Competitor Ad Teardown

Competitor Ad Teardown (Meta Ad Library)

Analyze competitor paid social creatives via Appeeky Meta Ad Library integration. Produce a swipe file of patterns and hooks — not a copy-paste kit.

Research before you generate. The best first batch mirrors proven formats with your unique positioning.

Initial Assessment

1. Read app-ads-context.md — your app, category, geo
2. Identify 1–3 competitors (direct + aspirational)
3. Confirm read-only Ad Library access (Appeeky API key; optional X-Meta-Ad-Library-Token)

What You Can Learn (and Cannot)

Long-running active ads (30+ days) are the strongest signal — competitors rarely keep losers live.

Data Sources (Appeeky MCP)

See appeeky-meta-ads.md.

Workflow

Step 1 — Identify Target

Pull organic context from aso-skills competitor-analysis if available — aligns ASO vs paid positioning.

Step 2 — Fetch Ad Intelligence (by app)

Best starting point — resolves app → brand → Ad Library:

meta_app_ad_intelligence
  app_id: "571800810"
  platform: "apple"
  country: "us"
  status: "ACTIVE"
  media_type: "ALL"
  limit: 25

Google Play:

meta_app_ad_intelligence
  app_id: "com.competitor.app"
  platform: "google"
  country: "us"
  lang: "en"
  limit: 25

Override search terms if brand name differs from app title:

meta_app_ad_intelligence
  app_id: "571800810"
  platform: "apple"
  query: "Calm meditation sleep"

Step 3 — Search by Keyword or Page

Keyword search:

meta_ads_search
  query: "Calm meditation"
  countries: "US"
  status: "ACTIVE"
  media_type: "ALL"
  limit: 25

Page-specific:

meta_ads_page_ads
  page_id: "<facebook-page-id>"
  countries: "US"
  status: "ACTIVE"
  limit: 25

Paginate with after cursor if limit exhausted.

Step 4 — Analyze Each Ad

For top 10–15 ads (prioritize long-running + diverse formats):

Step 5 — Pattern Summary

Cluster ads into 3–5 patterns. Count frequency.

Step 6 — Translate to Your Variants

Map gaps to ad-creative-variants matrix — angles competitors don't use are opportunities.

Analysis Framework

Hook Taxonomy

Format Taxonomy

Longevity Scoring

REST API Equivalents

# App intelligence
GET /v1/apps/:id/ad-intelligence?platform=apple&country=us

# Search
GET /v1/ads/meta/search?query=Calm&countries=US&status=ACTIVE

# Page ads
GET /v1/ads/meta/pages/:pageId/ads?countries=US

Headers: Authorization: Bearer <appeeky-key>; optional X-Meta-Ad-Library-Token.

Output Template

# Competitor Ad Teardown — [Competitor Name]

**App ID:** [id]  |  **Platform:** apple  |  **Ads analyzed:** N active
**Date:** [date]  |  **Geo filter:** US

## Executive Summary
[2–3 sentences: what they lean on, what's missing, your opportunity]

## Top Patterns

### 1. [Pattern Name] — X of N ads
- **Format:** Video / static / carousel
- **Angle:** Problem / proof / offer
- **Typical hook:** "..."
- **Why it works:** [hypothesis]
- **Example library ID:** [id]

### 2. [Pattern Name] — X of N ads
...

## Hook Swipe File

| Hook (paraphrased) | Type | Format | Days live | Platforms |
|--------------------|------|--------|-----------|-----------|
| | Problem | Video | 90+ | IG, FB |
| | Social proof | Static | 45 | FB |

## Visual Patterns
- Dominant: [UGC / studio / screenshot]
- On-image text: [heavy / minimal]
- Brand colors: [notes]

## Platform Mix
| Platform | % of ads |
|----------|----------|
| Instagram | |
| Facebook | |
| Audience Network | |

## Gaps & Opportunities
- **Angles they avoid:** [list]
- **Formats underused:** [e.g. before/after]
- **Weak CTAs to beat:** [generic "Learn more"]
- **Geo gaps:** [EU vs US creative differences]

## Recommended Variants for Us
→ Run `ad-creative-variants` with:

| Variant | Angle (inspired by, not copied) | Style / Preset |
|---------|--------------------------------|----------------|
| A | [your problem hook] | problem_solution / split |
| B | [your UGC angle] | ugc / person_holding_phone |
| C | [gap they miss] | professional / mockup |

## Ethical Use Reminder
- Inspire format and structure — never copy exact copy/visuals
- Do not present competitor ads as your own

Multi-Competitor Comparison

When analyzing 2–3 competitors:

TikTok Competitor Research (manual)

No TikTok Ad Library API in Appeeky yet:

1. TikTok Creative Center → Top Ads by industry
2. Search #[competitor] and "[competitor] ad" on TikTok
3. Document in same teardown template under TikTok appendix
4. Feed hooks into tiktok-creative-strategy

Benchmarks (category signals)

Common Mistakes

Ethical & Legal Use

• Inspire, don't infringe — formats and categories are fair game; assets and exact copy are not
• Paraphrase all hooks in swipe file
• Use competitor ads for internal strategy only
• When showing user examples, label clearly as competitor ad with source

Pre-Teardown Checklist

- [ ] Competitor app IDs confirmed
- [ ] Geo filter matches your launch market
- [ ] meta_app_ad_intelligence or search returned results
- [ ] 10+ ads analyzed (or documented if fewer exist)
- [ ] Patterns counted and ranked
- [ ] Variant recommendations mapped to ad-creative-variants
- [ ] Ethical use note included in output

Related Skills

• ad-creative-variants — build counter-creatives from teardown
• meta-ad-creative — single creative from your listing
• tiktok-creative-strategy — video format selection
• meta-campaign-setup — deploy after creatives ready
• aso-skills competitor-analysis — organic/ASO side
• aso-skills competitor-tracking — ongoing monitoring
• app-ads-context — your positioning vs findings