3 Problems with Flexible Format

These three things annoy me about Flexible Format…

Flexible Format allows you to submit up to 10 images or videos for a single ad.

Some advertisers have the option of creating up to three creative groups of 10 within an ad.

This is the modern version of Dynamic Creative, and I’ve had some success with it. But three things about it drive me crazy.

The Problems

All three of these are important setup options that are fundamental basics when creating a standard single image or video ad. But they’re not available with Flexible Format.

1. You can’t customize by placement.

This is nonsense. I spend a lot of time making sure an ad looks good everywhere. With Flexible Format, you just have to hope it does.

Basically, you’ll need to provide images or videos that can be cropped for any of the standard aspect ratios. That could mean a 9×16 or 4×5 where all of the important information falls within a safe zone.

I get it, to a point. Customizing 10 images and videos at once for a placement or placement group could be a nightmare. But not having this control is just as annoying.

2. You can’t set a thumbnail image for videos.

Once again, I always customize this.

But with Flexible Format, it’s chosen for you.

If you’ve ever created a video ad, you know that these automatic thumbnail images often need to be overridden. Even if you don’t upload something unique, Meta often chooses a spot in the video that makes no sense.

3. You can’t turn off individual Advantage+ Creative Features.

You can turn them all on or turn them all off, but nothing in between.

I’m not anti-enhancements, but I also know that not all of these features are relevant or desirable for each unique ad. When creating a manual ad, I’ll leave most enhancements on but I might turn off a couple.

But no such ability to individually select enhancements exists for Flexible Format. That may be considered an “easy” button, but it’s not at all helpful for advertisers who put some thought into it. Without the option, I just turn them all off.

Needed Improvement

Flexible Format is a great feature, but it could be so much better. While control over these things may be more difficult given the nature of how it works, Meta at least needs to do a better job of auto-selecting options when that customization isn’t available.