12 August, 2024

Advertising library: How to view competitors’ ads on social media

Elizaveta Grinkevich

Creative Manager

Ad libraries are collections of ready-to-use ads for creating marketing campaigns. They help marketers find ideas and build effective strategies. This article discusses popular ad libraries and their benefits for successfully promoting products and services.

The Advertising Library is a collection of ready-to-use ad materials for campaigns, including images, videos, and texts. Ad libraries are crucial in modern marketing, providing access to a variety of solutions for effective campaigns. In this blog, we will tell about the most popular ones and explain how to work with them.

What is the Use of an Ad Library?

  1. Transparency: Ad libraries enhance transparency by allowing users to view and analyze all active ads, improving advertiser accountability.
  2. Competitive Analysis: They enable the study of competitors’ strategies, offering new ideas for your own campaigns.
  3. Inspiration: Ad library helps users find creative and effective ads for inspiration.

???? The main goals of ad libraries are transparency, competitive analysis, and idea generation.

Meta Ad Library

The Facebook Ads Library is a large online database containing all active ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network, accessible to everyone without login.

The illustration of Meta Ads Library
The illustration of Meta Ads Library.

Main Features and Functions

  1. Allows users to view and study all advertisements.
  2. Generates reports providing insights into ad campaign effectiveness.
  3. Facilitates the study of competitors’ strategies and creative elements for audits.

Advantages and Limitations of Meta Ad Library

Advantages:

  1. You can view all ads launched in Meta.
  2. Check ad status.
  3. See display time.
  4. Access library ID.
  5. Identify placements.

Limitations:

  1. Does not support deep analysis of competitors’ ad campaigns.

When to Use Meta Ad Library?

Searching Ads:

  1. Search ads by keywords.
  2. Filters by country, ad type, and other parameters.
  3. Search competitors’ ads or specific topics.

Viewing Ad Details:

Detailed information about ads is available.

Downloading Creatives:

Download images and videos used in ads for inspiration.

How to Use Meta Ad Library?

  • Rank all offers using filters to find relevant ads.
Search for advertisement by filters in Meta Library
Search for advertisement by filters in Meta Library.

You can choose all ads available in the Facebook Ads Library or ads related to social issues, elections, or politics.

Search for an advertisement by format in Meta Ads Library
Search for an advertisement by format in Meta Ads Library.
  • Don’t forget to specify a keyword or advertiser to search for ads. 
  • After filling out all fields and starting the search, the number of results for the query will be displayed:
The results of search for an advertisement in Meta Library
The results of search of an advertisement in Meta Library
  • Additionally, a field with more filters appears where you can choose:
The illustration of filters in Meta Ads Library.
The illustration of filters in Meta Ads Library.
  1. The language of the ad.
  2. Various advertisers running campaigns relevant to the query.
  3. The platform where the ad creative is displayed (Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, Messenger).
  4. The type of a media file (images, memes, images and memes, video, without images or video).
  5. Ad activity.
  6. The display period of the ad creative.
  7. When viewing ad creatives, you can track when they were launched.
View the launch date of creatives in Meta Ads Library
View the launch date of creatives in Meta Ads Library.

You can learn the Library ID, the status of the ad campaign, when exactly the specific creative started running, and on which specific Meta platform it was shown. You can also learn about the advertiser and view the ad creative with the accompanying text.

  • Using the ad library report, you can track the total number of ads on social issues, elections, or politics in the country of interest, as well as the total spending.
The report in Meta Ad Library
The report in Meta Ad Library.
  • You can also consider each political advertiser by the number of ads, spending during the specified period, and review all ads.

???? Overall, Facebook Ads Library is an intuitive service where you can find ads based on the necessary criteria and queries.

Google Ads Library is a free online tool provided by Google that allows you to view, research, and analyze ad campaigns launched through the Google Ads platform.

The illustration of Google Ads Library
The illustration of Google Ads Library.

Main Features and Functions

  1. Search and view all ad campaigns created in Google Ads.
  2. Analyze keywords and ad messages.
  3. Track changes in ad campaigns and competitor strategies.

Advantages and limitations of Google Ads Library

Advantages:

  1. Study and adapt practices from other companies to improve your own campaigns.
  2. Gain insights about competitors and make informed decisions for marketing strategies.
  3. Ensure transparency and openness in advertising activities for all users.

Limitations:

  1. Data may be limited by time frames, making it difficult to analyze long-term marketing strategies. Currently, you can view ads up to 2018.
  2. Not all early campaigns and ads are available for viewing.

When to Use Google Ad Library?

  1. Study competitors’ ad campaigns, keywords, creatives, and strategies to better understand their marketing tactics and develop measures to stay ahead.
  2. Analyzing various ads and creatives can inspire new ideas for creating effective campaigns and attracting an audience.
  3. Track changes in ad campaigns and trends with Google Ads Library.
  4. Viewing ads and budget data allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns and make necessary adjustments to improve results.

How to Use Google Ads Library

  • To find suitable ads in the Google Ads Library, you can also rank ads by date:
Sorting the advertisement by date in Google Ads Library
Sorting the advertisement by date in Google Ads Library.

You can sort by the country where the ad will be shown:

Sorting the advertisement by country in Google Ads Library
Sorting the advertisement by country in Google Ads Library.

Additionally, you can choose the required format:

Sorting the advertisement by format in Google Ads Library
Sorting the advertisement by format in Google Ads Library.
  • Don’t forget to specify the advertiser or app name for the search.
  • When you find the desired company or website, you can first get information about the company:
  1. The legal name under which it is registered.
  2. The country where the company is registered.
  3. Advertiser confirmation on the Google platform.
Search for creatives by advertiser in Google Ads Library
Search for creatives by advertiser in Google Ads Library.
  • Next, you can review the number of ads by the advertiser. Creatives are sorted by upload date. 
View creatives by upload date in Google Ads Library.
View creatives by upload date in Google Ads Library.
  • When opening an ad, you can find out the date of the last display of the ad and its format.
View creatives by last show date and format in Google Ads Library
View creatives by last show date and format in Google Ads Library.

???? Overall, the Google Ads Library provides all the necessary information about the company and the ads provided. However, compared to the Meta Ad Library, Google has significantly less functionality.

TikTok Creative Center

TikTok Creative Center is a platform by TikTok that provides information about advertising campaigns launched on TikTok. This helps users track various ads and learn about companies’ marketing strategies on this popular social network.

The work in TikTok Ads Library
The work in TikTok Ads Library.

???? TikTok Creative Center offers detailed information about each advertising activity in the library, although not all creatives are included—only those approved for publication by the advertiser.

Creatives in the TikTok advertising library
Creatives in the TikTok advertising library.

If an advertiser refuses to add their video to TikTok Creative Center, they simply do not check the publication box for the ad library.

Main Features and Functions of Tiktok Creative Center

  1. View ads to learn about the creatives and strategies of companies advertising on TikTok.
  2. Search for ads using filters, keywords, brands, industries, and other parameters.
  3. TikTok Ads Library helps track current advertising trends on TikTok and understand which marketing strategies are effective.

Advantages and Limitations of TikTok Creative Center

Advantages:

  1. Study creatives used by advertisers.
  2. Track the number of likes, comments, and shares.
  3. Analyze CTR, CVR, clicks, conversions, and the number of users who watched the ad till the end.

Limitations:

  1. Not all information about ad campaigns is available.
  2. Privacy policies may restrict the search for specific ads.

When to Use TikTok Creative Center

  1. Search for creatives by keywords, brands, or industries.
  2. Use filters to refine searches by various parameters such as country, ad type, industry, etc.
  3. View ads, study creatives, and campaign strategies.
  4. Analyze TikTok advertising trends, study competitor strategies, and gain ideas for your own campaigns.

How to Use TikTok Creative Center

Upon opening the TikTok Ads Library, you’re directed to the main page, where various videos on different topics are displayed. Without setting the appropriate filters, finding the needed creatives can take a while.

Search for creatives by filter in TikTok Ads Library
Search for creatives by filter in TikTok Ads Library.

To locate the desired video, you can use filters or enter keywords.
Available Filters:

  1. Country where the video was uploaded.
  2. Product sector being advertised.
  3. Specific product being advertised.
  4. Time frame during which the ad was shown.
  5. Language of the ad creative.
  6. Format of the ad creative.

You can also sort videos by:

  1. Country where the video was uploaded.
  2. Personal recommendations.
  3. Number of views.
  4. Click-through rate (CTR).
  5. Number of likes.
  6. Conversion rate (CVR).
  7. Keyword search is more precise, especially if you want to view your competitor’s creatives.
Search for creatives by keywords in TikTok Ads Library
Search for creatives by keywords in TikTok Ads Libraryю

When viewing a specific ad, you can check the number of likes, CTR, and the budget allocated to the campaign. TikTok doesn’t provide exact numbers but estimates the expenditure.

Evaluation of the advertising campaign in TikTok Library
Evaluation of the advertising campaign in TikTok Library

In a deeper analysis, you can see:

  1. The language of the ad.
  2. Region where the campaign was shared.
  3. Target action for the ad creative.
  4. Product sector targeted by the ad.
  5. Company name.
  6. Accompanying text.

TikTok Creative Center shows campaign results metrics:

  1. Number of likes.
  2. Number of comments.
  3. Number of shares.

Additional features include tracking at which second of the video specific actions were taken.

Tracking user actions in TikTok Library
Tracking user actions in TikTok Library.

You can also monitor CTR, CVR, clicks, conversions, and the number of users who watched the ad to the end. Absolute CTR figures aren’t available, but relative values can be viewed.

TikTok Creative Center has a user-friendly interface with many filters to find the ads you are interested in.

???? Note that ads in TikTok Creative Center are only included with the advertiser’s consent, making the service somewhat limited in ad viewing.

An additional advantage is that TikTok provides numerous metrics, making it an invaluable tool for finding top creatives in TikTok Creative Center.

Apple Ad Repository

The Apple Ad Repository is a service provided by Apple that allows users to view and analyze advertising materials created and launched by companies across various placements within the Apple App Store.

The illustration of Apple Ad Repository
The illustration of Apple Ad Repository.

Main Features and Functions of Apple Ad Repository

  1. Users can study the advertising strategies and approaches of competitors.
  2. By viewing advertising materials, users can gain inspiration and ideas for their own advertising campaigns.
  3. The ability to view all uploaded screenshots and the sequence of their upload.

Advantages and Limitations of Apple Ad Repository

Advantages:

  1. Examine placements (mostly Search results, but also on the Today tab, Search tab, and product pages).
  2. Ad format review.
  3. Geolocation of ad display.
  4. Parameters (age, gender, downloader type).

Limitations:

  1. Not all company advertising materials are available for viewing in the repository.
  2. The Apple Ad Repository does not provide all the necessary information for a thorough analysis and study of advertising campaigns.

When to Use Apple Ad Repository:

Companies can use the ad library to study the advertising strategies and approaches of their competitors.

How to Use Apple Ad Repository

To search for the necessary advertising activities, you need to know the developer’s name or the application’s name:

Search for creativity in Apple Ad Repository
Search for creativity in Apple Ad Repository.

Additionally, there is a time period filter setting:

Selecting creatives by date in Apple Ad Repository
Selecting creatives by date in Apple Ad Repository.

Without additional filters, the ads are shown for all geolocations where they are launched.

Geo search for creative in Apple Ad Repository

However, you can select a specific country where the ad was displayed and view it:

View advertisement In Apple Ad Repository
View advertisement In Apple Ad Repository.

The Apple Ad Repository contains the following data:

  1. The application’s name on which the ad campaign is launched.
  2. The developer’s name.
  3. Legal name.
  4. Placement.
  5. Ad format.
  6. Country where the ad campaign was shown.
  7. The first and last display of the ad in the App Store.

When viewing the details of an ad campaign, you can also find the following information:

View campaign details in Apple Ad Repository
View campaign details in Apple Ad Repository.
  1. The language of the ad.
  2. Accompanying text.
  3. Availability of additional in-app purchases or content subscriptions.

Additionally, screenshots and a preview of the app from the App Store are provided:

App Store app preview
App Store app preview.

???? It is worth noting that the Apple Ad Repository is unique in its kind, so comparing it with similar tools for optimizing ad campaigns is impossible. A significant downside of this tool is the lack of keyword search. Finding an app is not difficult if you know the exact company or app name.

LinkedIn Ad Library

LinkedIn Ad Library is an online database containing all active ads placed on LinkedIn. It is accessible to all users without the need for registration or authorization.

The illustration of LinkedIn Library
The illustration of LinkedIn Library.

Main Features and Functions of LinkedIn Ad Library

  1. Allows users to search and view ads from any company on LinkedIn.
  2. Provides filtering options by keywords, country, and time period.
  3. Offers access to ad details such as impression counts (range), target countries, languages, and inclusion/exclusion of companies.

Advantages and Limitations of LinkedIn Ad Library

Advantages

  1. Ability to study the total number of impressions.
  2. Percentage breakdown of impressions by country.
  3. Ad display period.

Limitations

  1. Access to certain data may be restricted due to LinkedIn’s privacy policies.
  2. Does not provide the ability for deep analysis of competitors’ ad campaigns.

???? Thus, LinkedIn Ad Library is a free tool that enhances the transparency of advertising activities on the LinkedIn platform and provides users with opportunities to analyze and study ad campaigns.

How to Use LinkedIn Ad Library

It is possible to set up a search by the company’s name or a keyword it contains, search by keyword in the ad description, and also filter by country and the period the ad was posted.

How to use LinkedIn Ads Library
How to use LinkedIn Ads Library.

After filling in the required fields, the number of ads relevant to our query will be shown: 

Search for an advertisement in LinkedIn Ads Library
Search for an advertisement in LinkedIn Ads Library

LinkedIn allows viewing all found ads and various size variations. We can see the company name promoting the ad, as well as the text and creative of the ad. Detailed information is also available. 

More detailed information about Ads in LinkedIn Library
More detailed information about Ads in LinkedIn Library

The creative and ad information provided includes:

  1. The content of the ad.
  2. The advertiser.
  3. The campaign period.

LinkedIn provides open access to campaign impression information, including:

  1. Approximate total impressions.
  2. Percentage breakdown by country.

???? LinkedIn Ad Library is an excellent tool for finding and analyzing ads and creatives targeting a more affluent and business-oriented audience. Functionally, LinkedIn Ad Library is comparable to Facebook Ads Library but falls short of TikTok Creative Center.

Conclusion

Ad libraries are like reference books for advertising professionals. They help to learn how competitors advertise their products, which ads perform better, and which do not.

Using ad libraries helps to make ads more effective, and better understand the market, as well as be informed about the latest news, study competitors, and create successful advertising campaigns.

If you’d like to save your time and resources, and trust this process to professionals, check our Media buying services.

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