Weekly Marketing Rundown - July 12th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 29, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore the challenges surrounding Meta's ad budget underspending, the automatic activation of Advantage + Audience parameters, updates to Google Ads, and much more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta Underspending Ad Budgets? Recently, Kavanah Media team members have observed that several ad campaigns using Original Audiences are frequently underspending their daily budgets. While this typically balances out over the duration of the campaigns, teams have reported lower-than-average message rates as a result. Consequently, this has led to periods of inactivity for digital responders. Kavanah Media's initial hypothesis suggests that this issue may stem from not granting Meta's algorithms sufficient flexibility, particularly concerning Advantage+ Audience, campaign budgeting, and other related factors. For Mission Teams: Teams facing this issue are encouraged to try combining audiences, enabling Advanced Audience features, and minimizing restrictions on the algorithm to see if the issue improves. If you are encountering this problem, we would appreciate your feedback. Meta Expands Advantage+ Dynamic Media in API Meta is updating its Marketing API to bring it in line with Ads Manager. Starting September 1, 2025, Meta will automatically enable Dynamic Media for Advantage+ catalog ads. This means formats like Single Image, Carousel, and Collection will now default to Dynamic Media, allowing more flexibility and personalization. The rollout will finish by October 20, though advertisers can still opt out if they want manual control. For Mission Teams: Teams utilizing third party tools for marketing on Meta's platforms should experiment with these new tools in their context to see how they affect engagement. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-updates-marketing-api-advantage-plus-expansion/758685/ Meta Restricting Ads Related to English Classes Many advertisers have reportedly faced challenges with Meta flagging and restricting ads related to English classes and other educational categories. Although Meta has not addressed this issue, some marketers suspect it may be linked to the company's compliance with local laws governing educational entities or other related policies. For Mission Teams: Mission teams promoting educational events should ensure their advertisements comply with Meta's policies and best practices. This includes considerations such as marketing to minors and avoiding ascribing personal attributes in their advertising (see Meta's policy on that here). Furthermore, it is advisable to limit the amount of text and content in ad creatives, as the Kavnaah Media team has observed that excessive text can lead to ad restrictions. https://www.reddit.com/r/FacebookAds/comments/xhgy80/pages_for_schools_being_restricted_from/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Advantage + Audience Settings Auto Enabled The Kavanah Media team has reported a recent change to Meta's Ad Manager UI concerning Advantage + Audiences. Previously, missions teams could easily disable the Advantage + audience by toggling the 'Original audience' button at the bottom of the audience selection box. However, the new update requires users to select "Further Limit the Reach of Your Ads" and then deselect the "Use as a suggestion" options for age, gender, and location. Additionally, Kavanah Media team members noticed that Advantage + Audience targeting has been re-enabled on ads where it was previously disabled. For Mission Teams: For teams currently using Adv.+ audience parameters, no changes are required. However, teams employing Original Audience targeting to specify gender, age, or geographic location should verify that these changes have not been automatically applied to their existing ads. Necessary adjustments should be made for future advertisements. If you are experiencing this issue or require assistance with adjusting your ad targeting, please do not hesitate to contact us. Google Ads to Remove Language Targeting in Search Campaigns By the end of 2025, Google Ads will phase out manual language targeting in search campaigns. Instead, Google AI will automatically detect and match user languages, aiming to simplify campaign setup and increase precision. This update won’t impact non-search campaigns. For Mission Teams: For mission teams, this means less direct control over which languages your ads target. While automation could broaden reach, it may also bring unintended audiences. Teams should closely track performance metrics and be ready to refine ad copy or campaign structure to keep messaging aligned with the right audience. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-34-adriaan-dekker-ftsce/ Meta Adjusts Ad Set Spending Limits Meta has changed how ad set spending limits function under Advantage+ Campaign Budget (formerly Campaign Budget Optimization). Instead of enforcing hard caps on spending, the limits now act as average targets. This means spending may fluctuate above or below the set amount, with Meta aiming to balance it over time. For Mission Teams: This update reduces control over strict budget allocation. To prevent overspending on a particular ad, teams should utilize Lifetime budget. As usual, teams should experiment with this in their context. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/ad-set-spending-limits-change/ Google Ads Adds Asset Studio and Prepares AI Mode Ads Google Ads is rolling out Asset Studio in beta, a built-in creative hub that allows users to generate images, videos, and voiceovers using AI. It also includes bulk editing, video trimming, and flags AI-generated content with a “SynthID.” Asset Studio is especially useful for Performance Max campaigns, helping teams produce high-quality assets faster and more efficiently. At the same time, Google is preparing a broad rollout of AI Mode ads in its conversational AI search interface before Q4. Unlike traditional keyword-based ads, these placements will appear based on the full conversation context. Performance Max and AI Max for search campaigns will automatically feed into these new placements, making careful monitoring of campaign performance essential. For Mission Teams: Asset Studio can save teams time and resources when creating visuals and videos. With AI Mode ads, expect ads to appear in new, context-driven placements. Monitor performance closely and keep data and feeds well-maintained. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-34-adriaan-dekker-ftsce/ Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement At Kavanah Media, we’re committed to helping mission teams use digital tools to make God known around the world. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, practical insights, or in-depth strategy, we’ve got resources to help: Kavanah Media Blog – Learn from our experiences serving hundreds of mission teams worldwide. We share practical lessons, real stories, and best practices to help your team avoid mistakes and grow in digital outreach. Subscribe here. YouVersion Reading Plan– Jon Ralls, CEO of Kavanah Media, just launched a powerful 8-day devotional on YouVersion called "Living in Tension." Subscribe here Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: August 29, 2025

Weekly Marketing Rundown - December 13th, 2024 Hi everyone! In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown we will discuss using Meta's new data restrictions, Blueksy's potential advertising, China's massive hack, and more. U.S. Officials Urge Americans to Use Encrypted Apps Amid Chinese Cyber Threats Following a significant cyberattack by Chinese hackers targeting U.S. government officials, American authorities are recommending the use of encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp for secure communication. These apps offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring messages remain private even if intercepted. For mission teams the usage of encrypted platforms for communication is strongly encouraged. https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-officials-urge-americans-to-use-encrypted-apps-after-chinese-hack Bluesky CEO Discusses Social Media Innovation and Future Revenue Models Bluesky CEO Jay Graber is focused on reshaping social media by prioritizing user control and decentralization. While Bluesky currently avoids traditional advertising, Graber acknowledges that monetization strategies, including ads, may eventually be explored to sustain the platform. As Bluesky continues to grow, its focus on decentralization and user-centric design could offer unique opportunities for digital engagement strategies. https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/05/bluesky-ceo-jay-graber-is-reshaping-social-media-but-advertising-isnt-off-the-table/ How WhatsApp Became a Global Cultural Phenomenon WhatsApp has become a central communication tool worldwide, evolving from a simple messaging app into a global cultural force. In regions like Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, it serves as the backbone for personal and professional communication, often replacing traditional SMS and email. Its appeal lies in its affordability, ease of use, and encrypted messaging, which make it accessible even in areas with limited internet access. For mission teams, WhatsApp’s widespread reach and reliability make it a powerful tool for digital engagement, enabling group chats, media sharing, and community-building in regions where other platforms may not have the same penetration. https://restofworld.org/2024/how-whatsapp-became-a-global-cultural-force/ Meta Introduces New Data Use Restrictions - Religious Affiliations Meta is implementing stricter data use restrictions for ad targeting due to increased privacy regulations. Advertisers will face limitations on how third-party data and custom audiences can be utilized, aiming to protect user privacy and align with global standards. In particular they state: "Important: We'll start restricting how certain data sources can share data through Meta Business Tools in January 2025," and later they say that these restrictions will affect any data source that "is associated with individuals with specific religious or spiritual beliefs and practices." This will affect missions teams utilizing retargeting and landing pages in their digital strategies and perhaps more. Our team at Kavanah Media is currently researching and experimenting to find a solution to mitigate any hang-ups teams may face. Hear more about this on today's Christian Media Marketing Podcast here. https://matchnode.com/blog-and-podcasts/metas-new-data-restrictions/ Google Launches AI Video Generator to Expand Ad Content Google’s new AI-powered video generation tool aims to simplify ad creation, allowing advertisers to produce short video ads efficiently. This tool can adapt various elements, such as brand logos and promotional offers, to craft targeted ad content. While it enables easier ad production, it also raises concerns about contributing to an oversaturation of ads online. Mission teams leveraging digital platforms for engagement could benefit from using Google’s AI tool to produce quick, culturally relevant video content tailored to their audience quickly and efficiently. https://gizmodo.com/googles-new-ai-video-generator-is-made-to-fill-the-internet-with-even-more-ads-2000534023 Monthly Ad Idea  Get inspired with this month’s featured ad idea from our Ad Resource store! Theme of the Month: Christmas 🎄 Explore the Christmas Ad Idea Intentional - Kavanah Media's Newsletter Subscribe to Intentional, Kavanah’s monthly newsletter, and stay inspired by stories of lives transformed, ministry milestones, and the latest business updates on how we’re intentionally leveraging digital platforms to make God known across the globe. Join us on this journey of purposeful digital engagement and global impact! For more on this, click the link below: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/sign-up  Christian Media Marketing Podcast Looking for more in depth information regarding all things digital engagement? Look no further than the Christian Media Marketing Podcast. For 5 years Kavanah Media CEO Jon Ralls has gone in depth on everything from websites to online messaging. Subscribe here ( https://www.kavanahmedia.com/podcast) or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Cody Adams, Cherry Messimer Article Published: December 13th, 2024