If your Facebook ads performance suddenly tanked in the past few months, it's probably because of this new update.
Meta quietly rolled out its Andromeda Update back in December 2024—but most marketers didn’t start seeing the impact until recently. And for many, it’s been rough.
✅ Campaigns that used to convert are failing.
✅ Ad costs are climbing.
✅ Conversions are down.
✅ Budgets aren’t even spending.
So what happened?
Before Andromeda, Meta tested your ads to find the winner and shifted your budget automatically. You could run three nearly identical versions of an ad - same image, same copy, just a different headline - and Meta would pick the strongest one meaning the one that got the most impressions and responses, and they'd put more of your budget toward that. Some called the 3.2.2 practice for ads.
Now, the algorithm uses AI to decide who sees your ads and which concepts are “different enough” to matter. If your creatives are too similar, the system simply won’t spend your budget.
In short: AI wants variety.
Caveat to remember: All marketing is a test. Do it, gather data on what works, and then do more of that.
Meta now rewards brands running multiple distinct ad concepts that connect to unique buyer motivations and stages of awareness.
To succeed under Andromeda, you’ll need to:
1. WHO: Create multiple customer avatars.
Don’t rely on a single “ideal client.” If you’re a mindset coach for women, for example, you might have:
Each one needs a message that speaks directly to her life stage and motivation.
2. WHAT: Go deeper into the real problem they want to solve.
Those buyers don’t want a coaching session that gives them the same platitudes they can read about online - they want confidence, freedom, or peace of mind. Keep asking “why” until you hit the emotional reason behind their decision.
3. WHERE: Match your message to their awareness.
Where are each of these in their customer journey? Are they unaware they have a problem, aware of the problem but not the solution, or ready to choose between you and a competitor?
That determines what you say - and how you say it. (the levels of awareness are spelled out in the book Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz but you could probably google it too)
If your agency is only running one or two ads, they’re burning your money.
Under Andromeda, 8–15 ad concepts per ad set is the new normal. Mix formats—video, carousel, static images, quote graphics—and refresh them every 7–14 days.
Even smaller advertisers can compete by focusing on creative diversity. Make sure that if you're doing ads in house or hiring an agency that you're tracking the right data, including:
Andromeda changed the rules, but not the goal: create ads that feel human.
If your ads have stopped working, don't automatically presume your offer is bad - it’s that your variety and messaging aren’t keeping up with how Meta is now reading audiences.
I can help you apply these changes without wasting ad spend. If you’d like a quick audit, let’s talk.