Competitor ad research template

A folder of screenshots is evidence waiting for a question. Use this worksheet to compare how competitors present a product, then turn what you notice into something your team can investigate.

Leave with a comparable sample, a short set of observations and one question for your next creative brief.

Choose the question before the ads

Start with a decision your team needs to make. ‘What do competitors run?’ is too wide to finish. ‘How do they show a product being used?’ gives you a reason to include one ad and leave another out.

Name the product category, audience and research question.
Pick a small set of relevant brands and use the same inclusion rule for each.
Write down the research date and source. A collection is a snapshot, not a complete market census.

Compare observations on the same terms

Separate what the ad shows from what you think it means. ‘Hands demonstrate the closure’ is an observation. ‘The closure drives purchases’ is a hypothesis that needs your own evidence.

Record the opening, product demonstration, stated promise and call to action.
Group alternate crops or edits of the same idea together so one campaign does not dominate your sample.
Include a contrasting example. A board of lookalikes is useful for production references but weak for comparison.

Bring a question back to the team

Summarize a repeated visual choice, an exception and a possible experiment. Keep the reference attached to each observation so another person can check your interpretation.

Write one sentence that describes the pattern without claiming performance.
Name what is missing from the sample and what you could not verify.
Choose one idea to investigate with your own audience, product and results.

A filled example

These invented examples explain how to use the fields. They are not advertiser results.

Research question

Defines which ads belong in the sample.

How do travel-bag ads demonstrate organization?

Observed choice

Keeps description separate from interpretation.

A packing sequence shows three compartments in use.

Contrast

Stops a repeated pattern becoming your only option.

Another concept uses one close-up of the zip and no packing sequence.

Next hypothesis

Makes the research useful without pretending it proves a result.

Test whether a packing sequence makes our compartment layout easier to understand.

Your reusable worksheet

COMPETITOR AD RESEARCH
Question:
Category and audience:
Research date and source:
Brands included and why:
Sampling rule:

AD OBSERVATION (repeat for each distinct idea)
Reference:
Opening:
Product shown or demonstrated:
Promise as stated:
Format and visual context:
Call to action:
Observation:
Interpretation to verify:

SYNTHESIS
Repeated choice:
Contrasting choice:
Missing evidence:
One hypothesis for our own creative:
Owner and next review:

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What this research can tell you

Public ads reveal creative choices. They do not reveal spend, conversion rate or profitability. A long-running ad is not proof that its creative caused a result.

Bring the references together in Barry

Use Infinity Board to find references, then keep your selected ads together in a named board. Starter lets you explore one brand; saving boards and sharing research are Pro features on desktop.

Create your board Take the tour

Continue your research

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Turn ad research into a creative strategy brief with a clear question, audience, proposition, evidence and production constraints. Free worksheet and example.

Ad campaign teardown template

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