TOFU, MOFU and BOFU on Meta Ads: what really changes in 2026

For years TOFU, MOFU and BOFU were almost synonymous with account structure. Cold audience at the top, more engaged users in the middle, remarketing at the bottom. Each stage had its own campaigns, audiences and often distinct objectives.

Today Meta works in a much more fluid way. The algorithm has more signals, campaigns tend to consolidate, and broad or Advantage+ audiences can reach users at very different moments of the buying journey.

That does not mean the funnel has disappeared. People still discover a brand, evaluate it and decide whether to buy. What has changed above all is how we translate these stages inside Meta Ads.

TOFU, MOFU and BOFU still exist. How we use them has changed

The classic model is simple. TOFU is the discovery stage. MOFU is evaluation and education. BOFU is the moment closest to conversion.

For a long time this strategic distinction was turned almost automatically into a technical one: one campaign to attract cold traffic, one to work on people who had already interacted and one remarketing campaign to try to close the sale.

The problem is that today the user’s journey is much less orderly. A person might see an ad on Instagram, search for the brand on Google, compare a competitor, watch a review, come back to social and visit the site only a few days later. The journey is made of different touchpoints and does not necessarily follow a predictable sequence.

The real evolution is therefore not about eliminating the funnel, but about no longer treating it automatically as three separate technical compartments.

Meta can decide on its own which user to reach at a given moment. What is left to us is making sure it has messages suited to the different levels of awareness and intent.

The funnel has moved from targeting to creative

One of the most important effects of this evolution is the change in the role of creative.

Inside a broad or Advantage+ campaign, users who do not yet know the brand can coexist with people who have already had several contacts with it. We can no longer assume that the name of the ad set automatically defines the funnel stage.

It is the content of the ad itself that does a growing part of that work.

TOFU and MOFU can coexist in the same campaign

A video that starts from a problem and gradually introduces a solution can work on discovery and education even if it is delivered by the same campaign that contains more product-oriented ads.

The technical merging of TOFU and MOFU therefore does not remove the need to distinguish between messages.

Consolidating does not mean flattening the communication

Reducing the number of campaigns or working with broader audiences does not mean uploading only sales-oriented ads and waiting for Meta to sort everything out.

If a user meets the brand for the first time and receives only aggressive conversion messages, we are still treating a cold audience as if it were already ready to buy.

Creative variety therefore becomes essential. The platform needs material different enough to catch different moments of the journey.

What can change from one creative to the next

• Problem or desireHelp the user recognize a relevant situation.
• EducationExplain the problem or the context better.
• Concrete benefitShow what the solution offers.
• ProofReduce uncertainty with elements that increase trust.
• OfferMake the step to conversion easier.

These are not five compulsory steps to apply in sequence to every account. They are types of message that can coexist within the same creative strategy.

Automation still needs data

There is also an important limit to the logic of consolidation.

A more fluid structure works better when the account already has a solid base of data and conversion signals. Below a certain threshold of weekly events, even a modern structure can have less information to work with.

There is, however, no numerical threshold to apply universally. The principle is simpler: first you need to build enough informational volume, then it makes sense to give the system more freedom.

Why remarketing still makes sense

The fact that Meta can reach a person again even inside a broad campaign easily leads to a conclusion: if the platform already does retargeting on its own, a dedicated campaign is no longer needed. The question is less clear-cut.

Remarketing does not only serve to identify a person who has already visited the site. It also serves to control frequency, continuity and intensity of the message toward users who have already shown interest.

A user can see a first ad, find the product interesting and then not meet the brand often enough to move forward in the decision process. A dedicated campaign lets you go back to that user with more specific messages.

Frequency does not mean repetition

Showing the same image to the same person four times does not automatically amount to building good frequency.

If the message does not change, we are simply increasing repetition.

The logic is different.

Frequency works when the message progresses

The value of remarketing therefore also lies in the chance to evolve the communication, not simply in showing the same ad several times.

Not all interactions have the same value

Another useful point concerns audience quality.

A visit to the site does not necessarily represent the same level of interest as a long session on a product page. In the same way, starting a video is not the same as watching a substantial part of it.

Two examples: spending more than 60 seconds on a product page or watching more than 50% of a video can indicate a stronger level of intent than a simple click.

Strong signal ≠ simple interaction

The principle to keep is that remarketing can become more useful when it considers the quality of the interaction, not just the fact that an interaction took place.

How a Meta Ads account can be structured in 2026

One possible structure is hybrid.

On one side there is a broad or Advantage+ campaign that works at a wider scale and concentrates TOFU and MOFU in a single flow. On the other, a remarketing component dedicated to users who are already warmer remains.

It is therefore neither the old completely fragmented funnel nor a structure in which everything is left indiscriminately to the platform.

A hybrid model

Broad therefore works on breadth. Remarketing works on the density of the communication.

Data holds the model together

The quality of this structure also depends on the signals that reach the platform.

Pixel, Conversions API and customer lists increase the amount of information available and help Meta do a better job of distribution.