Flexible Targeting

Combine or exclude different targeting options to reach a specific set of users in the flexible_spec with AND and OR statements. Facebook evaluates targeting in flexible_spec via AND with all segments outside the spec such as age, gender, geo locations. We also evaluate each top level array element in flexible_spec with AND; we evaluate second-level array elements with OR.

Targeting segments, such as behaviors specified inside flexible_spec, are not available for use outside of flexible_spec.

Available Fields

Specify flexible_spec and exclusions as follows:

Field Description

Field	Description
`flexible_spec` type: JSON Object	Array of arrays. Each contains a targeting segment in appropriate format, such as interests, behaviors, and demographics. The top level array has a limit of 25 and secondary level array has a limit of 1,000.
`exclusions` type: JSON Object	Contains a targeting segment in its appropriate format, such as interests, behaviors, and demographics ("education", "life events", "work").

flexible_spec

type: JSON Object

Array of arrays. Each contains a targeting segment in appropriate format, such as interests, behaviors, and demographics. The top level array has a limit of 25 and secondary level array has a limit of 1,000.

exclusions

type: JSON Object

Contains a targeting segment in its appropriate format, such as interests, behaviors, and demographics ("education", "life events", "work").

Use these fields in flexible targeting:

connections
friends_of_connections
custom_audiences
interests
behaviors
college_years
education_majors
education_schools
education_statuses
family_statuses
home_value
interested_in
income
industries
life_events
user_adclusters
work_positions
work_employers

Examples

Flexible Targeting

To target people who live in the U.S, aged between 18-43, who have not recently moved and are travelers or like soccer or movies and are newlyweds or like music:

use FacebookAds\Object\AdSet;
use FacebookAds\Object\Fields\AdSetFields;
use FacebookAds\Object\Values\AdSetBillingEventValues;
use FacebookAds\Object\Values\AdSetOptimizationGoalValues;
use FacebookAds\Object\Fields\TargetingFields;
use FacebookAds\Object\Targeting;

$adset = new AdSet(null, 'act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>');
$adset->setData(array(
  AdSetFields::NAME => 'My AdSet',
  AdSetFields::OPTIMIZATION_GOAL => AdSetOptimizationGoalValues::REACH,
  AdSetFields::BILLING_EVENT => AdSetBillingEventValues::IMPRESSIONS,
  AdSetFields::BID_AMOUNT => 150,
  AdSetFields::DAILY_BUDGET => 2000,
  AdSetFields::CAMPAIGN_ID => <CAMPAIGN_ID>,
  AdSetFields::TARGETING => (new Targeting())->setData(array(
    TargetingFields::GEO_LOCATIONS => array(
      'countries' => array(
        'US',
      ),
    ),
    TargetingFields::AGE_MIN => 18,
    TargetingFields::AGE_MAX => 43,
    TargetingFields::FLEXIBLE_SPEC => array(
      array(
        TargetingFields::BEHAVIORS => array(
          array(
            'id' => 6002714895372,
            'name' => 'All travelers',
          ),
        ),
        TargetingFields::INTERESTS => array(
          array(
            'id' => 6003107902433,
            'name' => 'Association football (Soccer)',
          ),
          array(
            'id' => 6003139266461,
            'name' => 'Movies',
          ),
        ),
      ),
      array(
        TargetingFields::INTERESTS => array(
          array(
            'id' => 6003020834693,
            'name' => 'Music',
          ),
        ),
        TargetingFields::LIFE_EVENTS => array(
          array(
            'id' => 6002714398172,
            'name' => 'Newlywed (1 year)',
          ),
        ),
      ),
    ),
    TargetingFields::EXCLUSIONS => array(
      TargetingFields::RELATIONSHIP_STATUSES => array(1, 3),
      TargetingFields::LIFE_EVENTS => array(
        array(
          'id' => 6003054185372,
          'name' => 'Recently moved',
        ),
      ),
    ),
  )),
));
$adset->create(array(
  AdSet::STATUS_PARAM_NAME => AdSet::STATUS_ACTIVE,
));

from facebookads.adobjects.adset import AdSet

adset = AdSet(parent_id='act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>')
adset.update({
    AdSet.Field.name: 'My AdSet',
    AdSet.Field.optimization_goal: AdSet.OptimizationGoal.reach,
    AdSet.Field.billing_event: AdSet.BillingEvent.impressions,
    AdSet.Field.bid_amount: 150,
    AdSet.Field.daily_budget: 2000,
    AdSet.Field.campaign_id: <CAMPAIGN_ID>,
    AdSet.Field.targeting: {
        'geo_locations': {
            'countries': ['US'],
        },
        'age_min': 18,
        'age_max': 43,
        'flexible_spec': [
            {
                'behaviors': [
                    {
                        'id': 6002714895372,
                        'name': 'All travelers',
                    },
                ],
                'interests': [
                    {
                        'id': 6003107902433,
                        'name': 'Association football (Soccer)',
                    },
                    {
                        'id': 6003139266461,
                        'name': 'Movies',
                    },
                ],
            },
            {
                'interests': [
                    {
                        'id': 6003020834693,
                        'name': 'Music',
                    },
                ],
                'life_events': [
                    {
                        'id': 6002714398172,
                        'name': 'Newlywed (1 year)',
                    },
                ],
            },
        ],
        'exclusions': {
            'relationship_statuses': [1, 3],
            'life_events': [
                {
                    'id': 6003054185372,
                    'name': 'Recently moved',
                },
            ],
        },
    },
})
adset.remote_create(params={
    'status': AdSet.Status.active,
})

AdSet adSet = new AdAccount(act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>, context).createAdSet()
  .setName("My AdSet")
  .setOptimizationGoal(AdSet.EnumOptimizationGoal.VALUE_REACH)
  .setBillingEvent(AdSet.EnumBillingEvent.VALUE_IMPRESSIONS)
  .setBidAmount(150L)
  .setDailyBudget(2000L)
  .setCampaignId(<CAMPAIGN_ID>)
  .setTargeting(
    new Targeting()
      .setFieldAgeMax(43L)
      .setFieldAgeMin(18L)
      .setFieldExclusions(
        new FlexibleTargeting()
          .setFieldLifeEvents(Arrays.asList(
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6003054185372")
              .setFieldName("Recently moved")
          ))
          .setFieldRelationshipStatuses(Arrays.asList(1L, 3L))
      )
      .setFieldFlexibleSpec(Arrays.asList(
        new FlexibleTargeting()
          .setFieldBehaviors(Arrays.asList(
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6002714895372")
              .setFieldName("All travelers")
          ))
          .setFieldInterests(Arrays.asList(
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6003107902433")
              .setFieldName("Association football (Soccer)")
          , 
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6003139266461")
              .setFieldName("Movies")
          ))
      , 
        new FlexibleTargeting()
          .setFieldInterests(Arrays.asList(
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6003020834693")
              .setFieldName("Music")
          ))
          .setFieldLifeEvents(Arrays.asList(
            new IDName()
              .setFieldId("6002714398172")
              .setFieldName("Newlywed (1 year)")
          ))
      ))
      .setFieldGeoLocations(
        new TargetingGeoLocation()
          .setFieldCountries(Arrays.asList("US"))
      )
  )
  .setStatus(AdSet.EnumStatus.VALUE_ACTIVE)
  .execute();
String ad_set_id = adSet.getId();

curl \
  -F 'name=My AdSet' \
  -F 'optimization_goal=REACH' \
  -F 'billing_event=IMPRESSIONS' \
  -F 'bid_amount=150' \
  -F 'daily_budget=2000' \
  -F 'campaign_id=<CAMPAIGN_ID>' \
  -F 'targeting={ 
    "age_max": 43, 
    "age_min": 18, 
    "exclusions": { 
      "relationship_statuses": [1,3], 
      "life_events": [{"id":6003054185372,"name":"Recently moved"}] 
    }, 
    "flexible_spec": [ 
      { 
        "behaviors": [{"id":6002714895372,"name":"All travelers"}], 
        "interests": [ 
          {"id":6003107902433,"name":"Association football (Soccer)"}, 
          {"id":6003139266461,"name":"Movies"} 
        ] 
      }, 
      { 
        "interests": [{"id":6003020834693,"name":"Music"}], 
        "life_events": [{"id":6002714398172,"name":"Newlywed (1 year)"}] 
      } 
    ], 
    "geo_locations": {"countries":["US"]} 
  }' \
  -F 'status=ACTIVE' \
  -F 'access_token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>' \
  https://graph.facebook.com/v2.11/act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>/adsets

With this flexible spec, the resulting audience is:

(segment 1 or segment2 or segment3) and (segment 4 or segment 5) and segment 6

flexible_spec=
[
  {
    'segment_type':[segment1, segment2], 
    'segment_type':[segment3]
  },
  { 
    'segment_type':[segment4, segment5]
  },
  { 
    'segment_type':[segment6]
  }
]

Flexible Targeting With Exclusions

For example, create an audience who lives in the U.S, aged 20-24, who have not recently moved and are travelers or like soccer or movies and are newlyweds or like music:

targeting=
{'geo_locations':{ 
  'countries': ['US'], 
}, 
'age_min':20, 
'age_max':24, 
'flexible_spec': [ 
  {
    'behaviors':[{'id':6002714895372,'name':'All travelers'},], 
    'interests':[ 
      {'id':6003107902433,'name':'Association football (Soccer)'}, 
      {'id':6003139266461, 'name': 'Movies'},],  
  }, 
  {
    'life_events':[{'id': 6002714398172, 'name': 'Newlywed (1 year)'}],
    'interests':[{'id':6003020834693,'name':'Music'},], 
  },   
], 
'exclusions': { 
  'life_events':[{'id':6003054185372,'name':'Recently moved'},], 
}, 
}

The targeting spec for this ad set:

{
  "targeting": { 
    "age_min": 20, 
    "age_max": 24,
    "exclusions": {
      "life_events": [
        {
          "id": "6003054185372", 
          "name": "Recently moved"
        }
      ], 
    }, 
    "flexible_spec": [
      {
        "interests": [
          {
            "id": "6003107902433", 
            "name": "Association football (Soccer)"
          }, 
          {
            "id": "6003139266461", 
            "name": "Movies"
          }
        ], 
        "behaviors": [
          {
            "id": "6002714895372", 
            "name": "All travelers"
          }
        ]
      }, 
      {
        "interests": [
          {
            "id": "6003020834693", 
            "name": "Music"
          }
        ],       
        "life_events": [
          {
            "id": "6002714398172", 
            "name": "Newlywed (1 year)"
          }
        ]
      }
    ], 
    "geo_locations": {
      "countries": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  }, 
  "id": "6015417075447"
}