Meta announces broader rollout of reels trending ads with new ad features

Meta has introduced a series of product updates at its Brand Building Summit, aimed at helping advertisers engage with cultural moments on its platforms.

One of the key announcements was the wider rollout of Reels trending ads, available to all advertisers with a Meta sales representative. These ads allow brands to place their content alongside trending Reels. According to the company, early tests showed that Reels trending ads boosted unaided awareness by 20%, comparable to YouTube Select (20%) and higher than TikTok Pulse (14%).

Household appliance brand SharkNinja tested the format and reported 91% incremental reach, more than 16 million video views, and an 8.2-point lift in ad recall within weeks of launch.

The company also highlighted how Reels continues to play a significant role in user engagement, with over 50% of time on Instagram spent on Reels. They are shared 4.5 billion times daily. 85% of Gen Z respondents said they have followed a business after watching a Reel, while 80% made a purchase.

In addition, the company announced new features for Threads, which now has 400 million monthly active users. Advertisers will have access to new ad formats, including carousel ads and 4:5 rendering for single-image and video ads. Tests for Advantage+ catalog ads and app ads campaigns are also set to begin soon. Notably, businesses without a Threads profile will be able to run ads using their Instagram account or existing posts.

Another update focused on value rules in Ads Manager. Previously limited to sales and app campaigns, value rules are now available for awareness and engagement objectives, helping advertisers direct Meta’s AI toward higher-priority audiences. Tests showed that campaigns using value rules delivered 2x more high-value conversions compared to standard campaigns.

Meta also introduced improvements to landing page view optimisation, aimed at brands unable to use the Meta pixel. According to the company, this update reduced costs per landing page view by 31% compared to link clicks, while driving better quality web traffic.