Andromeda, GEM and Meta’s ad delivery – What happens to your ads behind the scenes.

We’re often asked what content is serving where, who’s seeing what, and why we “can’t control” the order in which Meta ads appear.

With Meta’s Andromeda and GEM suddenly dominating industry conversations (even though these aren’t actually new concepts), it’s the perfect time for a clear, simple breakdown of what’s actually happening – and why you don’t need to stress about curating a perfect, linear customer journey anymore.

As a digital marketing agency deeply immersed in Meta advertising and performance marketing, here’s the truth: Meta isn’t just evolving. 

It’s already operating several steps ahead of where most marketers think the platform’s at.

“Creative is the new targeting.”

That’s a line you’ve probably heard, and Meta has now wrapped that philosophy into a formal system called Andromeda.

Over the past two years, Meta has intentionally moved away from complex account structures, granular interest targeting, and any attempt to manually dictate who sees what.

Now, our reality is:

• We cannot predict the order creatives will be shown in.
• We cannot dictate which personas see which ads.
• We should not build overly segmented campaigns or hyper-curated funnels.
  
  

Meta literally tells advertisers to go broad and keep structures simple – because broad targeting improves performance, CPM efficiency, and delivery.

As long as your Meta ads include creative aligned to your different customer personas, the system will handle the match-making. Trust in the algorithm is the new secret recipe, and it knows your content better than you do. 

Some creatives are first-touch winners. Some convert on the fifth impression. Some only work after a user has clicked around. You might not know that whilst creating those assets, but Meta recognises patterns over time and will optimise its delivery accordingly.

And if something isn’t pulling its weight? 

Set your benchmarks. Give it some time. If it's still not a winner, then turn it off and move on. The algorithm will continue to recalibrate with every new creative you add.

So, how does Meta decide who sees what?

At DataSauce, we’ve been saying it for YEARS. Creative is the new targeting because Meta’s delivery system has become insanely advanced.

Load your campaign with diverse creative, and Meta will naturally route each asset toward its best-fit users. Yes, there may be overlap. But no, it’s never random.

Meta has now publicly explained how the process works through four core components – a peek behind the curtain of the Meta algorithm that most advertisers never get to see.

Four pillars of Meta’s ad delivery system.

1. Meta GEM

GEM identifies user behaviour patterns and predicts the types of creative each person responds to. It’s basically personalised creative match-making at scale.

2. Meta Andromeda

Andromeda maps ad relevance using preference modelling, then retrieves and ranks the best possible ads for each user in real time. This is the engine behind the “right person, right message” promise, and how paid social ads can feel like mind-reading so often. 

3. Meta Sequence Learning

This framework understands user behaviour over time – both pre- and post-click – and predicts what a user may want next. Not necessarily serving a “funnel,” but serving based on likelihood.

4. Meta Lattice

Lattice determines where in the customer journey your ad should appear and which placements or formats give it the highest chance of success.

Together, these systems decide the what, when, where, and who of your Meta ads. Not us, not you, not Hermione, and not your content calendar.

How ad delivery actually plays out. 

An example. 

Someone clicks on a “Better Homes” ad featuring modular sofas. That signals first interest.

Next: They’re served a UGC video explaining functionality.
Then: They’re shown a static image of the sofa in their favourite colour.
Finally: The creative that best aligns with their preferences seals the deal.

This isn’t a curated funnel. It’s Meta responding intelligently to behaviour in real time.

“Why do I keep seeing my own ads?” 

Ah, the classic client question.

Totally normal. Meta becomes confused by the behaviour of marketers and brand managers because you’re constantly on the website, interacting with your own brand, clicking around your ads, and generally acting nothing like a normal consumer.

You can add company email exclusions, but most advertisers prefer visibility into what’s currently live. Just remember that your impressions as a marketer are a rounding error in your delivery. Your customers are the ones Meta is optimising for.

Takeaway? Stop controlling, start creating.

The modern Meta advertising ecosystem isn’t built for control. It’s built for creative variety, broad targeting, and algorithm-led optimisation.

Your job is simple:

• Upload great creative across all personas.
• Refresh it frequently.
• Kill what’s not working.
• Let Meta handle the sequencing, placement, and audience matching.
  
  

The algorithm already knows more about your customers than you ever could, and when you embrace that, your performance marketing improves dramatically.

And whether it’s creative experts or paid social extraordinaires you’re after for some advice, we’ve got you covered all under one roof. Get in touch here. 

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