The short version: On 6 October 2026, Meta announced that its ad tools can now take a still photo you already have and turn it into a video ad. You do not need a camera, a videographer, or CapCut. It is built into Ads Manager.
This matters in Kenya because almost every seller on Facebook and Instagram has photos. Very few have video. And video is what the feed pushes.
What it does, in plain English
- Photo in, video out. Upload a normal product photo. Meta’s AI adds movement, camera motion and transitions, and gives you a short video ad.
- Catalogue to video. If your products are already in a Facebook/Instagram shop catalogue, it can generate videos straight from those listings — no new uploads at all.
- You still control the edit. In Ads Creative Studio you can change the opening hook, the music, the clip length, the text on screen, the captions and the end frame.
- Several versions at once. It can produce variations of the same concept so you can test which one people actually watch.
- The AI assistant now remembers you. Meta’s ads assistant can read your past campaign results, accept your brand guidelines as an upload, and change targeting or budget when you ask it to in plain words.
- Coming, not here yet: scheduled reports sent to you automatically, and buying directly inside a Messenger chat (being tested with Shopify, PayPal, Stripe and Adyen).
What it costs
- Meta has published no separate fee for the video generation. It sits inside Advantage+ creative, which is part of Ads Manager.
- You still pay your normal ad spend. The tool changes the creative, not the media cost.
- Video generation from static images is listed as generally available. Ads Creative Studio is still widening out from a partner group, so you may not see every button yet.
Why a Kenyan business should care
- Video gets cheaper reach than static images on both Facebook and Instagram. If you have been running photo ads only, your cost per result is probably higher than it needs to be.
- You are not paying a videographer KSh 10,000–30,000 for a product clip you will test and maybe throw away.
- It works with what you already have. No shoot, no studio, no tripod.
The honest warning
- AI-generated motion can look wrong on certain products — anything with text on the packaging, fine detail, or a human face. Watch every video before it goes live.
- Meta’s AI enhancements are often switched on by default. If you have never checked, go and look at what it is already doing to your ads.
- This does not replace one good real video of you, your shop, or your safari vehicle. Trust still comes from something that is obviously real.
Do this today
- Open Ads Manager → create a new ad → look under Advantage+ creative for the video generation option.
- Pick your three best-selling products and generate one video each.
- Run them against your current best photo ad for seven days, same budget, same audience.
- Keep the winner. Delete the loser. That is the whole test.
- While you are in there, check which Advantage+ enhancements are already switched on without your permission.
Tool link: Meta Advantage+ Creative