Ad Discovery makes it easy to explore and learn from competitor ads running on Meta. The feature is designed to give you clear visibility into how other brands position their messaging, structure creative, and evolve their advertising over time—so you can spot patterns, trends, and opportunities faster.
Rather than focusing on individual ad delivery to specific users, Ad Discovery captures a broad, representative view of a competitor’s advertising activity, helping you understand what’s working at a strategic level.
How Competitor Ads Are Collected
Competitor ads are gathered and refreshed on a regular schedule to ensure you’re seeing up-to-date creative and messaging. This approach allows you to analyze ads consistently over time instead of chasing every short-lived variation that may only run briefly.
Because Meta supports many different ad formats and delivery methods, some ads are built to change automatically based on products, audiences, or regions. When ads work this way, there may not be a single fixed version to display. You may still see the ad in Ad Discovery, but some text fields or variations may be unavailable.
What You’ll See in Ad Discovery
In Ad Discovery, you’ll typically see:
A strong sampling of a competitor’s active ads
Core messaging themes and value propositions
Creative styles and formats being used
How a brand’s advertising evolves over time
For larger or global brands, ads may run across multiple Facebook or Instagram pages for different regions. In these cases, you’ll still get a clear view of the brand’s overall advertising approach, even if not every regional variation appears.
Ad Refresh Timing
Ads are refreshed daily, which keeps the experience stable and reliable for analysis. New ads may take up to 24 hours to appear, and recently paused ads may briefly remain visible. This ensures Ad Discovery reflects meaningful advertising activity rather than moment-to-moment fluctuations.
How to Get the Most Value From This Feature
Ad Discovery works best when used to:
Compare competitor positioning and messaging
Identify creative patterns and trends
Understand how brands test and scale ads
Inform your own campaign strategy and creative direction