Meta is no longer asking nicely. At this year’s Performance Marketing Summit, the message was loud and clear: if you want results, you need to rewire how you work with data, creative, and measurement inside Meta’s platforms. AI is in charge now, but your inputs still make or break performance.
Here’s what stood out and why it matters for brands trying to stay ahead across digital and physical shelves.
AI Will Not Fix Bad Data
Meta continues to push automation, but its AI only works if it has the right signals to work with. That means no more relying solely on the pixel or feeding it generic purchase events. The new gold standard? Real-time data shared through Conversions API and stitched together with high-priority identifiers like hashed emails or external IDs.
Why this matters: Meta’s AI needs to understand what outcomes matter. If you give it shallow signals, you’ll end up optimizing for cheap clicks, not valuable conversions. Signal integrity is now a competitive advantage.
What to do:
- Use both the Meta Pixel and Conversions API for redundancy and reliability
- Send data in real time to avoid optimization lag
- Prioritize strong identifiers to improve match rates
- Use value-based optimization to tell Meta what good performance actually looks like
Creative Now Defines Performance
Meta doesn’t want you to think of creative as a handoff. It wants it to be your performance lever. The platform shared that campaigns with 5 to 10 distinct creative themes saw a major lift in ROAS and efficiency. But volume alone doesn’t cut it. Meta wants timely, emotionally resonant, and platform-native creative—especially short-form video.
Why this matters: Audiences scroll fast. Creative built for every surface (Reels, Feed, Stories) and tailored to emotional triggers outperforms tired static swaps. Attention is shrinking and competition is climbing.
What to do:
- Audit your creative library against Meta’s performance themes
- Invest in more variety and shorter, punchier formats
- Build creative systems that allow fast iteration, not just quarterly overhauls
Creators Are Part Of The Ad System, Not An Add-On
Meta has fully integrated the Instagram Creator Marketplace into Ads Manager, and new features like Trends now highlight top-performing styles and influencers. This makes creator content easier to find, activate, and scale without ever leaving Meta’s native tools.
Why this matters: With over 4.5 billion Reels shares daily, creators are no longer optional. Their content is more trusted, more engaging, and now, directly measurable. Creator-driven media is quickly becoming table stakes for performance campaigns.
What to do:
- Use the Creator Marketplace to find and test new influencer partners
- Repurpose creator content into your paid campaigns to extend its value
- Incorporate Partnership Ads into your always-on mix for consistent lift
Omnichannel Optimization Is Becoming The Default
Meta previewed a new ad product built to connect online and offline sales, and it’s showing strong early results. Campaigns using omnichannel optimization saw significantly higher in-store return and stronger lift from Advantage+ Shopping with value optimization.
Why this matters: Consumers shop wherever is convenient. Meta is giving brands tools to optimize across digital and physical channels without guesswork. If you’re still measuring ecommerce in a vacuum, you’re missing half the story.
What to do:
- Align campaign signals with in-store value, not just online revenue
- Use localized rules and CRM data to guide optimization
- Add in-store metrics to your media scorecards and ROI analysis
Measurement Now Includes A Steering Wheel
Meta introduced Performance Best Practices, a new playbook for running smarter, AI-guided campaigns. It features things like Opportunity Score and embedded recommendations to help marketers guide automation more intentionally.
Why this matters: You no longer have to just set a goal and hope for the best. Meta is offering more ways to influence how its AI interprets success. But make no mistake, you still need your own measurement frameworks to keep it honest.
What to do:
- Integrate Opportunity Scores into your QA and campaign reviews
- Test campaigns structured around specific business outcomes like new customer acquisition
- Align Meta’s diagnostics with your internal attribution to ensure consistency
The takeaway
Meta is moving fast, and this year’s summit reinforced that performance marketers must move with it. For retailers and brands, the future is built on better data, creator-powered storytelling, creative that stops the scroll, and tools that connect the dots between every channel.
Adaptation is no longer optional. It’s the strategy.
