Meta is giving advertisers more ways to capture audience attention, from securing prominent feed positions to concentrating campaign delivery around major events and measuring how long people engage with branded videos.
The company unveiled a series of advertising updates at its Brand Building Summit on October 15, 2026. The announcements include Ads Super Burst, a test of First Impression Ads, an expanded selection of topics for Reels Trending Ads, and a new measurement tool called Aggregated View Time.
The products are designed to help businesses strengthen brand awareness, reach audiences during high-interest moments, and better understand the cumulative impact of video advertising.
Ads Super Burst lets brands dominate key moments
For businesses planning around product launches, major entertainment events, or the start of a sports season, Meta is introducing a way to concentrate advertising exposure into a short, reserved period.
Called Ads Super Burst, the offering allows advertisers to book campaigns lasting between three and 24 hours, with the aim of delivering reach at a scale comparable to television advertising. Brands can also access category exclusivity, preventing competing advertisers in the same category from booking the same window.
Advertisers can plan these campaigns through Meta’s Reach Planner, which provides estimates for pricing and audience reach, with guaranteed delivery linked to those estimates.
The product is moving into general availability in phases during October 2026.
Early results shared by Meta suggest the approach could improve campaign performance. Advertisers testing Ads Super Burst recorded a median increase of 2.9 percentage points in ad recall and 0.6 percentage points in purchase or action intent. Each campaign flight reached a median of 34 million people, equivalent to 14% of the US adult online audience in a single day, according to the company.
The format is a premium advertising option, making it particularly relevant to brands with substantial budgets and campaigns that depend on visibility within a narrow timeframe.
First Impression Ads target the top spot in Facebook feeds
Meta is also testing a placement that gives an advertiser’s promotion the first advertising position users encounter when opening Facebook.
The First Impression Ads test is currently limited to the United States, with Meta allowing only one brand per day to use the placement during this early phase.
The company says advertisers have long requested access to the first ad position because of the prominence it provides. By securing that opening slot, brands could gain an advantage in crowded feeds where competing promotions vie for attention.
The concept is not unique to Meta. LinkedIn, Snapchat, and TikTok have introduced similar high-impact advertising options that allow brands to reserve prominent placements.
For marketers, the appeal lies in securing visibility rather than relying entirely on the usual competition for feed attention.
Reels Trending Ads expand to more content categories
Meta is also broadening Reels Trending Ads, which places brand promotions alongside popular Reels content.
Advertisers can now choose from 15 standard topics, including newly introduced categories covering Home & Garden and Spanish-language content. Seasonal collections are also available to help businesses align their campaigns with events and moments that attract shared interest.
The company says it is expanding targeting capabilities for the format as well.
Meta reports that advertisers using Reels Trending Ads have seen increases of more than five percentage points in both action intent and unaided brand awareness. These results are intended to demonstrate the potential value of placing campaigns near content that already commands audience attention.
The expansion reflects Meta’s wider emphasis on short-form video as a channel for brand discovery and engagement.
Aggregated View Time looks beyond individual video views
Alongside the new placement options, Meta is testing Aggregated View Time, a measurement product intended to show how much cumulative time people spend with a brand’s video advertising over a selected period.
Traditional view-based measurements can focus attention on individual exposures. The new approach is designed to help advertisers assess the combined effect of repeated or extended engagement with their video campaigns.
Meta argues that cumulative exposure can influence consumers’ intention to buy, making total viewing time a potentially useful indicator of campaign impact.
The company believes this measurement approach could become more relevant as short-form video changes how advertisers evaluate attention and engagement.
However, Aggregated View Time remains in testing, and Meta has not provided further rollout details in the supplied announcement.
Meta places brand building at the centre of its advertising strategy
The new products reflect Meta’s effort to help marketers connect advertising with cultural events, popular video content and moments when audiences are especially receptive to brand messages.
At the summit, the company cited research indicating that its platforms performed 18% better than the average brand channel in building awareness across more than 1,000 global campaigns, while also generating a 73% lift in consideration. Meta also said 71% of people surveyed believe its platforms have the greatest influence on the cultural trends they follow.
Meta presented these figures to support its case for the role of its platforms in brand marketing.
Taken together, the announcements cover four parts of the advertising process: securing concentrated reach through Ads Super Burst, gaining priority placement with First Impression Ads, connecting promotions to trending Reels content, and measuring cumulative video exposure through Aggregated View Time.
For advertisers, the options offer more ways to plan high-visibility campaigns and evaluate their effects. The extent to which they prove useful will depend on campaign objectives, audience fit, costs, and the performance advertisers achieve as the products become more widely available.
Source: Meta