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Meta announced changes to its advertising platform ahead of the Q4 shopping season, narrowing several interest-based targeting categories while expanding contextual and first-party data targeting options.
The company says the shift reflects both regulatory pressure in the EU and UK around behavioral targeting and a broader industry move toward privacy-conscious advertising. Advertisers relying heavily on granular interest targeting will need to shift toward Meta's Advantage+ automated targeting or build out first-party audience lists.
Agencies say the timing is challenging given the proximity to peak holiday spend, but note Meta has provided a transition window through early November. Meta recommends advertisers audit their current campaigns and test Advantage+ audiences now rather than during peak season.
The update is part of a broader trend among major ad platforms toward automated, privacy-safe targeting as third-party cookie deprecation and regulatory scrutiny continue to reshape digital advertising.
