Meta is taking a leaf out of the TV playbook, introducing a new ad product that allows advertisers to dominate Facebook and Instagram for a set period in a single day.
Known as “ads super burst”, the offering lets brands and agencies lock in a 3-24 hour window to run concentrated campaigns across the platforms.
The format has similarities to TV’s traditional “roadblocks”, where advertisers secure a specific time slots across across channels to render advertising unavoidable.
Speaking to Mumbrella about the launch, Ben Willee, executive director of media and data at Spinach Advertising, said the move suggested Meta was finally listening to the industry, rather than simply pushing its own tools.
“Meta isn’t exactly the most innovative company in the world,” he said.
“Its approach has always been to insist that the market adopts and uses its own tools, but now it looks like Meta is starting to listen to the media buyers.
“A tool like this means you can establish a message early in a campaign and everything that follows afterwards works much harder by reinforcing something already seen to the consumer.”
A recent example of the approach came in July 2025, when Commonwealth Bank launched its “Doubt Never Did” campaign, which included a BVOD and digital platform roadblock as part of its media strategy.
“Although today everyone is focused on hyper-personalised targeting, sometimes the smartest thing is to get your message in front of a large number of people as quickly as possible,” he added.
The launch was part of a raft of new advertising products and measurement tools unveiled by Meta overnight.
These included reels trending ads, which expand advertising opportunities alongside trending reels on Facebook and Instagram, offering 15 “always-on” content categories and seasonal options, including cricket.
Most notably perhaps was Meta’s introduction of what’s known as “aggregated view time”, a measurement tool in early testing that tracks cumulative viewing time across short-form videos to help advertisers better understand brand impact.
However, Willee was more cautious about the new measurement offering, arguing that additional data was welcome but would do little to address broader concerns around independent verification.
“I am uncomfortable with a digital media that does not allow third-party measurement or ad serving,” he said.
Although Willee agreed aggregated view time could provide advertisers with more information and a clearer picture of campaign performance, he said its results were limited if Meta was effectively still “marking its own homework”.
Also in the early testing phase in the US is a tool known as “first impression ads”, which allow brands to secure the first ad placement users see when opening their Facebook Feed.
For Willee, though, it remains up for debate as to whether securing the first placement necessarily translated to better results.
“First viewing doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better,” he said.
“If it’s an ad break on the TV, then yes, it may be effective because people will get up to go to the toilet or go on their phones during an ad break. You can understand it in certain mediums.
“I’m unconvinced, though, that there are benefits to having the first impression in this medium.”
