Glossary/V
Version
What it meansA copy of an approved ad changed on purpose for a new use: another language, another product, another person, another opening, another market. A version keeps the master’s structure and changes named parts of it, which is different from a size (the same ad fitted to a new shape) and from a round of changes (fixes to the same ad).
- Also called
- Variant, variation, adaptation
- Applies to
- Any approved ad
- Set by
- The team making the ads
Kinds of version, and what each changes
| Version | Changes | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Language1 | Every line of text | Lines grow; W3C cites 200% to 300% for English lines up to 10 characters |
| Product | Photos, name, claims, price | Every claim must be true of the new product2 |
| Person or setting | The people or the scene | The product and the offer stay exactly the same |
| Opening | The first shot or line | The rest of the ad still follows from it |
From W3C’s article on text size in translation and Meta’s Advertising Standards.12
What it means in practice
Name what a version changes before making it, and change only that. A language version that also gets a new headline is two changes, and the approver needs to know about both. Each version is a set in its own right, with every size the plan asks for, and it is approved as one.
Versions multiply quickly. Three languages of two products in ten sizes is sixty files, so name each one by what it is: the version, the size and the placement.
Keep versions traceable to their master. When the master’s offer changes, every version made from it has to change too, and the only way to find them all is to know which master each came from.
Common mistakes
- Changing more than the version is for.Every extra change is one the approver may miss.
- Copying claims onto a product version.A claim true of one product may not be true of the next.
- Losing track of which master a version came from.When the master changes, the version is left behind.
Sources
- Text size in translation, W3C Internationalization. How much longer text gets when translated from English, and taller scripts.Checked 26 Oct 2026
- Introduction to the Advertising Standards, Meta Transparency Center. No misleading claims, and the ad must match the product on the landing page.Checked 26 Oct 2026