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A simple framework for reverse-engineering your competitors’ ads

reverse-engineering ads

You’ve heard the rule of thumb…

If your competitor has been running the same ad for a long time, it’s probably working.

And you or your team are probably tempted to steal their ideas for your own ads.

But instead of creating your own version of a competitor’s ad, why not try some good ol’ reverse-engineering?  

How to “borrow” your competitors’ ads?

Use this simple process to get more insights—and better ideas—out of your competitor’s advertising…

Step 1: Choose an ad.

We’ll go with this ad by Athletic Greens:

  • Ad text copy: Got 60 seconds? One daily scoop of AG1 is the fastest—and easiest—way to give your body the high-quality nutrition it needs.

Step 2: Break down value propositions and objections.

Most ad copy focuses on two things—value propositions and objection-handling. 

Let’s apply that framework to this Athletic Greens ad:

  • Value prop = It’s really easy.
  • Value prop = It’s incredibly nutritious.
  • Objection (effort) = It only takes 60 seconds.

OK, so we have a list of the value props and the objection the ad resolves.

Based on these things, we can argue that Athletic Greens thinks both nutritional value and ease of use are two its best selling points, and that effort is one of their customers’ key objections.

Repeat these two steps for 10+ other competitor ads until you recognize patterns. 

Step 3: Rework your own ads.

Now that we’ve got a clear understanding of the objections and value props our competition is successfully using, we can find areas they’re overlooking and objections they haven’t addressed. 

And just like that…

…You can end up with better copy, without copying the competition. Nice, right?

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