Meta recently hosted its “Restaurants Summit” in Chicago, bringing together over 100 marketers from the food industry to share the latest ad and creative tips for boosting promotional efforts in Meta’s apps.
Attendees learned some interesting data points about the most effective ways to utilize Meta’s tools, which can benefit not just restaurant marketers, but all businesses leveraging Meta ads.
Here are some key highlights from the event:
- Research shows that “Webrooming,” the practice of researching online before making in-person purchases, has increased by 1.95x over the past four years. This reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior towards seeking information online to inform their decisions.
- 74% of online adults prefer communicating with businesses through messaging, similar to how they interact with friends and family. This shift towards direct message engagement over public posting has changed how people use social media, emphasizing the need for brands to align with this trend.
- A study of over 12,000 adults across 12 countries found that more shopping journeys leading to purchases start on Meta technologies than on any other platform, highlighting the platform’s vast reach for businesses.
Meta also shared insights on the effectiveness of its AI-powered Advantage+ campaigns, which have shown strong results despite reducing human ad manager influence.
A study of over a million ad campaigns revealed that every dollar spent on Facebook/Instagram ads generates an average of $3.71 in revenue. When using Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns, this increases to an average of $4.52 in return on ad spend (ROAS).
Over a million advertisers are now utilizing Meta’s Gen AI tools monthly, and combining these with Advantage+ has led to an 11% higher click-through rate and a 7.6% higher conversion rate compared to non-AI ads.
For restaurant brands, Meta shared tips to increase audience response to campaigns:
- Ads that emphasize human connection, incorporating techniques like tight framing and eye contact, are 81% more effective than those without. Including people along with food helps capture attention.
- Showing the brand or packaging situation early in the video content can create a crave and deliver the brand message effectively.
- Quick pacing, fast transitions, and movement in ads help keep viewers engaged.
These insights from Meta’s ad team are valuable for all brands and can be considered in holiday marketing planning.
Explore the full list of tips from Meta’s Restaurants Summit 2024 here.