Meta, like TikTok, is putting advertisers in the middle of the cultural moments that consume your feed

Meta has a habit of repurposing features that achieve popularity on other platforms, and its 2026 NewFronts presentation offered more of the same. New ad formats coming to platforms like Facebook and Instagram will help Meta keep pace with TikTok’s cultural relevancy, YouTube’s creator economy prowess, and the entire tech industry’s AI frenzy.

One of the focal points of Meta’s NewFronts pitch was its effort to put advertisers “at the center of culture.” The Reels trending ads Meta announced a year ago

are getting a makeover. Those spots, which run during important dates on the calendar, will now be active during Fashion Week, F1, Black Friday, and NFL games.

TikTok has covered similar territory with its Pulse suite, and it used its own NewFronts spiel to unveil more ad products that put brands in the places where cultural conversations happen. Meta shared some stats to explain why tentpole events have become such a significant point of emphasis for platforms and their partners. Attention spans have shrunk 69% in twenty years, but the human brain now needs less than a half-second to register an ad. Those two data points, when taken together, show that brands need to make an immediate and direct impact with their target audience.

“Instagram’s Reels trending ads help us show up in the moments moviegoers are already leaning into — alongside the trends and creators shaping culture in real time,” said Focus Features VP of Media Brittany Humes in a statement. “Our RTA campaigns deliver meaningful, incremental reach and strong video engagement, while also lifting the outcomes that matter most to our business, from awareness and intent to ticket purchases.”

Other aspects of Meta’s presentation felt closer to YouTube than TikTok. Both Meta and YouTube are redesigning their creator partnerships hubs to make it easier for brands to connect with like-minded influencers. In Meta’s case, the new partnerships platform will let users coordinate campaigns across Facebook and Instagram while evaluating results and turning relevant organic posts into paid media.

Generative AI plays a significant role in that process. An automated video voiceover product, for example, helps brands globalize campaigns. Advertisers can also employ new tools that generate product videos inspired by catalog listings.

Clearly, Meta isn’t shying away from AI, even as competitors like OpenAI scale back plans. Meta’s latest tech has a lot of potential for the corporation’s ad partners, and given how quickly those brands need to act, they’ll appreciate all the automated assistance they can get.