Is Meta's AI ad future a threat or opportunity for brands?

Meta is trying to productize design services within the meta ads UI.

Zuckerberg just dropped a bombshell about Meta's plans to let AI completely run ads - from creative to strategy to buying.

I'm skeptical. But also intrigued.

Let's break down what this means for brands and startups who rely on Meta's platforms for customer acquisition.

First, let's be real about what's happening. Meta wants to build an end-to-end AI solution that handles every aspect of advertising. This isn't just about automated bidding or basic creative suggestions anymore - they're talking about AI that conceptualizes campaigns, generates the creative, optimizes targeting, and manages budgets.

The promise? A "set it and forget it" approach to advertising that supposedly delivers better results with less human effort.

This should scare the bejesus out of creative and agency teams everywhere.

Sounds amazing, right? But here's why we should all pause before celebrating.

Meta's AI tools have been steadily improving, but they're still far from understanding the nuanced positioning that makes brands unique. Your brand voice, your specific customer pain points, your unique value proposition - these aren't things an AI can fully grasp without significant human guidance.

Think about your best-performing ads. They probably connect with your audience on an emotional level or address a specific pain point in a way that resonates authentically. Can AI replicate that human touch? There’s so much nuance that even real humans at agencies today have to iterate and test for numerous cycles before they hit on the core painpoint, USP, and angle that works at scale.

For startups and growing brands, this shift poses both threats and opportunities:

The threats

• Creative homogenization as AI gravitates toward "safe" formulas

• Loss of strategic control over your advertising approach

• Potential increases in ad costs as the playing field levels

• Reduced ability to differentiate through advertising excellence

The opportunities

• Lowered barrier to entry for smaller brands with limited resources

• More time to focus on product and customer experience

• Potentially better baseline performance than poorly executed creative from junior human teams

• Access to sophisticated optimization that was previously only available to brands with deep pockets (theoretically)

I’m not certain how thorough Zuckerberg envisions his product will be in 10 years…but already today creative teams are heavily using AI to innovate their workflow. We are one of these teams.

The brands that will thrive in this new AI-powered landscape aren't those who simply hand everything over to the algorithms. They'll be the ones who learn to collaborate effectively with AI tools.

This means feeding the AI high-quality inputs about your brand positioning, maintaining oversight on creative direction, and using the technology to amplify your strategic vision rather than replace it.

Remember when Advantage+ campaigns launched? Some brands panicked about losing control, while others embraced the change and found ways to make it work for them. This will likely follow a similar pattern but on a much larger scale.

What's your marketing team doing to prepare? Here are some steps worth considering:

1. Document your brand voice, positioning, and successful messaging patterns so you have clear inputs for AI systems

2. Identify which parts of your ad process are truly strategic versus tactical execution

3. Start experimenting with existing AI creative tools to understand their capabilities and limitations

We’re quite far down this path with our clients. Reach out if you’re interested in hopping on.