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🚀 The ASC Debate: Is It Really Just Glorified Retargeting?
Credits Alex Song Via LinkedIn

Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC) have been marketed as a powerful tool for scaling, but when you peel back the layers, many marketers are questioning its true role. Is it a prospecting powerhouse or just a glorified retargeting machine? Let’s dive into the hot take that has the industry buzzing.

The Glorified Retargeting Argument

ASC often feels like it’s doing the heavy lifting, but in reality, it’s heavily reliant on returning visitors and lower-funnel audiences. Here’s why this argument holds weight:

• Meta’s Attribution Bias: ASC campaigns often take credit for conversions already primed by other touchpoints. This inflates performance metrics, making it hard to discern whether ASC is truly driving new acquisition.

• Traffic Composition: As highlighted by Ashvin, Obvi’s CMO, ASC tests revealed that 75% of traffic came from returning visitors, with only 25% being net new. This data underscores its reliance on retargeting rather than fresh prospecting.

• Creative Dependency: With ASC, the only real lever is creative performance. But if your audience is predominantly returning visitors, even the most brilliant creatives struggle to attract new buyers.

When ASC Works

Despite the critique, ASC campaigns still have their place—particularly for brands with strong lower-funnel performance and clear customer retention strategies.

Best Use Cases:

1. Reactivation at Scale: ASC excels when you have a significant base of warm audiences to re-engage, such as past purchasers or high-intent site visitors.

2. Testing Creative Efficiency: Since ASC strips targeting down to broad audiences, it’s an excellent environment for testing which creatives resonate universally.

3. Supplementary Scaling: When paired with strong prospecting campaigns, ASC can amplify retargeting efforts and smoothen the path to conversion.

The Prospecting Gap

For pure prospecting, ASC falls short. Its broad targeting approach and reliance on Meta’s algorithm limit its ability to reach cold audiences effectively. If net-new acquisition is your priority, manual campaigns with refined targeting strategies remain the gold standard.

The Verdict

ASC may feel like a game-changer, but its heavy reliance on retargeting and Meta’s algorithm makes it a double-edged sword. It’s a valuable tool, but not a one-size-fits-all solution. For scaling campaigns, understanding ASC’s strengths (and limitations) is critical to avoiding over-reliance on what might simply be retargeting in disguise.

Takeaway: Treat ASC as a supplement to your strategy, not the centerpiece. For prospecting, stick to refined targeting and creative-first approaches to truly scale. 🚀

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