| name | ad-research |
| description | Autonomous competitor ad intelligence. Scrapes competitor ads from Meta Ad Library and other platforms, transcribes video ads, extracts hooks/angles/structure, and produces a full competitive intel dump. Use when researching competitor ads, analyzing ad creative strategies, building competitive ad intelligence, or preparing for ad script generation. Mirrors Eddie's Stage 1 (Competitor Intelligence). |
| risk | low |
| tags | ["growth","marketing","competitive-intel","research"] |
| created | 2026-03-23T00:00:00.000Z |
| updated | 2026-03-23T00:00:00.000Z |
Ad Research — Competitor Intelligence Engine
Automated competitor ad discovery, analysis, and pattern extraction. This is UAOP Stage 1 (Intelligence) for the Growth department.
When to use
- Researching competitor ad strategies before creating new campaigns
- Discovering what angles/hooks/scripts are working in a niche
- Building a competitive ad intelligence library
- Preparing input for the
ad-script-generator skill
- Weekly competitive monitoring (what's new, what stopped, what's scaling)
When NOT to use
- Writing ad scripts (use
ad-script-generator)
- Analyzing your own ad performance (use
ad-performance-loop)
- General market research without an ad focus (use
competitive-intel or research-methodology)
Pipeline
Step 1: Define Research Scope
Gather from user or context:
RESEARCH SCOPE:
niche: <industry/product category>
competitors: [<competitor 1>, <competitor 2>, ...]
platforms: [meta, tiktok, google] # which ad libraries to search
keywords: [<keyword 1>, <keyword 2>, ...] # search terms
date_range: last_90_days # how far back
max_ads_per_competitor: 50
Step 2: Discover Competitor Ads
Using brave-search + tavily MCP:
- Search for
"[competitor name]" site:facebook.com/ads/library for each competitor
- Search for
"[competitor name]" ad creative to find coverage and breakdowns
- Search for
"[niche keyword]" best performing ads 2026 for angle discovery
- Search for competitor landing pages to understand positioning
Using playwright MCP (if available):
- Navigate to Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library)
- Search by advertiser name or keyword
- Filter by active ads, sort by longest running (oldest = most profitable)
- Capture ad creative details: copy, headline, CTA, media type
Key principle: Sort by longevity. Ads running for 60+ days are likely profitable. Ads running for 7 days are still being tested.
Step 3: Analyze Each Ad
For each discovered ad, extract:
## Ad Analysis: [Competitor] — Ad #[N]
**Duration Running:** [X days/weeks/months]
**Platform:** [Meta/TikTok/Google]
**Format:** [Video/Image/Carousel]
**Estimated Profitability:** [High/Medium/Low] (based on run duration)
### Hook (First 3 seconds)
- Type: [Question/Statement/Pattern-interrupt/Story/Statistic]
- Text: "[exact hook text]"
- Why it works: [analysis]
### Angle
- Primary angle: [Pain point/Aspiration/Social proof/Authority/Urgency]
- Target emotion: [Fear/Desire/Frustration/Curiosity/FOMO]
- ICP signal: [who this ad targets based on language/imagery]
### Structure
1. Hook: [what grabs attention]
2. Problem: [what pain point is highlighted]
3. Solution: [how the product is positioned]
4. Proof: [testimonials/stats/demonstrations]
5. CTA: [what action is requested]
### Body Copy
- Headline: "[exact headline]"
- Primary text: "[exact body copy]"
- CTA button: "[exact CTA text]"
### Transcript (if video)
"[word-for-word transcript]"
### Key Takeaways
- What makes this ad work: [specific reasons]
- Angle reusability: [High/Medium/Low]
- Adaptation notes: [how to adapt for our product]
Step 4: Pattern Synthesis
After analyzing all ads, produce:
# Competitive Ad Intelligence Report
## Research Summary
- Competitors analyzed: [N]
- Total ads reviewed: [N]
- Date range: [start] to [end]
- Platforms: [list]
## Winning Patterns (sorted by frequency across competitors)
### Top Hooks
| Rank | Hook Type | Example | Competitors Using | Avg Duration |
|------|-----------|---------|-------------------|-------------|
| 1 | [type] | "[example]" | [N] | [X days] |
### Top Angles
| Rank | Angle | Description | Success Signals |
|------|-------|-------------|----------------|
| 1 | [angle] | [what it is] | [why we think it works] |
### Top Ad Structures
| Rank | Structure | Description | Best For |
|------|-----------|-------------|----------|
| 1 | [structure] | [steps] | [which ICPs] |
## Competitor Breakdown
[per-competitor summary: what they're running, their main angles, estimated spend level]
## Recommended Angles for Our Product
| Priority | Angle | Based On | Adaptation Notes |
|----------|-------|----------|-----------------|
| 1 | [angle] | [which competitor ads] | [how to adapt] |
## Anti-Patterns (What to Avoid)
- [pattern that multiple competitors tried and abandoned]
Output Format
The skill produces a Competitive Ad Intel Dump — a structured document that feeds directly into ad-script-generator as input.
Tools Used
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
| brave-search MCP | Privacy-focused web search for ad discovery |
| tavily MCP | AI-optimized search for deeper research |
| playwright MCP | Browser automation for ad library scraping |
| memory MCP | Store winning patterns in knowledge graph |
| sequential MCP | Multi-step reasoning for angle analysis |
Agents
| Agent | Role |
|---|
| growth-marketer (L2) | Owns the research process, sets scope |
| deep-research (L2) | Executes search queries, synthesizes findings |
| content-strategist (L3) | Analyzes copy patterns, voice, positioning |
| trend-researcher (L4) | Tracks competitive movements over time |
| analytics-reporter (L3) | Quantifies patterns, ranks by frequency |
UAOP Integration
- Stage 1 output feeds into Stage 3 (
ad-script-generator)
- Stage 5 (
ad-performance-loop) feeds winners back into Stage 1 scope
- Research results stored in memory MCP for longitudinal tracking
- Weekly cadence: run every Monday to catch new competitor launches
Scheduling
Cadence: Weekly (Monday)
Trigger: Manual or scheduled via GAOS pipeline
Input: Competitor list + keywords from growth/domain.md
Output: Competitive Ad Intel Dump → stored in memory + fed to ad-script-generator
