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Meta Ads Andromeda Best Practices for 2026
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Meta Ads Andromeda Best Practices for 2026

Andromeda: Meta Ads' Biggest Update

Introduction to Andromeda

  • Beia Funik, head of e-commerce at V8 Media, discusses the significance of the Andromeda update for advertisers on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
  • The update was released in December 2024 but became widely available to all advertisers by July 2025. This gradual rollout explains why some advertisers have already been using it.

Key Changes in Advertising Strategy

  • The primary focus of Andromeda is on enhancing creative content; advertisers are now encouraged to produce five times more variations of ads than before.
  • Instead of minor tweaks to existing creatives, Meta emphasizes the need for diverse ad formats with different hooks, backgrounds, and styles to capture audience attention effectively.

Shift from Targeting to Creative Variety

  • Advertisers must understand that duplicates do not equate to variety; true diversity in creatives is essential under the new strategy. This shift aligns with a broader move towards less targeted advertising.
  • With traditional interest targeting fading away, Andromeda promotes broad targeting strategies where the AI determines audience segments based on creative elements rather than predefined demographics.

Role of AI in Audience Targeting

  • The AI system analyzes various aspects of ads—such as language used and visual content—to identify suitable audiences for products being advertised. This allows for a more organic connection between creatives and potential customers.
  • By providing varied hooks and creative styles, advertisers enable Meta's algorithm to optimize ad delivery based on performance metrics rather than rigid targeting criteria. Thus, creativity becomes a key driver for effective audience engagement.

Understanding Meta's Motivations

  • The discussion highlights that Meta’s revenue relies heavily on advertising; thus, making advertising easier could lead to increased participation from businesses looking to advertise their products or services effectively.
  • However, while ease of use may increase advertiser numbers, success still hinges on how well they adapt their strategies within this new framework focused on creativity over technical targeting skills.

Creating Successful Advertising Campaigns

Understanding the Role of AI in Advertising

  • The complexity of creating and scaling a successful advertising campaign requires careful data analysis and understanding, emphasizing the need for human oversight despite advancements in AI.
  • Meta's strategy aims to empower business owners by simplifying advertising processes through AI, which can lead to increased profitability and spending on the platform.

Leveraging Creative Content for Success

  • The traditional marketing funnel (top, middle, bottom) is evolving; advertisers now focus on a single campaign with multiple ads to maximize reach and effectiveness.
  • Advertisers must recognize that they are not necessarily more knowledgeable than AI regarding audience targeting; thus, handing over control to algorithms can yield better results.

Importance of Variety in Creative Assets

  • A diverse range of creative assets is crucial for reaching different audience segments effectively. Testing various formats helps identify what resonates best with potential customers.
  • Tools like Motion Creative AI provide insights into why certain creatives perform well, allowing marketers to create varied content rather than mere duplicates.

Monitoring Ad Performance

  • Regularly launching 10 to 20 new ads weekly is recommended. Continuous monitoring of ad performance metrics is essential since AI cannot interpret data without human input.
  • Identifying underperforming ads based on budget spend and engagement metrics allows marketers to make informed decisions about pausing or replacing ineffective creatives.

Consulting New Advertisers: A Step-by-Step Approach

  • For new businesses entering Meta advertising, starting with 10 different pieces of content across various formats (video, static images, GIFs, etc.) is advisable to determine effective strategies.
  • Once a successful format is identified (e.g., UGC), it’s important to produce more variations while continuously monitoring performance metrics like CTR and return on ad spend.

Campaign Management Strategies

  • Keeping all variations within the same campaign prevents disruption of algorithm learning; this approach maintains traction while testing new creatives.
  • It’s suggested that significant updates or changes should occur every two weeks rather than frequently altering campaigns every few days. This allows sufficient time for the algorithm to assess performance accurately.

Ad Performance Optimization Strategies

Analyzing Ad Performance

  • When managing multiple ads, it's crucial to evaluate their performance. For instance, if out of seven ads, two are performing well, two are average, and three are underperforming, the logical step is to pause the underperforming ads.
  • The recommendation for ad quantity suggests having between 10 to 50 ads at the ad level. This allows for better testing and optimization based on budget constraints.

Budget Considerations

  • Businesses typically spend around $10K to $20K monthly on advertising. To maximize effectiveness within this budget range, it’s suggested to have approximately 12 to 16 creative ads running concurrently.
  • By maintaining a single budget across multiple creatives, advertisers can leverage Meta's algorithm to allocate funds towards the best-performing ads.

Managing Average Performing Ads

  • For average-performing ads, it’s advisable to concentrate the budget on top performers while monitoring results closely. This strategy helps in identifying which average ads may improve with additional exposure.
  • If some ads perform poorly or just averagely after a trial period, they should be paused while new creatives are introduced into the campaign.

Algorithm Concerns with New Ads

  • Introducing new ads raises concerns about potentially disrupting existing algorithms that have been optimized for current creatives. However, ongoing monitoring has shown positive results despite these fears.

Case Studies and Campaign Comparisons

  • A comparison of different campaign types (top funnel vs. Andromeda campaign) revealed significant improvements in cost per purchase and return on ad spend (ROAS). For example:
  • Cost per purchase decreased from R400 to R250.
  • ROAS improved from 5.78 to 11.21 while maintaining similar spending levels across campaigns.

Audience Targeting Insights

  • In typical campaigns where past purchases are excluded from targeting criteria, there was still notable spending directed towards existing customers despite attempts to limit this audience segment.

Implementing the Andromeda Framework

  • The Andromeda framework does not have a simple toggle but requires specific setup conditions such as utilizing an Advantage Plus campaign structure for optimal performance outcomes.

Understanding Advantage Plus and Andromeda Updates

Key Components of Advantage Plus Campaigns

  • The first step in setting up an effective campaign is ensuring it is a fully Advantage Plus campaign, which includes automatic placements and audience settings.
  • Avoid adding specific audiences or interests at the ad set level; keep targeting broad to allow for better algorithm performance.
  • The evolution of advertising strategies can be traced from Advantage Plus as phase one to flexible ads as phase two, indicating a staged rollout of features.

Overview of Andromeda's Impact on Advertising

  • Andromeda focuses on creative content rather than traditional targeting methods, emphasizing that the quality of creatives will dictate targeting effectiveness.
  • The structure of campaigns has shifted to a simplified model: one campaign with one ad set containing 10 to 50 different ads, requiring strategic planning and daily performance monitoring.

Importance of Content Creation

  • Business owners must prioritize content creation, leveraging designers who can produce multiple creatives quickly for testing purposes.
  • A shift towards being more content-focused is essential for success in both organic reach and paid advertising; there’s no longer an option to neglect this aspect.

Authenticity in Advertising

  • There is a growing demand for authenticity in advertisements; consumers seek real connections and emotional resonance rather than artificial messaging.
  • Focusing on selling transformation and genuine results will likely lead to higher engagement rates with potential customers.
Video description

I’m Jandre, founder of V8 Media (Top 1% Digital Agency) and V8 Capital. Since 2018, we’ve worked with 500+ businesses and generated nearly R2 billion in revenue for small to mid-sized DTC brands. Meta’s Andromeda update is the biggest shift we’ve seen on Facebook & Instagram ads in years — and most advertisers are still running setups that no longer match how the algorithm actually works. In this episode, we unpack what Andromeda really is, why creative has become the primary targeting mechanism, and how brands should restructure campaigns if they want to stay profitable in 2025 and beyond. If you’re still relying on interest targeting, funnel-heavy structures, or duplicated “winning” ads — this episode will reset how you think about Meta ads. Got a question? 📩 Email me: jandre@v8media.co.za 🗒️ What You’re Going to Learn in This Video In this episode, I sit down with Bea to break down Meta’s Andromeda (Ad Retrieval) update and how it’s changing performance for advertisers across Facebook and Instagram. This isn’t theory. This is what we’re seeing inside real ad accounts. We cover: What Meta’s Andromeda update actually is and when it rolled out Why creative volume now matters more than targeting Why duplicates don’t equal variety How Meta uses creative signals to find buyers Why broad targeting + Advantage+ is now the default Why top, middle, bottom funnel structures are falling away How many creatives you realistically need at different spend levels Why ads that don’t spend should be killed fast How to scale without breaking the algorithm Real case studies showing lower cost per purchase and higher ROAS Why Meta still spends on existing customers even when excluded How to structure a true Andromeda-style campaign Where AI tools help — and where strategy still matters If you run paid ads on Meta, this episode will change how you approach creative testing, scaling, and campaign structure. ⏱ Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 0:40 – What Andromeda is & why it matters 1:30 – When Meta actually rolled it out 2:30 – Why creative now matters more than targeting 3:30 – Why duplicates stopped working 4:30 – Broad targeting & Advantage+ explained 5:30 – How creative does the targeting 6:30 – Why funnel-based campaigns are dying 7:30 – One campaign, one ad set, many ads 8:30 – How many creatives you actually need 9:30 – Killing ads that don’t spend 10:30 – Scaling without breaking performance 11:30 – Monitoring spend daily (not weekly) 12:30 – Case study: cost per purchase dropped 13:30 – ROAS comparison: traditional vs Andromeda 14:30 – Why Meta still targets existing customers 15:30 – Audience breakdown insights 16:30 – Is Andromeda a setting? (No) 17:30 – Proper Advantage+ setup explained 18:30 – Why flexible ads are fading 19:30 – AI tools & creative insights 20:30 – Final summary: how to win with Andromeda 🔎 Hashtags #MetaAds #FacebookAds #InstagramAds #Andromeda #DTCMarketing #PaidAdsSA #EcommerceGrowth 🔎 Related Searches Meta Andromeda update Facebook ads creative strategy Meta Advantage Plus explained Broad targeting Meta ads How to scale Facebook ads Creative testing Meta ads 🔑 Keywords Meta Andromeda update, Facebook ads creative targeting, Advantage Plus Meta strategy, broad targeting Facebook ads, scaling Meta ads, ecommerce paid ads South Africa 🔗 Links Marketing help: https://v8media.co.za Investment: https://v8capital.co.za 📱 Follow Me Instagram: @officialjandredebeer TikTok: @officialjandredebeer LinkedIn: Jandre de Beer