A Strategic Guide to Building and Launching Competitor-Focused Ad Campaigns

Executing successful competitor-focused ad campaigns requires a nuanced, full-funnel strategy that prioritizes brand recognition and user nurturing over immediate, direct conversions. The goal is to capture user attention during their consideration phase, establish your brand as a viable alternative, and use retargeting to maintain visibility. This approach shifts the primary success metric from direct return on ad spend (ROAS) to engagement indicators like clicks, brand searches, and on-site micro-conversions, which demonstrate that your brand is becoming a sticky and recognized player in the prospect's mind.

Is it a good strategy to bid on our competitors' brand names in Google Ads?

Yes, bidding on competitor brand names is a viable strategy, but it must be approached with clear objectives and an understanding of the costs. The primary goal is not to expect a user searching for a competitor to convert immediately, but to make them aware of your brand as a credible alternative. This tactic is crucial for brand protection, especially when competitors are actively bidding on your brand terms. However, these campaigns can be expensive and may show a high cost-per-acquisition (CPA) if measured by direct conversions alone. Therefore, success should be measured by clicks and brand recognition, with the aim of retargeting users to keep your brand top-of-mind. It's essential to have a dedicated budget and to monitor performance closely, pausing campaigns that become too expensive without contributing to broader awareness goals.

What kind of landing page performs best for a 'Rapid7 vs. CrowdStrike' style campaign?

A dedicated head-to-head comparison landing page is the most effective asset for a competitor campaign. Sending traffic from a competitor-keyword ad to a generic product page often results in low Quality Scores and high costs because the user's intent is not directly addressed. The best-performing comparison pages are objective, avoid being overly self-promotional, and provide a genuine, unbiased comparison that helps users make an informed decision. Key elements to include are a clear feature comparison table, pricing information, and social proof like customer testimonials or G2 reviews to build trust. The goal is to control the narrative and transparently highlight your unique advantages and the specific use cases where your product is the superior choice.

How do we write ad copy that highlights our advantages without being overly aggressive or violating trademark policies?

The cardinal rule is to avoid using your competitor's trademarked brand name directly in your ad copy, including headlines and descriptions. Google's policies permit bidding on competitor keywords but restrict the use of their trademarks in the ad text itself to prevent user confusion. Instead of mentioning the competitor, the ad copy should focus on your unique selling proposition (USP). Highlight what makes your solution better: do you offer superior features, a better user experience, or more value? The copy should address the user's underlying need and position your brand as a strong alternative. For example, if a competitor is known for a specific feature, your ad can emphasize your strength in that same area without naming them. This strategy allows you to capture their audience's attention ethically and effectively.

What's the best way to target users on LinkedIn who follow our competitors?

While LinkedIn does not allow direct targeting of a competitor's page followers, there are several effective workarounds. You can use 'Company Connections' to target the connections of your competitor's employees, provided the company has over 500 employees. Another powerful method is targeting 'Member Groups,' which allows you to reach users who have joined LinkedIn Groups centered around your competitor's products or related industry topics. Additionally, you can build matched audiences by uploading custom lists of contacts gathered from other sources (like a CRM or event registrations) who you know are interested in or use a competitor's product. These strategies allow you to target users on LinkedIn and get your message in front of a highly relevant audience that is already engaged with your competitor's ecosystem.

How do we measure the success of a competitor campaign if direct conversions are low?

The success of competitor campaigns should not be judged solely on immediate return on ad spend (ROAS) or direct conversions. The primary goal is brand awareness and nurturing. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be adjusted to reflect this strategy. Success metrics include:

• Clicks and Engagement: A high click-through rate (CTR) indicates that your ad is capturing the user's attention and they are open to considering you as an alternative.
• Micro-conversions: Tracking secondary actions on your website, such as visiting the homepage after landing on a deeper page, time spent on site, or multi-page visits, can demonstrate user engagement and interest.
• Retargeting Pool Growth: Every click from a competitor campaign adds a user to your retargeting audience, allowing you to keep your brand in front of them with subsequent ads.
• Brand-Related Search Lift: An increase in organic searches for your brand name can be an indicator that your competitor campaigns are successfully building brand recognition.

Our competitor is running ads that say 'Paying too much for Rapid7?'. How should we respond?

When a competitor directly targets your pricing in their ads, it's crucial to respond strategically rather than engaging in a bidding war that drives up costs for everyone. The best defense is a strong offense focused on value. Instead of lowering your price, your ad copy and landing pages should pivot the conversation to the total value and return on investment (ROI) your solution provides. Reinforce your unique selling propositions—superior features, better support, or more comprehensive capabilities. It is also essential to run your own brand protection campaigns, bidding on your own brand terms to control the messaging on your search engine results page (SERP) and push competitor ads down. This ensures that when users search for you, your message is the first one they see.

Can we use competitor keywords in display or YouTube campaigns, not just search?

Yes, competitor keywords can be leveraged beyond search campaigns, though the strategy differs. In Google Display and YouTube campaigns, you can target custom audiences of users who have recently searched for your competitors' brand names. This allows you to place visual ads in front of a high-intent audience while they are browsing other websites or watching videos. The internal discussions also mention the potential for using multimedia ads on platforms like Bing, which can increase CTR if you have the right visual creative. The core principle remains the same: reach users who have shown interest in a competitor and present your brand as a compelling alternative.

How do we identify which competitors we should be actively targeting with ads?

The decision to target a specific competitor should be data-driven. A key trigger is identifying competitors who are actively bidding on your brand keywords, as this directly impacts your search visibility. This requires constant monitoring of your own branded search terms. The internal discussions highlight creating campaigns against competitors like Tenable and Arctic Wolf, indicating that these decisions are based on market intelligence and competitive analysis. You should prioritize competitors where you have a clear, demonstrable advantage that can be articulated in a comparison landing page. Start with a focused list and expand as you gather performance data and budget allows.

Should we create a lead magnet, like a Gartner report, specifically for our competitor campaigns?

Yes, creating a targeted lead magnet is a highly effective strategy for competitor campaigns. The internal discussions strongly support creating a "head-to-head comparison" asset that users can download. This approach works well on platforms like LinkedIn, where Document Ads can be used to offer a gated comparison guide. This tactic serves the dual purpose of capturing lead information while also educating the prospect on your specific advantages. Rather than a generic report, a direct comparison guide is more relevant to a user who is actively weighing their options between you and a competitor, leading to higher engagement and better-quality leads.

What are the legal risks associated with competitor advertising?

The primary legal risk in competitor advertising is trademark infringement. While Google's policies permit bidding on a competitor's trademarked brand name as a keyword, it is illegal to use their trademarked name, logo, or slogans within your ad copy (headline, description, or URL) if it creates a likelihood of consumer confusion. Doing so can lead to ad disapprovals, account suspension, or legal action from the trademark holder. To mitigate risk, your ad copy must make it clear that you are a distinct brand and not affiliated with the competitor. Always focus on truthful, non-misleading comparative advertising that highlights your own value. It's also important to respect the usage guidelines of third-party reports, as seen with the discussion around Forrester's refusal to allow their name in ad imagery.