Find a competitor quickly
Type the brand name, check whether it already exists in Benly, and either follow it or fetch it from Meta or Google and YouTube source results.
AdSpy search workflow
AI Search & Source Fetch in Benly
Search the Benly AdSpy database by brand, keyword, ad copy, transcript, and visual analysis, then fetch missing competitors directly from Meta Ad Library or Google and YouTube ad sources.
Summary
The workflow at a glance
AI Search & Source Fetch is the AdSpy workflow for moving from a rough research question to usable competitor evidence. A user can type a brand, category, offer, hook, or keyword into Inspire search, see matches across Benly's existing AdSpy database, jump into filtered creative results, or fetch a missing advertiser directly from Meta Ad Library or Google and YouTube ad sources. When a source fetch starts, Benly creates or attaches the brand to the workspace and queues the background collection job so the team can track the competitor inside AdSpy instead of saving loose external links.
- 01Search existing AdSpy data before leaving Benly: brands, categories, keywords, ad copy, transcripts, visual analysis, and all database fields.
- 02Use the public source fetch tiles when a competitor is not already indexed, with dedicated Meta Ad Library and Google or YouTube advertiser search modes.
- 03Pick a result and fetch it into the workspace so the advertiser becomes a tracked brand with a background processing job.
- 04Open keyword result pages with the normal AdSpy grid, filters, sort controls, AI tags, custom tags, saved views, collection actions, and multi-select.
01 / Workflow
What AI Search & Meta | Google Instant Fetch does
The search box at the top of Inspire is not only a text filter. It opens a research panel that combines internal AdSpy search with external source discovery. As the user types, Benly checks brand names, category matches, keyword fields, ad copy, transcripts, visual analysis, and the combined database count. If the result already exists in Benly, the user can follow the brand or open the matching creative set. If the result is missing, the panel offers source-specific search actions for Meta and YouTube-backed Google Ads Transparency results.
- Brand results show existing businesses with logo, workspace follow state, and follow or remove actions.
- Content results show counts for all database, keywords, ad copy, transcripts, and visual analysis, then link to a full results page.
- Category matches link directly into Inspire with the relevant sub-industry filter applied.
- Public source tiles let the user switch from Benly database search to Meta or YouTube advertiser search without leaving the workflow.
02 / Workflow
Search the existing database first
The first job is to answer whether Benly already has useful evidence. The search dropdown splits the query into practical routes: matching brands, matching categories, keyword counts, ad copy counts, transcript counts, visual-analysis counts, and an all-fields count. This helps a strategist decide whether to open a focused result page, follow an existing brand, or search public sources because the competitor is not yet available in the workspace.
- Brand matches are ranked with normalization, prefix matching, token matching, acronym matching, phrase matching, and fuzzy matching.
- Keyword and content counts come from MediaRelations fields so the user can choose the right search surface before opening the grid.
- Full result pages keep the AdSpy research controls: masonry creative grid, infinite loading, filters, sort order, AI tags, custom tags, collections, saved views, and multi-select.
Use cases
Where teams use it
Each use case starts from a real marketing question and ends with reusable context the team can bring into the next review, test, or brief.
Mine a market by keyword
Search a hook, offer, ingredient, objection, format, or category term, then open keyword, ad copy, transcript, visual-analysis, or all-field results.
Build a monitored competitor set
Fetch missing advertisers into the workspace so the team can track future creative research inside AdSpy instead of repeating public-library lookups.
Prepare creative evidence for a brief
Move from search results into the normal AdSpy grid, apply AI tags or custom tags, save a view, collect examples, and use selected ads as context for strategy work.
03 / Workflow
Fetch missing competitors from public sources
When the database search is not enough, the same panel can search Meta Ad Library or Google Ads Transparency. The Meta mode returns matching Meta businesses with page IDs and logos. The Google mode searches advertiser suggestions, sorts by ad count, enriches top matches with YouTube publisher data when available, and shows whether a result appears to be a third-party publisher. From either mode, the user can click Fetch this to create or attach the brand in the workspace.
- Meta results become Facebook Ad Library fetches using the selected page ID.
- Google results become Google Ads Transparency fetches using the selected advertiser ID.
- Google and YouTube publisher enrichment is best effort and cached so repeat searches are faster.
- Fetching a source starts a background job and routes the user back to tracked brands when the brand is added.
04 / Workflow
Turn a search into a tracked AdSpy workflow
The value is not only finding one advertiser. Once a brand is fetched or followed, it becomes part of the workspace's AdSpy operating system. Teams can monitor it in tracked-brand views, include it in competitor reviews, filter its creatives by AI tags or custom labels, save examples to collections, and bring selected ads into Copilot. That turns an external lookup into a reusable research asset for the next brief, audit, or market review.
- Existing brands can be followed directly from search results.
- New source fetches create a brand record, attach it to the workspace, and enqueue scraping through the Inspire dispatcher.
- Search result pages preserve the same filtering, saving, tagging, and collection workflow as the main AdSpy feed.
05 / Workflow
Why it matters
Competitive research usually breaks when the team has to move between native libraries, screenshots, spreadsheets, and a separate swipe file. This workflow compresses the first step: search what Benly already knows, fetch what is missing, then keep the competitor inside the same AdSpy workspace. That makes discovery faster, but more importantly it makes the result reusable. The team can return to the brand, the query, the saved view, and the selected creatives instead of starting over from a native ad library every time.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers for teams comparing workflows, validating product fit, or deciding how this feature should sit inside their operating rhythm.
What does AI Search & Source Fetch do in AdSpy?
It combines Benly's internal AdSpy search with public source discovery. A user can search existing brands, categories, keywords, ad copy, transcripts, visual-analysis fields, and all database content. If the competitor or keyword already has results, the user can open the relevant AdSpy result page. If the brand is missing, the same panel can search Meta Ad Library or Google and YouTube advertiser results and start a source fetch into the workspace.
Which public sources can the workflow fetch from?
The current workflow exposes Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency with YouTube-aware publisher enrichment. Meta results use the selected page ID to create a Facebook Ad Library fetch. Google results use the selected Transparency Center advertiser ID, and the backend samples video creatives to identify YouTube publisher information when it can. The source fetch starts a background job; it is not presented as a guarantee that every ad is instantly processed on the first click.
Can users search inside the existing Benly database before fetching?
Yes. The search panel first checks Benly's existing AdSpy data. It can surface brand matches, category matches, keyword counts, ad-copy counts, transcript counts, visual-analysis counts, and an all-fields count. This matters because many research questions do not require a new public-source fetch. The team can often jump straight into a full AdSpy results page with the same filters, sorting, AI tags, custom tags, saved views, collections, and multi-select controls used elsewhere in the library.
What happens after clicking Fetch this?
Benly creates or reuses the brand record, attaches it to the current workspace, and sends a scrape task through the Inspire dispatcher. For Meta, the workflow builds the corresponding Facebook Ad Library URL from the selected page ID. For Google, it builds the Google Ads Transparency advertiser URL from the selected advertiser ID. If the brand already exists, Benly adds it to the workspace instead of duplicating it. If it is new, the brand enters the tracked-brand workflow while the background processing job runs.
How does this connect to competitor tracking?
Once a brand is followed or fetched, it becomes part of the workspace's AdSpy context. Teams can use it in tracked-brand feeds, competitor reviews, collection building, AI tag exploration, custom-tag taxonomy, saved views, and Copilot handoff. The workflow is useful because it turns a one-time external lookup into a competitor the team can monitor and reuse across creative strategy, media buying, reporting, and client discussions.
Who should use this workflow?
It is useful for creative strategists, media buyers, growth leads, founders, and agencies that need to move quickly from a vague market question to a structured competitor set. A strategist can search for hooks or offers. A media buyer can find active competitors to monitor. An agency can add a new client's competitor list. A founder can look up a brand from Meta or YouTube and keep the resulting evidence inside Benly instead of collecting links manually.