Cornerstone · Ad Library Mastery
Ad Library Mastery — competitor research across all channels
For years, competitor research in performance marketing was a mosaic of half-pictures: a screenshot from the Meta Ads Manager, hearsay from sales meetings, an occasional competitor click in a private browser session. Since 2023 the official ad libraries have been mandatory in Europe — the Google Transparency Center, Meta Ad Library, LinkedIn Ad Library and TikTok Ad Library show every active ad, sortable by advertiser, country and time period. What's missing: a systematic methodology for reading these four sources across all channels. This cornerstone page bundles our approach for the UK market — read the ad libraries every Wednesday for research before you write creative briefs. You'll learn, per channel, where the library sits, which filters exist and which insights you can concretely extract. After that we show the cross-channel story: how a competitor orchestrates Google Search, Meta retargeting and LinkedIn lead gen at the same time — and how you read the same architecture for yourself. Education first, no sales slide.
4
platforms, 1 workflow
21,000
traffic potential Meta Ad Library
Daily
competitor scan possible
For most UK teams, competitor research ends in the screenshot folder
Four official ad libraries, four login logics, four filter languages — and at the end of the week the answer to the simple question "what is the competition doing right now?" is missing. We see three bottlenecks especially often in UK teams, from SaaS B2B to DTC brands. They depend less on budget or tool access and more on a missing methodology and the fact that the libraries are open but offer no API consolidation.
Manual library crawls cost hours
Each library has its own URL, its own filters and its own display logic. A weekly sweep across ten competitors costs three to five hours — time that's then missing for creative briefing and optimization. What doesn't show up in the reporting gets cut.
Cross-channel comparison is missing entirely
A competitor runs 30 Meta ads, 15 Google ads and 8 LinkedIn posts — at the same time. Without a cross-channel view you see building blocks, not the funnel architecture. You optimize against shadows instead of against the real competitor setup.
Creative iteration without data
Creative briefs often emerge from the gut — "let's make something comparable to competitor X". Without a structured library analysis, the data anchor is missing. Which hooks have been active for 14 days, which cuts disappeared after three days — the library tells you, if you read it.
A workflow that brings four ad libraries together in one cross-channel view
We built the MDS PPC Agent to turn competitor research from the four libraries into a repeatable weekly rhythm for the UK market. Instead of manual sweeps, a structured scan runs across all channels, identifies creative fatigue at the competitor (visible in the disappearance of certain ads), recognises new hook strategies and compares cross-channel architectures. Four properties set it apart from generic AI and manual library crawls.
Specialized and autonomous
Not a general-purpose scraping tool, but focused on competitive performance analysis. The agent knows the filter logic of all four libraries (advertiser, country, time period, format), recognises hook patterns across the first two seconds in video ads and compares frequency changes per competitor. It works through library sweeps on its own and delivers condensed reports — you set the competitor list, it delivers the research.
Made for the UK
Servers in Frankfurt, a data processing agreement under UK GDPR, a native English interface. EU↔UK adequacy keeps this EU-hosted setup lawful for UK clients. The agent knows UK competitive constellations — who fights whom in UK B2B SaaS (Sage, Darktrace, GoCardless and global rivals like Salesforce and HubSpot), which DTC brands serve the UK market (ASOS, Boohoo, Next) and which fintech players are aggressive in the performance channel (Monzo, Starling, Revolut). No US workarounds, no translation from the American stack.
Multi-channel, one agent
Four ad libraries, one consolidated view. The agent connects the Google Transparency Center, Meta Ad Library, LinkedIn Ad Library and TikTok Ad Library — the same workflow, the same reporting format, the same competitor list. You no longer switch between four tabs; you see a competitor's funnel architecture across all channels in one overview.
Self-service, no contract
Start a demo without a sales call, cancel monthly or yearly, transparent prices on the pricing page. No minimum term, no setup fee, no hidden library licenses — the official libraries are free, the agent only automates the workflow. You book, you use it, you cancel if the methodology doesn't suit your research rhythm.
How an ad-library scan runs at MDS
Here's what the setup-run-push cycle for competitor research looks like when you run the cross-channel libraries with the agent. Not a demo slide, but the real workflow for the UK market. Three steps: prepare the competitor list, run the cross-channel scan, push the insights into your creative briefing — weekly or biweekly, depending on the competitive density of your industry.
- 1
Setup
You create your competitor list — usually five to fifteen direct competitors plus two to three industry role models. Per competitor you store the company domain (for the Google Transparency Center), Facebook Page (Meta Ad Library), LinkedIn Company Page and TikTok handle. The agent normalizes the identifiers and checks which library entries are active. Three clicks per competitor, twenty minutes for the list.
- 2
Run
The agent sweeps the four libraries at the chosen frequency (daily for highly competitive industries, weekly as the standard, monthly for stable markets). Per competitor it identifies new ads since the last scan, disappeared ads (a typical fatigue indicator), format changes and cross-channel consistency. For video ads it analyzes the hook logic of the first two seconds, for static ads it compares headline patterns and CTAs. Every finding comes with a library URL and a timestamp.
- 3
Push
The insights flow into your own creative briefing — either directly into the agent (if you also run your campaigns with it) or as a condensed weekly report to your creative team. You see where competitors show fatigue (an opportunity: your hook test), where they test new formats (an early-warning signal: track their iteration) and where they orchestrate cross-channel campaigns (a strategic picture of the competition). Push here doesn't mean "ad live" but "insight in the briefing".
Google Transparency Center
The Google Transparency Center (publicly accessible at adstransparency.google.com) is Google's official advertising archive and has been mandatory in the EU since 2023. Every advertiser who runs ads in the EU is viewable here with all active and historical ads — search ads, display ads, YouTube ads, shopping ads and discovery ads. Access is free and needs neither a login nor a Google Ads account; the data is public and machine-searchable.
You open the Transparency Center directly in the browser and enter either an advertiser name, a domain or a Google-verified advertiser ID. Anyone running ads as an advertiser in the EU has had to be verified since 2023 — a good sign, because dubious advertisers have been easier to spot since then. Via the filter you choose country (the United Kingdom — and you can compare against Ireland or other EU markets), time period (last 30 days, 90 days, or custom) and format type (text, image, video, shopping). For each ad you see the creative, the ad URL, the start date, the delivery countries and — for political advertising additionally — budget ranges and audience reach.
Which insights can you extract? First: you see whether a competitor runs Google Ads in the UK at all — surprisingly rarely the case for many small mid-market providers. Second: you recognise headline patterns and sitelink strategies that point to certain topic clusters (for example seasonal promotions or product launches). Third: you identify display and YouTube activities that stay invisible in the search result itself — many B2B competitors run YouTube campaigns you don't see in the organic search result. Fourth: you spot auction competitors in your industry terms before you see them in your own auction-insights report.
Research methodology for the Google Transparency Center: per competitor domain a weekly sweep, filtered on the UK and a 14-day period. You document new ads, headline changes, sitelink updates and new format activities (for example a previously unknown YouTube push). For B2B accounts the monthly sweep with a 90-day filter is enough, because iteration runs more slowly. For e-commerce and DTC the weekly sweep is the standard, because promotional campaigns and shopping feeds rotate weekly.
Meta Ad Library
The Meta Ad Library (publicly accessible at facebook.com/ads/library) is Meta's official advertising archive and by far the largest of the four libraries — measured by traffic potential, it's, according to industry data, the most important research starting point for UK performance teams. Every active ad on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and in the Meta Audience Network is viewable here, with advertiser, ad copy, creative, start date and platform distribution. Access is free and needs neither a Facebook login nor a Meta Business account.
You open the library directly in the browser, choose country (the United Kingdom, or any other) and enter either an advertiser name or a search keyword. Via the "Ad activity" filter you choose between active ads and all ads (including ended ones). Political and issue-related advertising is archived separately and additionally delivers budget ranges and demographic reach. For each ad you see the creative, ad copy, landing-page URL, start date, platform distribution (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network) and format (Single Image, Video, Carousel, Collection).
Which insights can you extract? First: you recognize the creative frequency per competitor — how many variants run in parallel, how fast they rotate. For DTC brands, twenty to fifty ads active in parallel is normal; for B2B SaaS it's more like five to fifteen. Second: you see which creative styles dominate (UGC, studio, animation, founder-on-camera) and which hook logic is used in videos. Third: you identify seasonal campaign patterns — who launches Black Friday creatives when, who is already testing summer hooks in January. Fourth: you recognize audience hypotheses via ad copy and visual patterns (for example ads running in parallel for different lifestyle segments).
Research methodology for Meta: per competitor Page a weekly sweep, filtered on the UK and ad status "active". You document new creatives, disappeared ads (a fatigue signal, especially for videos), format changes and headline patterns. For e-commerce DTC the daily sweep is worthwhile for the top-3 competitors, because creative iteration runs at a TikTok-like pace. For B2B brands the weekly sweep is enough. A particularity: the Meta Ad Library also shows Stories, Reels and Audience Network placements that barely appear in normal browsing — test campaigns with new hook hypotheses often hide here.
LinkedIn Ad Library
The LinkedIn Ad Library (publicly accessible at linkedin.com/ad-library, alternatively via the "Ads" tab on every Company Page) is LinkedIn's official advertising archive and has been available since 2023 as a transparency measure. It covers every active LinkedIn ad worldwide, filtered by advertiser, country and time period. Unlike at Meta, you can also view Conversation Ads and Document Ads here — formats you don't necessarily see in the normal LinkedIn newsfeed, because they're delivered as soon as you're in the target audience.
You open the library either directly via the URL or via the "Ads" tab on the respective Company Page. You don't need a LinkedIn ad account, but a normal LinkedIn profile helps, because certain formats (Conversation Ads, Thought Leader Ads) are easier to view. Via the filter you choose country (the United Kingdom or global) and time period (typically the last 6 months). Per ad you see the creative, ad copy, format type (Single Image, Video, Carousel, Document Ads, Conversation Ads, Thought Leader Ads), start date and — where available — the targeting country.
Which insights can you extract? First: you recognise which LinkedIn formats a competitor is testing — especially the Thought Leader Ads introduced in 2023 are a strong signal for B2B brand strategies, because they come from executive profiles instead of the Company Page. Second: you see Document Ads strategies that have been gaining importance in UK B2B accounts for twelve months — gated whitepapers, industry reports and sales decks as a lead magnet. Third: you identify Conversation Ads sequences that aren't visible in the normal newsfeed, because they're only delivered to target-audience members. Fourth: you recognise account-based-marketing indicators via the consistency with which certain industry messages cluster within a tight time window.
Research methodology for LinkedIn: per competitor Company Page a biweekly sweep, filtered on the UK and the last 6 months. You document new formats (especially Thought Leader Ads and Document Ads), audience messages and lead-magnet strategies (gated content versus direct demo bookings). For B2B SaaS and consulting the biweekly sweep is enough, because LinkedIn campaigns have slower iteration cycles than Meta or TikTok. A particularity: LinkedIn shows ads from advertisers worldwide — US competitors can be analysed as a role model before they become active in the UK.
TikTok Ad Library
The TikTok Ad Library (publicly accessible at library.tiktok.com) is TikTok's official advertising archive and has been mandatory in Europe since 2023. Every active ad from all TikTok advertisers worldwide is viewable here, with advertiser, country, time period, creative and ad activity. Access is free and needs neither a TikTok account nor an ad account. Despite a comparatively high keyword difficulty (KD 53 according to industry data), the effort is worthwhile, because TikTok, as the youngest of the four channels, shows the fastest creative iteration of all platforms.
You open the TikTok Ad Library directly in the browser, enter an advertiser name or TikTok handle and choose country (the United Kingdom) as well as time period. Via the filter you choose between active and ended ads as well as between format types — In-Feed Video, Spark Ads (organic creator posts as an ad), TopView (premium format), Branded Effects and Collection Ads. Per ad you see the creative, ad copy, start date, delivery countries and — for political advertising additionally — budget ranges and demographic reach. A particularity compared to Meta: the library also shows whether an ad, as a Spark Ad, promotes an organic creator post — which lets you recognise a competitor's creator partnerships.
Which insights can you extract? First: you detect creative fatigue three to five times faster than on Meta — TikTok ads often disappear from the library after three to seven days, which is a clear performance signal. Second: you see hook patterns across the first two seconds at top competitors and can use this logic for your own briefs. Third: you identify creator strategies — which UK DTC brand works with which creators as a Spark Ads source, in which topic clusters they produce in parallel. Fourth: you spot format tests early — when a competitor suddenly tests Collection Ads or Branded Effects, it's a harbinger of a strategic shift. Fifth: you see Smart Performance Campaign indicators via the breadth of format variants running in parallel.
Research methodology for TikTok: per competitor a weekly sweep, filtered on the UK and the last 30 days. You document new hooks, disappeared ads, creator partnerships (Spark Ads sources) and format experiments. For DTC brands the bi-daily sweep is the standard for the top-3 competitors, because TikTok creatives rotate on 3-day cycles. TikTok also shows the delivery countries per ad in the library — you recognise whether a competitor advertises in the UK at the same time as other EU markets or whether the UK campaign is locally optimised. Worth its weight in gold for international DTC strategies.
UK GDPR-compliant and hosted in the EU
Data stays on EU servers, a data processing agreement under UK GDPR is part of every contract. EU↔UK adequacy (renewed to December 2031) keeps this EU-hosted setup lawful for UK clients. For the ad-library research itself we work only with public library endpoints — the Google Transparency Center, Meta Ad Library, LinkedIn Ad Library and TikTok Ad Library are accessible without a login and without an ad account, the legal basis is the EU transparency regulation. The agent crawls these endpoints via EU infrastructure, without collecting any personal data. We use external language-model providers for hook analysis only via contractually secured EU endpoints — training use of your competitor database is excluded. Details on the GDPR FAQ page.
More on the GDPR FAQ pageFAQ
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