Rival ads tab (Meta and Google)
The Ads tab is the paid media evidence hub for Meta and Google on a single rival — collected on the scan schedule, not as a live ad-library browser.
How do I open the Ads tab?
From Rivals, select a rival, then open Ads. After daily scans (or a Refresh), new creatives and messaging changes appear here. Pair the tab with Activity filtered to Ads when you need the chronological stream.
If the tab is empty after a scan, confirm Meta Ads and/or Google Ads sources are connected on Sources and that Daily scans is on for those sources.
How do I connect ads sources first?
Ads evidence only appears when Meta Ads and/or Google Ads sources are connected for that rival. Add them in the add-rival wizard or later on Sources. Coverage depends on what each platform exposes publicly at scan time.
What are the steps for a useful ads review?
- Confirm Meta and Google sources are connected and daily scans are on.
- Wait for the next daily scan or run Refresh on this rival if you need a newer read (about 30 minutes for a full rescan).
- Open Ads and skim new creatives, offers, and messaging.
- Click through to evidence when a creative looks material.
- Ask Spidey to summarize messaging themes for the rival when you need narrative.
- Update the battlecard if positioning or objections changed.
What if ads stay thin or missing?
Spiderlook is not a live ad-library browser. It reflects public library-style evidence collected on the scan schedule. If a platform hides an advertiser, the tab stays thin until a source is available. Re-check the advertiser URL on Sources, wait for the next daily scan, or Refresh once when usage remains.
How do I share ads findings?
Copy two evidence links from Ads or Activity into the weekly report narrative or a battlecard suggestion. If strategists work in Claude or ChatGPT, ask the connected MCP client for a messaging summary scoped to the same project — then verify the creatives in the Ads tab before the client meeting.
When a creative looks material but the tab is stale, run Refresh once on that rival, wait for scanning to finish (about 30 minutes for a full rescan), and reopen Ads. Do not thrash Refresh across every rival; daily scans already cover the schedule.
If Meta or Google hide the advertiser, document the gap for the client and keep Daily scans on so new public creatives appear when the library opens up.