Meta Advantage+ Creative Enhancements: Worth It?

Meta has been all-in on pushing agentic AI tools across its ads platform. It seems like there’s a new Advantage+ feature every week, each one promising to make Ads Manager so easy that brands don’t need agencies or external platforms to help navigate it.

Part of this expanding ecosystem is Advantage+ Creative Enhancements. Initially launched in 2024, these features have seen constant revisions, tweaks, and additions ever since. They’re sold as essential for brands looking to "streamline" creative production and unlock performance gains at scale. But are they really a boon for brands or a shortcut to damaging your message?

Let’s look at what’s in the box, how it works, and most importantly, which features to keep and which to skip.

What Are Meta's Advantage+ Creative Enhancements?

You’ll find the full menu of Creative Enhancements in the Ad Build section of Meta Ads Manager. These AI-powered tools are designed to automatically adapt your creative, copy, and ad formats to optimize delivery for each user.

On paper, it’s compelling. Meta promises a unique, personalized ad experience at scale, with features that include:

• Reformatting creative for different placements and formats.
  

• Enhancing static images with motion and animation.
  

• Generating AI-written headlines and ad copy.
  

• Adding AI-generated backgrounds.
  

• Most recently, deploying an AI Agent to your ad so users can get instant, context-aware answers about your product.

Meta claims these tools deliver meaningful performance improvements for brands that use them. But those claims usually come with a *disclaimer and terms of service you should read carefully.

For a deeper look at the larger industry trend, see our post on Why Meta and Google Want to Go Direct - and the Future of Digital Agencies.

The Big Question: Do These Tools Actually Help Brands?

Meta positions Advantage+ Creative Enhancements as especially valuable for small brands and businesses without in-house resources. It's easy to see why: they reduce production time and remove friction.

But let’s be clear, automatically tweaking your copy or creative without your input is risky. You might get:

• Headlines and ad copy that don’t match your brand tone.
  

• AI-generated images that appear off-brand or downright odd (we’ve all seen them).
  

• Image and text overlay that’s awkward across placements.

Even Meta’s own documentation is littered with disclaimers about testing, potential misalignment, and the need for manual review.

If you’re curious about how aggressively Meta is pushing these tools, check out other coverage on Meta adding new generative AI to advertising tools (Business Insider) and Meta's Advantage+ AI ad features aimed at advertisers and agencies (Adweek).

Bottom line? These enhancements are designed to optimize Meta’s ad delivery system, not your brand voice.

The Risks of Going All-In on AI Enhancements

Relying too heavily on Meta’s automation can lead to:

• Brand dilution: AI-generated variations may clash with your established voice or aesthetic.
  

• Poor user experience: First-touch impressions can feel impersonal or inconsistent.
  

• Loss of control: You’re handing over creative decisions to Meta’s system, which optimizes for engagement metrics, not nuanced brand storytelling.

That’s why we recommend a selective approach.

As one of our posts notes, You're Only As Successful As Your Creative. AI can assist, but great brands keep their creative strategy in human hands.

Opt In Intentionally: Enhancements We Actually Recommend

Here’s our take: avoid most of the Advantage+ Creative Enhancements by default, and instead opt in intentionally to the few features that truly support your brand strategy.

Meta’s automation can save time, but you don’t want to trade your voice for convenience. Focus on enhancements that further optimize ad performance without rewriting your message or introducing off-brand elements.

Here are the ones we actually recommend keeping on:

1. Show Products (Catalog Enhancement)
This feature dynamically shows products from your catalog as either product tiles or a carousel when paired with a single image or single video ad. It’s a smart alternative to building an entire Instant Experience Collection Ad, giving you the ability to optimize the “window shopping” effect only for users most likely to interact with it. 

Pro tip: Double-check your settings. Meta has a bad habit of overriding your initial product set and tagging inaccurate products if you’re not careful.

2. Adjust Brightness and Contrast
These subtle tweaks help improve photo clarity and consistency without altering your brand’s aesthetic. A simple way to polish your creative without compromising authenticity.

3. Carousel Enhancements

• Profile End Card: Keep this always on for a consistent, branded finish that reinforces your presence.
  

• Highlight Carousel Card: Great for non-sequential carousels where you want Meta to optimize the first card for engagement. Just avoid it if you’re deliberately ordering your carousel to tell a story.

How to Approach Advantage+ Creative Enhancements Strategically

If you’re managing your brand’s Meta Ads, start with this mindset: less is more.

• Audit what’s turned on by default.
  

• Opt in deliberately to only those enhancements that genuinely align with your brand goals.
  

• Stay vigilant. Meta loves to tweak features and reapply defaults over time.

Used carefully, these tools can support your strategy without diluting your message or compromising the customer experience.

Final Thoughts

Meta’s AI-driven ad tools can be tempting, but they’re not a silver bullet. Use them carefully to support your strategy without compromising your brand integrity.

Learn how Foghorn Labs can help
optimize your Meta Ads strategy.