This AI can spy on your competitor’s ad strategy in 27 minutes 🕵️‍♀️

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Future-Proof Humans,

What if your AI assistant could analyze your competitors' Facebook ads and tell you exactly how aggressively they're testing creative, which messaging themes they're prioritizing, and what gaps exist in their strategy that you could exploit?

What if it could compare ad formats across multiple brands, track their seasonal campaign patterns, and reveal whether they're expanding into new markets or doubling down on existing ones?

What if it could do all this while you're having a natural conversation, no spreadsheets or manual data exports required?

We've been exploring MCP connections for weeks now. After showing you how Claude works with WhatsApp, Gmail, Brave Search, Reddit, and investment portfolios, I wanted to tackle something that hits closer to home for marketers and business owners: competitive intelligence.

This week, we're connecting Claude to Facebook's Ad Library through an MCP server. This is about more than just checking what ads your competitors are running. We're talking about real competitive analysis, creative strategy insights, and marketing intelligence discussions with your AI assistant.

In this edition of Nanobits, we will:

⚡️ Walk through setting up the Meta Ad Library MCP server connection
🔗 Show you the actual competitive analysis prompts we tested
📊 Explore how Claude can help with creative strategy and audience targeting decisions

Let's turn your competitive research and overall ad analysis into a conversation. Let's begin!

ARE YOU NEW TO MODEL CONTEXT PROTOCOL?

Think of MCP as a universal translator—it lets AI like Claude and Cursor actually interact with your apps and data (no more copy-paste purgatory).

Catch up fast: Here’s an MCP explainer breaking down how it works, why it matters, and where it’s headed.

These are the past experiments we have conducted with various MCP servers:

• How I Made Claude Edit Files, Write Cover Letters, and Fetch Live IPL Updates

• I turned Claude Desktop App into WhatsApp Manager, Reddit Content Curator & Smart Study Planner

• Analyze patterns across dozens of emails to identify emerging trends and hot topics—without you reading a single message.

• We used Cursor and Figma to create an AI assistant that automates design workflows.

• We connected the Claude App & Kite MCP server to create an AI assistant for investment analysis

You can reach out to us if you get stuck.

MCP IN ACTION: HOW TO CONNECT FACEBOOK ADS LIBRARY TO CLAUDE DESKTOP? 

As before, we will work with Claude Desktop as our MCP host for this newsletter.

What You Need First

Make sure you have these ready:

1. Claude Desktop App (download from Anthropic's website)

2. Node.js installed on your computer

3. Access to Scrape Creators for Facebook Ad Library API tokens

Step 1: Install Node.js

Download and install Node.js from nodejs.org.

Once installed, open your Command Prompt or Terminal and type node --version to verify it's working.

Step 2: Get Your API Token

You'll need a Scrape Creators API token to access Facebook's Ad Library data:

1. Sign up at Scrape Creators website

2. Navigate to your dashboard and generate an API key [you will get 100 free credits, which is more than enough for experimentation]

3. Copy this token for the next step

Step 3: Install the MCP Server

Open your terminal and run this command to install the Facebook Ads Library MCP server:

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @trypeggy/facebook-ads-library-mcp --client claude --profile proper-booby-3ILNKY --key 6fa2059e-XXX-YYYY-ZZZZ-e26b98a60af7

[Enter your API key after key in the above command]

This automatically handles the installation and configuration for Claude Desktop.

Step 4: Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop application. Look for the settings option and click it. In the left sidebar, you'll see "Developer." Click on that, then click "Edit Config."

This opens your configuration file, claude_desktop_config.json. Add this exact code:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "facebook-ads-library-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli@latest",
        "run",
        "@trypeggy/facebook-ads-library-mcp",
        "--key",
        "{YOUR_SCRAPECREATORS_API_KEY}",
        "--profile",
        "proper-booby-3ILNKY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace {YOUR_SCRAPECREATORS_API_KEY} with your API token from Step 2.

Copy and paste this exactly as shown. The formatting matters.

Step 5: Save and Restart

Save the configuration file and completely close Claude Desktop. Reopen it fresh.

Step 6: Verify the Connection

In Claude Desktop, look for the slider icon [Search and tools] in the chat interface. Click it to verify that Facebook Ads Library MCP tools are available.

Step 7: Test It Out

Start a new conversation and try: "Find me all current ads from Mamaearth" or "Show me what ads Plum is running right now." If Claude responds with actual ad data, you're connected.

The MCP server provides two main tools:

• get_meta_platform_id: Returns platform ID given brand names

• get_meta_ads: Retrieves ads for a specific page (platform ID)

You can now ask Claude to analyze any brand's Facebook advertising strategy, compare multiple competitors, and extract insights from their creative approaches.

If these things feel alien to you, you can refresh your memory with our previous newsletter or reply to this email to learn more. We are also available on LinkedIn.

TASKS WITH META AD LIBRARY MCP SERVER

Now you're ready to start using Claude with Facebook's advertising intelligence!

Connecting Claude to Facebook's Ad Library opens up possibilities that go far beyond checking what ads your competitors are running. We tested four specific competitive analysis tasks that would typically require multiple tools, manual data collection, and extensive research.

Task 1: Creative Strategy Format Analysis

One of the most valuable insights for any marketing team is understanding how competitors approach creative testing. Getting this information usually means manually browsing through ad libraries, taking screenshots, and creating spreadsheets to track various formats.

How It Works

Claude can analyze your competitors' current advertising and break down their creative strategy in real time:

1. Claude searches for specific brand campaigns across Facebook and Instagram

2. Categorizes ads by format (video, carousel, single image, collection)

3. Analyzes the proportion of each format type

4. Identifies patterns in creative refresh cycles

Example Prompt

I am the performance marketing manager of Mamaearth. 

How many ads is Wow Skin Science India running right now compared to Plum? What's their split between video ads and static image ads? I want to understand if we're testing creative as aggressively as our competitors [Wow Skin Science India and Plum].

Stick to only the Meta ad library, for your research. Share your findings in a downloadable format.

What Claude Returns

As shown in the detailed analysis, Claude created a comprehensive creative format breakdown that shows:

• Detailed competitive analysis between competing brands, which includes a split across different ad types for a particular period, key products being promoted, and creative strategy insights.

• The report includes a visual format analysis of how aggressively brands are testing their creatives.

• Ultimately, it provides a concise competitive intelligence summary, along with strategic recommendations tailored to your brand [in this case, Mamaearth].

Task 2: Audience Targeting Intelligence

Beyond basic creative analysis, we wanted to determine if Claude could reveal targeting strategies and demographic insights that would typically require paid tools or insider knowledge.

How It Works

Claude can examine ad copy, imagery, and messaging to infer audience targeting strategies:

1. Analyzes language patterns and messaging tone across different ads

2. Identifies demographic signals in creative choices

3. Spots geographic targeting patterns through regional references

4. Maps content themes to likely audience segments

Example Prompt

What demographics and locations are Wow Skin Science India and Plum targeting with their ads? Are they focusing on metros, or expanding to tier-2 cities? Any patterns in age group targeting?

Stick to only the Meta ad library, for your research.

What Claude Returns

The audience analysis revealed strategic insights about market positioning:

Claude identified distinct audience approaches (working professionals for Wow Skin Science, conscious millennials for Plum) with detailed targeting pattern analysis for each, mapped geographic expansion strategies, and quantified the messaging themes with specific examples and strategic implications.

The depth of this analysis surprised me. Claude didn't just categorize ads; it identified specific targeting clusters in competitor strategies and provided insights that would genuinely inform our own audience development.

Task 3: Ad Volume and Testing Velocity Analysis

Understanding how aggressively competitors test creative can inform your own testing budget and strategy. We wanted to see if Claude could quantify competitive testing patterns.

How It Works

Claude combines ad frequency data with timeline analysis to understand testing patterns:

1. Counts active ad variations for each brand

2. Analyzes ad launch dates and duration patterns

3. Identifies seasonal testing spikes

4. Maps creative refresh cycles

Example Prompt

Show me the breakdown of creative formats (video vs carousel vs single image) that Wow Skin Science India and Plum are using. Which brand is investing more heavily in video content and what type of videos are they creating?

Stick to only the Meta ad library, for your research.

What Claude Returns

The testing analysis provided immediate actionable insights:

Claude identified a massive video strategy gap between competitors (WOW's 84% video focus vs Plum's 24.5%), quantified specific creative format splits and investment levels across both brands, and provided strategic positioning insights, including content opportunity gaps and recommendations for optimal market positioning based on competitor video allocation patterns.

This level of analysis would have taken hours to compile manually, requiring multiple ad library searches, data tracking, and competitive benchmarking across different periods.

Task 4: Messaging Strategy Benchmarking

For our final test, we wanted to see if Claude could analyze messaging themes and identify gaps or opportunities in competitive positioning.

How It Works

Claude can evaluate messaging patterns and suggest strategic positioning opportunities:

1. Extracts key messaging themes from ad copy

2. Identifies emotional appeals and rational benefits

3. Spots messaging gaps between competitors

4. Suggests positioning opportunities

Example Prompt

What are the main messaging themes Wow Skin Care India and Plum are using in their current ads? Are they focusing more on ingredients, results, or lifestyle positioning? How does this compare to our current messaging?

Stick to only the Meta ad library, for your research.

What Claude Returns

The messaging analysis provided a comprehensive competitive positioning map:

Claude identified distinct messaging strategies between competitors (WOW's lifestyle and personality focus vs Plum's clinical proof and problem solving approach), quantified specific messaging themes and percentages across emotional connection, ingredient storytelling, and promotional tactics, and revealed a clear market positioning gap for natural plus clinical messaging that combines lifestyle integration with ingredient transparency.

Each of these tasks demonstrates how Claude can transform competitive research from a manual, time-intensive process into conversational analysis that provides professional-quality insights.

If you want more detailed results, you can read the complete analysis reports linked in each task description.

End Note

That's all from us for this week.

From WhatsApp to Reddit to Google Tasks to investment portfolios, we've explored ways to make Claude work for you. Now you're adding competitive intelligence to your AI toolkit, turning complex marketing research into simple conversations.

Having Claude analyze your competitors' ad strategies, identify creative format patterns, and reveal messaging gaps is like having a personal marketing analyst available 24/7. The level of detail in the creative format analysis, audience targeting insights, and competitive positioning strategies was surprising to us.

Next week, we'll explore even more practical MCP connections you can build in minutes. Until then, try connecting Claude to Facebook's Ad Library and see what happens when your AI can read your competitors' strategies and provide professional-quality analysis.

Three Meta Ads Library + Claude experiments to try this weekend:

1. Ask Claude, "Compare the creative formats between [Competitor A] and [Competitor B] in my industry. What's their split between video and static content? Which brand is testing more aggressively?" Watch it analyze their testing velocity and creative investment patterns.

2. Challenge Claude to analyze messaging themes: "What are the main messaging strategies my top 3 competitors are using? Where are the gaps I could exploit?" Create a positioning map that shows competitive white space opportunities.

3. Have Claude examine seasonal patterns: "How do my competitors prepare for major shopping seasons? When do they typically launch campaigns, and what promotional messaging do they use?" Get insights into campaign timing and promotional strategies.

Start small by checking your main competitor's current ads. If you get stuck, reply to this email and we'll walk you through the setup.

Which other daily marketing task would you automate first? Let us know what you'd like Claude to handle for you next.