META’S GEM UPDATE: Why Creative Velocity, Organic Signals, and Andromeda Are Rewriting the Rules of Ads
Meta just dropped one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen since ads moved into the News Feed and yes, it’s even bigger than the iOS 14 fallout.
In a two-part Perpetual Traffic series, Andrew Foxwell broke down exactly what’s happening behind the scenes at Meta with the new GEM update, how it layers on top of Andromeda, and what advertisers must do to win in 2025 and beyond.
What Is GEM? And Why Does It Matter?
GEM is essentially Meta’s new central brain for ads, an AI system designed to interpret user behavior across the entire Meta ecosystem.
According to Meta, GEM has already delivered:
+5% conversions on Instagram
+3% conversions on Facebook Feed
Doubled efficiency in Q3 2025
GEM is the new operating system. Andromeda changed how Meta reads your ads. GEM changes how Meta reads your users.
How GEM Actually Works
GEM evaluates:
Every user action across IG, FB, Reels, Stories
WhatsApp activity
Web behavior and browsing
Sequence-based intent signals (what someone viewed months ago + clicked last week + browsed yesterday)
It even merges Facebook + Instagram into a single ad serving engine which is something Meta had not fully done before. This means Meta is no longer looking at fragments of behavior…it’s looking at the entire behavioral storyline.
The Shock: Organic Content Is Now a Ranking Signal
Meta confirmed to Andrew:
“Rank both organic content and ads. Organic will play an important role in ad ranking.”
This is one of the biggest changes in years.
Organic content like the Reels, posts, carousels, and videos your brand publishes are now directly shapes:
Who sees your ads
How your ads are ranked
How GEM interprets your brand
Organic and paid are no longer separate. They are one system.
Creative Diversification Isn’t Optional, It’s the System
Foxwell spells it out:
“You are a creative shop now if you want to do Meta ads.”
Meta rewards advertisers who feed it:
Net-new creative concepts
Visual diversity
Persona-specific angles
Creator and talent variety
Contextual variety (POV, demo, founder-led, cinematic, lifestyle, etc.)
Andromeda and GEM both rely on your creative pipeline to understand:
Who your personas are
What problems your product solves
Which visuals resonate
How large your total addressable audience is
One sneaker brand drastically improved results simply by adding creators of different ethnicities into their ads — same angle, same product, different talent. This is what Meta wants: variation, not volume; diversity, not duplication.
The New Creative Operating System
Andrew introduces two critical frameworks:
1. Creative Training (Training Meta)
Teach Meta your brand by feeding the system:
New visual styles
New angles
New personas
New product demonstrations
New hook types
Creative isn’t just for users — it’s for the algorithm.
2. Creative Testing (Training Your Team)
Use tools like:
Reddit
Comment mining
AI variations
UGC sourcing
Multi-talent testing
This builds the internal muscle your organization needs to keep pace with Andromeda + GEM.
Stay ahead of the game with our newsletter! From blogs to courses, we’re here to help you grow smarter, not harder.Why Campaign Structure Matters Less
Foxwell says this directly:
“Your campaign structure doesn’t matter as much as your creative org chart.”
Whether you’re spending $50/day or $5,000/day:
One campaign can work.
Broad targeting is usually enough.
Creative is the targeting.
And the more net-new concepts you push, the more Meta can scale your account.
Example from Part 2: A scaled brand produced 299 net-new concepts in one month and saw massive performance gains.
What Advertisers Must Do Now
1. Build a Creative Org Chart
A winning team now includes:
Creative Strategist
Concept Creator(s)
Video Editor / Cutter
Tagging / Ops person
Organic content owner
2. Track Net-New Concepts as a KPI
If you produced 5–10/month before, you likely need 20–40 now.
3. Expand Persona-Level Messaging
Both parts — add links to both
Nursing angle. Contractor angle. Runner angle. Dog-owner angle. Foxwell repeats it over and over:
“Riches in the niches has never been more true with Meta.”
4. Treat Organic Like Paid
Organic is now an input signal. Your feed is now part of your ad ranking.
5. Simplify Structure. Escalate Creativity.
The new formula is:
**Less account complexity
More creative complexity = More scale**
Final Word
Meta is no longer just an ad platform, it’s a creative + signal ecosystem powered by:
Andromeda (how Meta reads your ads)
GEM (how Meta reads your users)
Winning in this new era requires:
Faster concept velocity
Deeper persona diversity
Stronger creative workflows
Reinforced organic output
A mindset shift from “ad buyer” to “creative-led growth operator”
The advertisers who embrace this shift will scale. The ones who resist it will fall behind and fast.
Made it this far? If so, we can’t wait for you to learn more about our Foxwell Founders Membership for digital marketers. See you there?