how many active ads (indicator of testing velocity)
Refresh frequency
how often new creatives appear
3. Messaging Themes
Categorize competitor messaging into themes:
Theme
Competitor A
Competitor B
Your Brand
Price/Value
✅ Primary
⚠️ Secondary
?
Quality/Premium
❌
✅ Primary
?
Speed/Convenience
⚠️ Secondary
❌
?
Trust/Authority
✅ Primary
✅ Primary
?
Innovation
❌
⚠️ Secondary
?
4. Keyword Intelligence (Google/Microsoft)
Brand keyword bidding: are competitors bidding on your brand?
Keyword overlap: which non-brand terms do you both target?
Keyword gaps: terms competitors rank for that you don't target
Match type strategy: estimated match types from ad triggers
5. Spend Estimation
Meta Ad Library shows spend ranges for political/social ads
Google Auction Insights + impression share = directional spend estimate
Third-party tools (SEMrush, SpyFu) for more precise estimates
Manual estimation formula:
Estimated Monthly Spend = Impressions × CPM / 1000
or
Estimated Monthly Spend = Clicks × Estimated CPC
Gap & Opportunity Identification
Platform Gaps
Which platforms are competitors NOT on? (opportunity to own)
Which platforms are they underspending on? (opportunity to outspend)
Messaging Gaps
What customer pain points are NO competitors addressing?
What value propositions are underrepresented in the market?
What content formats are competitors not using?
Audience Gaps
What demographics/segments are competitors not targeting?
What geographic markets are underserved?
What funnel stages are competitors neglecting?
Creative Gaps
What ad formats are competitors not using? (video, UGC, Spark Ads)
What creative styles are missing from the competitive landscape?
What platform-specific features are competitors not leveraging?
Competitive Response Strategy
When Competitors Bid on Your Brand
Always run brand campaigns to defend (low CPC, high CTR)
Dynamic keyword insertion to show your brand prominently
Sitelinks to key pages (pricing, features, reviews)
Ad copy that emphasizes unique differentiators
Consider bidding on competitor brand terms (know the rules)
When You're Outspent
Focus on efficiency over volume (better targeting, creative, landing pages)
Target long-tail keywords competitors ignore
Use Exact match for precision (less waste)
Double down on retargeting (lower CPA than prospecting)
Compete on creative quality, not budget
Output
Deliverables
COMPETITOR-INTELLIGENCE-REPORT.md
— Full competitive analysis
Per-competitor ad presence summary
Ad copy and messaging analysis
Creative strategy comparison
Estimated spend levels
Keyword overlap and gaps
COMPETITIVE-GAPS.md
— Opportunities identified from competitor analysis
Platform gaps
Messaging opportunities
Audience segments to target
Creative format opportunities
Strategic recommendations for competitive positioning
Priority actions to gain competitive advantage