In some methods, Fb’s new advert marketing campaign appears to run counter to what individuals are really utilizing the app for in 2025. But, on the identical time, it additionally highlights the important thing connective advantage of the app, which is probably going what retains many individuals checking in with their Fb feed day by day.
Since you’re not logging in to “think about” your self in some AI-generated picture, or to take a look at the newest video. You’re opening up the Fb app to verify and see if any of your connections has shared something of observe.
Which this advert does nicely to showcase.
Known as “A Little Connection Goes a Lengthy Method,” Fb’s first advert marketing campaign in 4 years goals to focus on the worth of connection within the lead-up to the vacation season.
It’s an interesting reminder of the ability of Fb to deliver individuals collectively, even when, as famous, that’s not likely what individuals are utilizing the app for as of late.
Certainly, Meta’s personal knowledge exhibits that Reels consumption is now the driving pressure behind Fb utilization, and the one factor that’s producing engagement progress.
Final 12 months, Meta reported that Reels viewing accounts for 60% of all consumer time spent on Fb, whereas Meta additionally reported in its Q2 efficiency replace (in August this 12 months) that point spent on video content material has grown by greater than 20% year-over-year.
Which means that the overwhelming majority of cumulative time that folks spend within the app is now devoted to watching Reels clips, relegating the connective advantages which might be highlighted on this marketing campaign to the outer.
However then once more, why do you verify in on Fb day by day?
Right here’s the factor: What I think (however can’t definitively show with out inside knowledge) is that Fb utilization has declined considerably, by way of cumulative time spent, although all people nonetheless checks into their Fb feed day by day, simply to see if any of their associates of household, and even previous classmates, have shared something of curiosity.
Fb is now a useful on-line organizer for birthdays and celebrations, which is why Fb’s lively consumer depend stays so excessive. However I additionally don’t assume that almost all of individuals are spending a heap of time on the app, with Instagram, YouTube and TikTok probably taking over far more of our cumulative consideration.
However once more, we solely have some measures to point this.
Again within the day, as a part of its common efficiency reporting, Fb used to share updates on the period of time that customers had been spending in its apps, reporting, for instance, in 2016 that customers had been spending greater than 50 minutes per day, on common, utilizing Fb, Instagram, and Messenger.
However that was the final replace of this aspect, with Meta as an alternative now solely reporting total lively customers. Which is a really totally different measure, however once more, Fb’s lively consumer depend is very large (over 3 billion customers), and it seems significantly better for Meta to report that its utilization stays excessive, than to share that precise time spent in its apps has declined.
Although it has additionally confirmed this as nicely, albeit in a unique format.
Earlier within the 12 months, as a part of Meta’s courtroom battle in opposition to the FTC, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the period of time that folks spend on each Fb and Instagram had “gone down meaningfully,” with extra conversations shifting to messaging as an alternative.
Pal sharing, particularly, has declined, as proven on this slide from Meta’s courtroom presentation:
As you may see in these graphs, the time that folks spend within the app participating with content material posted by associates declined from 22% in 2023, to 17% in 2025.
And 22% was already a minor quantity of what’s nonetheless technically thought of a “social” media app, with the overwhelming majority of the remaining going to video content material.
Meta hasn’t shared an up to date depend of common minutes spent per consumer within the app, however once more, you may assume that it’s now considerably lower than 50 minutes per consumer per day. Which underlines the concept that most customers are probably solely checking in to see what family and friends have posted, then bouncing off to different apps.
Does that make Fb much less useful? Nicely, it will depend on the way you outline worth. If broad attain is your purpose, then Fb stays the place to be, but when the idea is that individuals are spending time scrolling via their Information Feed, I might recommend that’s most likely not the case.
It’s additionally attention-grabbing that Meta’s highlighting its connective advantages whereas additionally attempting to get you to interact with its content material regurgitating AI instruments ate each flip, which have completely nothing to do with human connection.
In any occasion, the attention-grabbing factor about this marketing campaign is that Fb is attempting to play up its connective capability, which it is aware of shouldn’t be a significant a part of the app. However it’s nonetheless a key connective software, and the advert does play into this, and will assist to drive extra curiosity in consequence.
Principally, it is a long-winded means of claiming that it is a good advert, even when it doesn’t immediately align with the way you could be utilizing Fb day-to-day. And it might nicely get extra individuals checking in on the vacations for catch ups with previous associates.
Andrew Hutchinson
