Meta Ads is the advertising platform of Meta Platforms, Inc., the public company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads. en.wikipedia.org It gives businesses of all sizes self-serve tools to reach billions of people across Meta’s properties and partner inventory, using a single interface in Meta Ads Manager and Meta Business Suite.
Founded in 2004 as Facebook and rebranded to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest digital advertising businesses, with advertising contributing the vast majority of its revenue. In 2024 Meta reported US$164.5 billion in revenue and more than 78,000 employees globally, underscoring the scale and maturity of its ad ecosystem. en.wikipedia.org
The Meta Ads platform centers on people-based advertising: advertisers can create campaigns around business objectives such as awareness, traffic, leads, app installs and sales, and then use Meta’s detailed targeting, optimization and measurement tools to find relevant audiences. Ads can run across Facebook and Instagram feeds, Stories and Reels, Messenger, Marketplace, WhatsApp entry points and the Meta Audience Network, with automated systems like Advantage+ placements used to allocate budget where performance is strongest. facebook.com
Over the last decade Meta Ads has become a core performance and brand channel for e‑commerce, mobile apps, local businesses and global brands alike. Its scale, creative formats and targeting depth make it a default choice for many consumer-focused marketers, while integrations with commerce platforms, CRMs and analytics tools help connect media investment to business outcomes. At the same time, advertisers must navigate a complex interface, evolving privacy and regulatory requirements, and frequent changes to algorithms and features compared with some competing ad platforms.