Why Your Meta Ads Stopped Working (And How to Fix It)

What Actually Broke

When Apple rolled out iOS 14.5 in 2021, it gave users the option to block tracking. Over 80% did. This meant Meta lost visibility into what happens after someone clicks your ad — did they buy? Did they browse and leave? The algorithm stopped learning effectively.

The result: targeting got worse, attribution became unreliable, and the feedback loop that made Meta ads so powerful was severely weakened.

The 2026 Playbook

1. Fix your tracking first. Conversions API (CAPI) is no longer optional. Server-side tracking recovers significant signal that browser-side pixels miss. If you haven't implemented it properly, start there.

2. Embrace broad targeting. The old playbook of hyper-segmented audiences is dead. Meta's algorithm now works better with broad audiences and good creative. Let the machine learning do its job with larger data sets.

3. Creative is your new targeting. When you can't target precisely, your creative does the targeting for you. Specific messaging naturally attracts specific audiences. Invest in creative testing at scale.

4. Use blended ROAS. Don't trust in-platform attribution blindly. Compare total revenue against total spend to get a true picture. Many brands find Meta is actually performing better than the platform reports.

What's Working Now

• UGC-style creative continues to outperform polished brand content for most DTC brands
• Advantage+ campaigns often beat manual campaigns when you have sufficient budget (£100/day minimum)
• Reels placement is delivering strong results — make sure your creative is optimised for it
• Catalogue ads work well for remarketing when paired with dynamic creative

The Uncomfortable Truth

Meta ads still work. They're just not the magic money machine they were in 2019. Expect 2-3x ROAS as a good outcome for cold acquisition, not 5-10x. Build your strategy around realistic expectations and you'll find Meta remains a core channel for scaling DTC brands.