As dedicated advertisers, small business owners, authors, and marketers, we rely on Facebook Ads to connect with the right audiences and grow our businesses. But recent changes are making that harder—not easier.

Meta has been steadily removing detailed ad targeting options, and while we understand the push toward automation and broader audience discovery, many of us are finding that AI-driven targeting alone just isn’t working.

Here’s what we’re seeing:

• Campaigns using the "Advantage" Features are NOT Converting! (This may as well be named a "DISAdvantage"
• Return on ad spend (ROAS) drops SIGNIFICANTLY, sometimes down to nothing at all, when using Advantage features—despite consistent creative and strategy
• Broad targeting often misses the mark, especially for niche offers or highly specific markets.
• Without manual controls, we’re spending more—and seeing less in return; many will be priced out of being able to use ads entirely.

If detailed CUSTOM targeting receives more sales and AI targeting and broad targeting leads to LESS sales, THAT INDICATES THESE CHANGES ARE CREATING A WORSE USER EXPERIENCE FOR CUSTOMERS, TOO!

This can lead to a more frustrating experience overall, opening the door for users to leave Facebook in favor of other social media platforms. 

At the same time, when we ARE able to manually control targeting, performance improves:

• Lower cost per result
• Higher conversion rates
• Stronger campaign stability
• Better audience alignment

Take, for example, the author who wants to target readers of Romantic Suspense. There are all kinds of styles of Romantic Suspense: Dark, Light, Funny, Steamy, Sweet, etc. Being able to target specific authors makes it more likely that those books end up in front of the right potential readers. Additionally, the majority of this demographic is WOMAN, and when those ads start delivering to men, instead of comments from interested buyers, these authors receive weird, unrelated (and sometimes rude) comments from men. Authors of this genre would have preferred MORE targeting options be added, rather than removal of the few that were there. 

Or consider a men’s fitness coach who sells high-ticket online coaching programs for men over 40. His offer is optimized for men with weight-loss goals who are not bodybuilders or elite athletes. But with Advantage+ targeting, Facebook starts serving his ads to younger gym enthusiasts, female audiences, and even people interested in fad diets. His cost per lead spikes, conversions plummet, and his entire campaign becomes unsustainable—not because the offer is broken, but because the targeting is...through no fault of their own!

In both examples, the advertiser knows their audience. The problem is...they’re no longer allowed to reach them because Facebook/Meta Platforms and it's AI do not understand these audiences as well as they think. 

However anyone feels about AI in general, the companies who aren't paying attention to AI's shortcomings will end up losing customers.

“People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT, which is interesting, because AI hallucinates. It should be the tech that you don’t trust that much.” — Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, on the OpenAI podcast, June 2025 

What We’re Asking For:
We’re not asking Meta to abandon automation or Advantage+ options. Perhaps they DO work better for SOME individuals (even if the person writing this petition personally doesn't know anyone that's the case for...) We simply ask for a balance between automation and advertiser control.

We Respectfully Request:

• The restoration of detailed targeting filters, including interest, behavior, and demographic categories
• Continued access to exclusions, layered audiences, and lookalike segmentation
• The freedom to choose whether to use AI-driven targeting or manual audience refinement
• And for Meta to add MORE targeting options (perhaps built based on followers of pages and groups, for example). 

Why This Matters
For many of us, Facebook Ads aren’t just a marketing tool—they’re a core part of how we reach our communities and sustain our work. As automation becomes more dominant, advertisers with niche markets, specific offers, or smaller budgets are being left out.

We believe that giving advertisers more flexibility—not less—is key to keeping Facebook Ads effective, accessible, and results-driven for businesses of all sizes.

We're just asking Facebook/Meta to HONOR what they tell us their mission statement is!

Meta’s mission is “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” But by restricting advertisers' ability to reach the right people—especially those serving niche communities and underrepresented markets—Facebook is doing the opposite. These limitations break the connection between creators and the communities they're trying to serve.

When AI takes control and advertisers can no longer target based on shared values, interests, or identity, the ability to build meaningful relationships disappears. Small businesses, independent creators, educators, and nonprofits are not asking for special treatment—we’re simply asking for tools that allow us to show up where we’re most relevant.

By taking away that control, Facebook is moving further from its mission, not closer.

 
Sign the Petition

If you believe in smarter, more strategic advertising that supports all businesses—not just those with enterprise-level budgets—add your voice.

Let Meta know: We need targeting tools that work, flexibility that scales, and transparency that respects the businesses fueling this platform.

📣 Let’s work together to make Facebook Ads better—for everyone.