Meta’s Ad Manager glitch causes ad prices to rise dramatically.

Marketers using Facebook and Instagram have noticed difficulties, higher prices, and worse returns on the once-reliable sales channel.

Meta marketers complain that the cost of running campaigns across their platforms has risen due to persistent difficulties with their algorithm.

Brands complain that sales and return-on-ad spend have both dropped, while cost-per-click and cost per 1,000 impressions have increased by a factor of three in recent months, with Meta offering no explanation.

Meta acknowledged that there had been some technical issues with ads, but disputed that the problems were widespread.

A spokesperson told Bloomberg:

• “Our ads system is working as expected for the vast majority of advertisers.”
• “We recently fixed a few technical issues and are researching a small amount of additional reports from advertisers to ensure the best possible results for businesses using our apps.”

What happens next: Meta has not published information regarding the advertisers/brands affected by the problem, nor have any specifics been shared concerning the following steps.