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    Social Ads News Week 42: Meta Advantage+ Video for All

    8 min read
    Quick answer:

    On October 6, 2026, at Advertising Week New York, Meta made Meta Advantage+ video generation from static images generally available. Customer Lifecycle Strategy is open to all advertisers, and Meta's AI assistant in the ad account is set to change budgets and targeting through chat. Plus: new TikTok ad tools, an EU Council draft on cookie banners, lead campaigns on Reddit, and Pinterest advice for the days after Christmas.

    At a glance

    NewsWhat changesWho it affectsAction neededSource + date
    Meta Advantage+ video and new AI toolsVideo from static assets generally available, Customer Lifecycle Strategy for everyone, assistant with agent features in testingAll Meta advertisersCheck the features in Ads ManagerSocial Media Today, October 6, 2026; Relevant Audience, October 8, 2026
    TikTok: Buy Direct, Agentic Leads, Smart+ SearchNew AI ad tools; Ad Network and Buy Direct U.S.-only at firstRetailers and lead generators on TikTokCheck availability in your own accountSocial Media Today, October 5, 2026; PPC Land, October 5, 2026; t3n, October 7, 2026
    EU Council draft on the Digital OmnibusConsent can be requested again after 4 instead of 6 months; contextual ad measurement without consentAll websites with a consent bannerMonitor; not yet lawPPC Land, October 10, 2026 (single source)
    Reddit: Max campaigns for leadsAI campaigns now available for the lead generation objectiveB2B companiesConsider for B2B testsSocial Media Today, October 6, 2026; Yahoo Finance, October 6, 2026
    Pinterest: advertising in "Q5"One in two users in Europe keeps shopping after the holidaysRetail, travel, home furnishingPlan creatives for late DecemberPPC Land, October 11, 2026 (single source)

    Meta Advantage+ video: what Meta announced at Advertising Week

    Meta presented several AI advertising tools at Advertising Week New York on October 6, 2026. Social Media Today reported on them on October 6, and Relevant Audience on October 8, 2026. Both cite a Meta for Business post from the same day.

    According to both sources, video generation in Advantage+ creative is now generally available. Advantage+ creative is Meta's package for automatic ad variations. The feature creates videos from existing static images. Customer Lifecycle Strategy is also open to all advertisers, according to both sources. Meta is rolling out Ads Creative Studio, previously limited to selected partners, to more advertisers.

    According to Social Media Today, the AI assistant in the ad account will store more context, such as last quarter's results and seasonality. It is also set to generate creatives, adjust targeting and change budgets through chat. According to Relevant Audience, Meta is still testing these agent features. Scheduled reports, alerts and brand guideline uploads are also in testing, according to both sources.

    According to Relevant Audience, Meta cites two figures without a published methodology: advertisers who adopt the assistant's recommendations typically see 5 percent more conversions at the same cost per conversion. More than 60 percent of time spent on Facebook and Instagram goes to video. AI-powered audience discovery in Detailed Targeting is expected by the end of the year. Meta has not named countries for any of the features.

    What does this mean for your business?

    If you have little video content so far, you can now turn product photos into video ads. Review the results before launch, because automatically generated videos do not always fit your brand. The 5 percent figure comes from Meta, not from an independent measurement. Stroe Media tests Advantage+ video first in a separate ad set against existing creatives.

    TikTok: new AI ad tools, Ad Network U.S.-only for now

    TikTok also announced new advertising features at Advertising Week on October 5, 2026. Social Media Today and PPC Land reported on them on October 5, and t3n on October 7, 2026.

    The most important updates according to these sources:

    • Buy Direct: One-click purchases directly from the For You feed. According to t3n, the feature launches in the U.S. first.
    • Agentic Leads: AI agents collect leads in direct messages and in forms on advertisers' websites. No launch date was given.
    • Search Ads with Smart+: Smart+ is TikTok's automated campaign mode. It now also manages search ads across keywords and creatives.
    • Smart+ Creative Selection: Advertiser assets, AI assets from TikTok Symphony and creator content come together in one approval workflow.
    • TikTok Ad Network (TTAN): Ad delivery in apps outside TikTok, now available to U.S. advertisers.

    The sources disagree on the Ad Network's size: Social Media Today and PPC Land cite almost 400,000 apps, while t3n reports more than 400,000. David Kaufman, Global Head of Monetization Product Partnerships at TikTok, said, according to PPC Land: "AI is transforming how advertiser content is created and scaled."

    What does this mean for your business?

    Buy Direct and the Ad Network do not help advertisers in Germany for now. TikTok has not named a region for Smart+ Search Ads, Creative Selection or Agentic Leads. Check TikTok Ads Manager to see whether these features appear in your account before you plan budget.

    EU Digital Omnibus: Council draft changes cookie banner rules

    In its negotiating draft on the Digital Omnibus, the Council of the EU has proposed new consent rules. So far, only PPC Land has reported this, and there is no official confirmation. The report was published on October 10, 2026, and is based on Council document 13886/26 dated October 2, 2026.

    According to PPC Land, a website may ask for consent again no sooner than four months after a refusal. The European Commission had proposed six months. A new exemption from the consent requirement covers measuring the display and performance of contextual advertising. According to PPC Land, programmatic use and cross-site activity are excluded from that exemption. The browser-based consent signal from the Commission's draft is missing from the Council text.

    The draft is not law. According to PPC Land, the European Parliament still has to adopt its own position, followed by the trilogue, the negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission.

    What does this mean for your business?

    For retargeting on Meta or TikTok, you still need consent through your consent banner. Nothing changes in the short term. Keep an eye on the process, because it affects consent banners and the tracking basis of every website in the EU.

    Reddit: Max campaigns now available for lead generation

    Reddit is expanding its AI-driven Max campaigns to the lead generation objective, according to Social Media Today and Yahoo Finance on October 6, 2026. According to Social Media Today, the AI handles targeting, creative selection, placements and budget allocation.

    According to Social Media Today, Reddit has also added data partners Bombora, Demandbase, Clay, G2 and Octane 11, plus a HubSpot integration. In-market audiences for enterprise AI and cybersecurity are in testing. According to Reddit, early tests showed a nearly 7 percent better CPA, meaning lower cost per action. Reddit says more than 20 million business decision-makers visit the platform. Neither source names a region.

    What does this mean for your business?

    For most small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) in Upper Bavaria, Reddit is not yet a core channel. For B2B providers in software or IT, a small test can make sense. Check beforehand whether the lead features are available in your account.

    Pinterest: advertising in the week after Christmas

    Pinterest recommends keeping campaigns running between Christmas and New Year's. So far, only PPC Land has reported this, and there is no confirmation from a second source. On October 11, 2026, PPC Land cited a September 29, 2026, post on Pinterest's UK business blog.

    Pinterest calls this week "Q5." According to Pinterest, one in two monthly users in Europe keeps shopping after the holidays. According to Pinterest data, ad groups with 5 to 10 ads are associated with a 2.7 percent higher ROAS. ROAS means revenue per euro spent on advertising. PPC Land notes that the footnotes with the underlying data were unreadable.

    What does this mean for your business?

    If you sell home furnishings, travel or gifts, plan dedicated creatives for late December now. The figures come from Pinterest itself and have not been independently verified.

    What you should do this week

    1. 1Open Advantage+ creative in Meta Ads Manager and create a test video from three product photos.
    2. 2Set up a separate ad set for Advantage+ video so you can compare performance against existing creatives.
    3. 3Check TikTok Ads Manager to see whether Smart+ Search Ads is available in your account.
    4. 4Confirm that your consent banner stores refusals and does not ask again on every visit.
    5. 5Plan a creative set for Pinterest campaigns running December 27–31.

    Frequently asked questions

    Meta Advantage+ video here refers to the feature in Advantage+ creative that automatically creates video ads from existing static images. According to Social Media Today and Relevant Audience, it has been generally available since the announcement at Advertising Week New York on October 6, 2026. Meta did not name countries, so check availability in your own account.

    Meta has announced that the AI assistant in the ad account will generate creatives, adjust targeting and change budgets through chat. According to Relevant Audience on October 8, 2026, Meta is still testing these agent features and has not given a firm date. Scheduled reports and alerts are also in testing.

    Not yet. According to t3n on October 7, 2026, Buy Direct and the TikTok Ad Network launch in the U.S. first. Buy Direct enables one-click purchases directly from the For You feed. TikTok has not named a region for other new features such as Smart+ Search Ads.

    No, not yet. According to PPC Land on October 10, 2026, the Council of the EU has only presented a negotiating draft on the Digital Omnibus. Under it, a website could ask again only four months after a refusal. The European Parliament still has to set its position, followed by an agreement in the trilogue.

    Pinterest says yes. According to a Pinterest blog post from September 29, 2026, reported by PPC Land on October 11, one in two monthly users in Europe keeps shopping after the holidays. Pinterest recommends using new creatives for the week between Christmas and New Year's instead of switching campaigns off. The data has not been independently verified.

    Conclusion

    Meta Advantage+ video makes video ads possible even without your own video footage. The assistant's agent features are still in testing, and the figures behind them come from Meta. At TikTok, the most important commerce features remain in the U.S. for now. Stroe Media recommends testing new AI features separately instead of mixing them into running campaigns.

    Want to test Advantage+ properly? Our social media marketing team can set it up for you. For complementary search ads, see Google Ads. Contact us directly. Last week's updates are in Social Ads News Week 41.

    Sources

    Author: Stroe Media Editorial Team, Last updated: October 12, 2026

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