with image expansion, I believe this enhancement first became available about a year ago. However, my notes indicate it was initially only available for Catalog Ads.
Not all images are eligible for this enhancement. Although Meta doesn’t clarify, my assumption is that this would only work for images with a solid background. Meta will then use AI to generate options with different backgrounds.
Overlay text will also be added. While that could be from your headline, it’s also possible that text extraction (the next feature) could be the source of this text.
Text Extraction Optimization
Text extraction is a bit more mysterious. As you can see from the screenshot above, “keywords and phrases” can be taken from your original text and displayed in certain locations (overlays, footers, prominent headlines, and something called an info chip).
We don’t have any examples of this. Not sure how Meta determines these keywords and phrases. And, as stated in the screenshot above, you will not get a preview of how your ads will look with this enhancement.
One day, you might. But while this is a test, you’ll be flying blind.
Expand Video
Okay, we’re saving the best for last. Video expansion is pretty great.
The example that Meta provides is a good one. You upload a landscape video. Meta uses AI to generate the top and bottom so that you can have something suitable for 9 x 16.
In the example, the sky is merely an extension of the top of the video, but it looks good. The fact that moving water was generated on the bottom was more advanced — there is no indication that water is there in the original video.
Should You Turn These On?
You will need to be trusting, if not a bit adventurous, to turn this on. I’m turning all four enhancements on for my main ad account. If you have a sensitive client who might be upset if some of these aren’t perfect, you may want to turn it off.
But, that’s also mostly the case for any Advantage+ Creative enhancement. There’s some trust required to use them. You can turn off any of the main enhancements that you find problematic, but at that point these tests wouldn’t be eligible.
Personally, there’s a certain amount of “letting go” that I’ve had to do with Advantage+ Creative enhancements. Since there isn’t a breakdown, we aren’t able to see how our ads perform when a specific enhancement is used. But, when you consider all of the different enhancements that might be applied, the sample size for any single one will be negligible anyway.
I’ve mostly embraced these enhancements with the understanding that they aren’t always used. When they are, it’s because Meta thinks it will help me get better results.
If you’re a control freak, maybe don’t worry about this. One day, these features will move into your main Advantage+ Creative toolbox. You can make the call on each individual enhancement at that point.
Your Turn
Have you turned this on?
Let me know in the comments below!
