AlexNet and the birth of AI ads

Ralph explains AlexNet's 2012 breakthrough and how image recognition enabled recommendation and ad ranking.

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Episode notes

Do you still consider Meta a targeting platform? If so, that mindset is probably costing you scale, efficiency, and confidence in your numbers. We see too many marketers clinging to old playbooks, such as hyper-specific audiences, exclusions, and lookalikes, without realizing the platform has fundamentally changed.

In this episode, we continue our discussion on the evolution of Meta advertising, from the early days of right-hand rail ads and insane third-party data to what’s happening right now. We break down why targeting used to do the heavy lifting, why that era is over, and how AI-driven delivery flipped the model on its head.

If you’re running ads or managing clients who are, this series on Meta’s history and current strategies will recalibrate how you think about Meta before launching your 2026 marketing plan.

In This Episode:

- Early Facebook monetization and newsfeed ads

- Facebook Beacon and other early failures

- The birth of Facebook’s ad engine

- Facebook’s IPO and Instagram acquisition

- AlexNet and the foundation of AI ads

- When targeting started ruling Meta ads

- Creative replaces targeting

Mentioned in the Episode:

Facebook’s Failed Beacon Project: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/facebook-shuts-down-beacon-marketing-tool-1.832698

Partner With Tier 11's Digital Marketing Experts: https://www.tiereleven.com/apply

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