Wrkt Signal: how we turn your competitors' ads into testing opportunities
Why we built our own competitive intelligence tool: hundreds of competitor ads per scan, patterns in angles and formats, and a watchlist that alerts on new campaigns. A look under the hood.
By Bas Lens | 2026-07-29 | 6 min read | Wrkt Signal, AI, Creative Strategy
Every marketer knows the Meta Ad Library: you can see every ad a brand is running. But anyone who has spent an afternoon in it also knows the problem. Hundreds of ads, no structure, no performance context, and tomorrow there is a fresh batch. Manual competitive research is slow, subjective and above all: it goes stale while you are doing it. So we built our own tool: Wrkt Signal.
What is Wrkt Signal?
Wrkt Signal is our in-house AI tool for competitive ad intelligence. Per scan, Signal collects hundreds of ads from your brand and your competitors from the ad libraries and turns them into structured data: which angles they use, which formats (video, static, UGC), which copy patterns, how long ads keep running and what reach they achieve. Long-running ads with high reach are a strong signal that something works — no competitor pays for that month after month without reason.
The result is not a moodboard but an analysis: these are the three angles the top spenders in your category bet on, this format is gaining ground, and here is a gap nobody claims.
How a scan works
A Signal scan runs through three steps. First, collection: all active and recent ads of a brand, with metadata such as runtime, format and indicative reach. Then analysis: AI classifies every ad by angle (price, social proof, problem-solution, lifestyle), format and hook type, and maps patterns across multiple brands. Finally, translation into action: every analysis ends in concrete testing opportunities — proven angles from your market that you are not running yet, combined with what your own account data already says.
Signal also has a watchlist: add your main competitors and you automatically get an alert when they launch new ads. Not a quarterly report that is outdated on delivery, but continuous visibility into your category.
Manual research vs Signal
| Criterion | Manual ad library research | Wrkt Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround | Days per competitor | Minutes per scan |
| Volume | Dozens of ads, a sample | Hundreds of ads, the full picture |
| Assessment | Subjective, depends on who looks | Consistent classification by angle, format and hook |
| Performance context | None | Runtime and reach as a proxy for what works |
| Freshness | Snapshot | Watchlist with alerts on new ads |
| Output | Screenshots in a deck | Testing opportunities linked to your own data |
Why we built this ourselves
Generic ad spy tools exist. But they stop where it gets interesting: at translating "this is running in your market" into "this is what we will test next week". Signal is built around our Growth Compass methodology: the Intelligence phase feeds directly into the Creation phase. The angles and formats Signal flags as promising are turned into creatives for Meta and TikTok within the same week. The tool is not a product we sell separately; it is the reason our creative strategy does not run on gut feeling.
What this delivers for our clients
Concretely: every client starts with a full category scan — your brand plus your four or five main competitors. That produces a creative strategy that starts from what demonstrably works in your market, rather than what we happen to like. After that, Signal keeps running: new competitor ads are flagged, patterns are updated, and fresh testing opportunities enter the planning every month. You notice the difference in test results: fewer creatives stranded in the learning phase, because the starting points have already been validated by the market.
Frequently asked questions about Wrkt Signal
Can I use Wrkt Signal as a standalone tool?
No. Signal is part of our service and is used for Wrkt clients. We do gladly demo the tool in an intro call — seeing your own category is the best way to understand the value.
Which channels does Signal cover?
The core is Meta (Facebook and Instagram), where the ad library is richest. We combine analyses with TikTok and Google data so the creative strategy holds up cross-channel.
Is this not just the Meta Ad Library?
The ad library is the source, not the insight. The difference is structure (every ad classified), context (runtime and reach as performance signals), scale (hundreds of ads instead of a sample) and the translation into testing opportunities for your account.
What about privacy and fair play?
Signal uses public data only: ads that platforms themselves publish through their ad libraries. Nothing is scraped that is not publicly accessible.
Which brands benefit most?
D2C brands in competitive categories, where multiple players advertise seriously. The more ads running in your market, the sharper the picture Signal delivers.
Curious what is running in your category? A first category scan is part of our free Growth Scan — you will see immediately which angles your competitors claim and where the gap is. Or first check what that delivers in practice.