How to Filter Ads by Industry or Category in a Digital Ad Library: The 2026 Complete Guide

"In advertising, what you don't know about your competitors is often more valuable than what you do know about your customers."

- Vibemyad

TL;DR

Filtering ads by industry or category in a digital ad library is no longer optional; it's how modern marketers stay competitive. This guide walks you through platform-specific filtering methods (Facebook Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency Centre, LinkedIn Ad Library), explains how to use advanced ad intelligence tools, and shows you how to turn competitor research into an actionable creative strategy. Whether you're looking for industry-wise ad search capabilities or category-based filtering workflows, you'll learn the exact steps to find, analyse, and apply insights from the ads that matter most to your niche.

Where This Fits in Your Marketing Funnel (MOFU)

You already know ad libraries exist. You've probably browsed a few campaigns. Now you're asking: "How do I actually use this to improve my results?"

This is a classic middle-of-funnel question. You're evaluating tools, comparing workflows, and looking for efficiency gains. You don't need Ad Libraries 101; you need a system that helps you discover competitor patterns, extract creative insights, and apply them to your campaigns faster than your competition can.

By the end of this guide, you'll know exactly how to filter ads by industry, which platforms offer the best filtering capabilities, and how to streamline the entire research process so you're not drowning in irrelevant creatives.

Why Filtering Ads by Industry Actually Matters in 2026

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most marketers waste hours scrolling through ad libraries looking at irrelevant campaigns. A SaaS marketer doesn't need to analyse fashion brand ads. An e-commerce founder doesn't benefit from B2B LinkedIn creatives, at least not directly.

Filtering ads by industry or category solves this problem by narrowing your focus to what's actually working in your space. It's the difference between browsing and researching. Between inspiration and intelligence.

When you filter ads by industry in a digital ad library, you unlock:

• Pattern recognition: What hooks are performing across your niche?
• Seasonal trends: How are competitors messaging during peak periods?
• Creative benchmarks: What production quality is standard in your industry?
• Offer structures: What promotions, discounts, and CTAs are being tested?

The best marketers don't just look at ads. They filter, categorise, analyse, and apply.

How to Filter Ads in an Ad Library: Platform-by-Platform Breakdown

Not all ad libraries are created equal. Some offer robust filtering; others barely let you search by keyword. Here's what you need to know about the major platforms.

Facebook Ad Library Filters: The Industry Standard

Facebook's Ad Library remains the most comprehensive free resource for competitive ad research. But its filtering capabilities are limited by design.

Facebook Ad Library Filters

What you can filter:

• Location: Country and sometimes region-specific
• Platform: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network
• Media type: Video, image, carousel
• Active status: Currently running vs. inactive

What you can't filter:

• Industry or business category (this is the big gap)
• Ad objective or campaign goal
• Audience demographics or targeting
• Creative theme or messaging style

To work around these limitations, marketers use keyword-based searches combined with competitor tracking. For example, if you're in the fitness industry, you'd search for brands like "Peloton," "Nike Training," or "MyFitnessPal" and manually note patterns across their active campaigns.

It works, but it's slow.

Google Ads Transparency Centre: Limited but Useful

Google's transparency library focuses on political and issue-based advertising, but it does allow searches for commercial advertisers.

Google Ads Transparency Centre

Filtering options:

• Advertiser name: Direct search by brand
• Date range: See historical ad activity
• Region: Geographic targeting

Major limitation: No industry categorisation. You're essentially searching one advertiser at a time, which makes broad competitive research tedious.

LinkedIn Ad Library: Best for B2B Industry Filtering

LinkedIn's ad library is relatively new but offers the most relevant filtering for B2B marketers.

LinkedIn Ad Library

What makes it better:

• Ads are inherently tied to company profiles, which include industry tags
• You can search by company and see their full ad history
• A professional context makes it easier to identify niche-specific patterns

Drawback: LinkedIn's library is smaller and less comprehensive than Facebook's, so you won't find every competitor here.

TikTok Creative Centre: Built for Discovery

TikTok's Creative Centre is designed for inspiration and includes trend-based filtering that's surprisingly effective.

TikTok Creative Centre

Filtering capabilities:

• Industry tags: E-commerce, gaming, beauty, education, etc.
• Trending ads: See what's performing right now
• Product category: Drill down within industries
• Objective type: Awareness, conversion, etc.

This is one of the few native platforms that actually think about industry-wise ad search from the start. If you're running TikTok ads, this should be your first stop.

The Real Problem: Native Ad Libraries Weren't Built for Marketers

Let's be honest. Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn built these libraries for transparency, not intelligence. They exist to satisfy regulatory requirements, not to help you analyse competitors.

That's why filtering by industry feels like an afterthought. That's why you can't search by creative theme, messaging angle, or content bucket. That's why research takes hours instead of minutes.

This is where ad intelligence tools come in.

How Ad Intelligence Tools Make Industry Filtering Actually Work

Tools built specifically for competitor ad analysis solve the problems native libraries don't. They aggregate data from multiple platforms, apply machine learning to categorise ads, and give you filters that actually reflect how marketers think.

What to Look for in an Ad Filtering Tool

Industry and category taxonomy: Can you filter by your specific niche (e.g., "DTC skincare" instead of just "beauty")?

Content bucket analysis: Does the tool automatically group ads by theme (product launches, seasonal promos, testimonials)?

Hook and messaging extraction: Can you see what copy patterns are working in your industry?

Landing page tracking: Do you know where competitors are sending traffic and what offers they're testing?

Multi-platform coverage: Can you see Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn ads in one place?

If a tool only replicates what Facebook's Ad Library already does, it's not adding value. The best platforms go further by applying structure and intelligence to raw ad data.

Step-by-Step: How to Filter Ads by Industry in a Digital Ad Library

Here's a practical workflow you can implement today, whether you're using native libraries or a dedicated tool.

Step 1: Define Your Industry Parameters

Don't just say "I'm in e-commerce." Get specific. Are you DTC fashion? Beauty supplements? Home goods? Pet products?

Your industry definition determines which competitors you track and which ads you analyze. The tighter your focus, the more actionable your insights.

Step 2: Identify 10-15 Key Competitors

Build a list of brands that:

• Target the same audience
• Operate at a similar scale (or one tier above you)
• Run consistent ad campaigns

This becomes your baseline for research. Track these brands consistently, not just when you remember to check.

Step 3: Use Platform-Specific Searches

On Facebook Ad Library: Search each competitor by name. Note what's running right now and screenshot standout creatives.

On TikTok Creative Centre: Use industry tags to see trending ads. Filter by your product category.

On LinkedIn Ad Library: Search competitors and scroll through their campaign history. Look for patterns in messaging and visuals.

Step 4: Organise by Content Buckets

As you collect ads, group them thematically:

• Product launches
• Seasonal promotions
• Social proof and testimonials
• Educational content
• Problem/solution messaging
• Founder-led or behind-the-scenes

This is where category-based ad filtering becomes powerful. You're not just collecting ads, you're mapping competitor strategy.

Step 5: Extract Hooks and Value Props

For each ad, ask:

• What's the opening hook?
• What problem does it solve?
• What's the core value proposition?
• What's the CTA?

Document these patterns. They're more valuable than the creative itself.

Step 6: Monitor Landing Pages

Where are competitors sending traffic? A direct product page? A quiz or assessment? A lead magnet?

The landing page reveals campaign intent and offer structure. If you're only analysing the ad, you're missing half the story.

Why Manual Ad Filtering Breaks Down (And What to Do About It)

Even with a solid workflow, manual research has limits:

Time: Searching one competitor at a time across multiple platforms takes hours.

Scale: Tracking 5 competitors is manageable. Tracking 20 is not.

Context: Native libraries don't tell you why an ad is running or what bucket it fits into.

Updates: Competitors launch new campaigns constantly. Manual tracking means you're always behind.

This is where platforms like Vibemyad come in. Instead of manually searching Facebook for each competitor, tools with competitor tracking features (like Ad Spider) let you add brands once and automatically monitor their campaigns going forward. You get hooks analysis, landing page tracking, and content bucket categorisation without the manual labor.

It's the difference between checking on competitors and systematically understanding them.

Advanced Tactics: Using Ad Libraries for Competitive Ad Research

Once you've mastered basic filtering, here's how to level up your advertising database by industry research:

Reverse-Engineer Content Calendars

Track when competitors launch new campaigns. Are they seasonal? Monthly? Tied to product launches? Understanding timing helps you anticipate their next move.

Map Offer Evolution

How have their promotions changed over time? Did they start with 10% off and escalate to 30%? Are they testing free shipping vs. discount codes? Offer analysis reveals pricing strategy and margin pressure.

Identify Creative Fatigue

If a competitor has been running the same creative for months, it's either performing incredibly well or they've run out of ideas. Either way, it's useful information.

Spot Platform-Specific Strategies

Some brands go heavy on TikTok for awareness but save Instagram for conversion-focused retargeting. Others use LinkedIn exclusively for lead gen. Platform allocation reveals budget priorities.

The One Table You Need: Ad Library Filtering Comparison

How Marketers Actually Use Ad Libraries to Analyse Competitors

Let's talk real-world application. Here's how high-performing teams use industry-filtered ad research:

Creative teams use it to build mood boards and identify visual trends before starting new campaigns.

Media buyers analyse competitor spending patterns and platform allocation to inform budget decisions.

Copywriters extract hooks and messaging angles that resonate in their niche, then adapt (not copy) them.

Strategists map content buckets to understand the full scope of a competitor's marketing narrative.

Founders stay aware of how competitors position their products and what offers they're testing.

The common thread? They're not just looking at ads. They're extracting strategic intelligence and applying it to their own work.

Tools to Search Ads by Industry in 2026: What's Worth Using

Here's an honest assessment of the current landscape:

Free options (Facebook Ad Library, TikTok Creative Centre) are great for manual research but don't scale. You'll spend hours per week if you're serious about competitor tracking.

Paid ad intelligence platforms automate the heavy lifting. They track competitors continuously, categorise ads by theme, and surface insights you'd miss manually. The trade-off is cost; most platforms start around $50-$200/month.

Vibemyad's Ad Spider sits in the middle. You get systematic competitor tracking, hooks analysis, landing page monitoring, and content bucket categorisation without needing to manually check ad libraries every week. For teams running regular campaigns, it's the difference between reactive research (checking what competitors did last month) and proactive intelligence (knowing what they're doing right now).

Vibemyad's Ad Spider

The key is choosing a tool that fits your workflow. If you're running one-off campaigns, manual research might suffice. If you're launching creatives weekly or monthly, automation pays for itself in time saved.

Final Thought: The Best Filter Is the One You Actually Use

You can have access to every ad library in the world, but if your research process takes three hours every time you need inspiration, you won't do it consistently.

The goal isn't perfection. It's building a repeatable system that gives you competitive intelligence without burning you out. Whether that's a manual workflow with native libraries or an automated approach with dedicated tools, the best solution is the one you'll stick with.

Start by tracking 5 competitors. Filter by the platforms they're most active on. Extract patterns. Apply what works. Repeat.

That's how you turn ad libraries into a competitive advantage.

Ready to stop manually searching ad libraries? Vibemyad's Ad Spider lets you track competitors systematically with hooks analysis, landing page monitoring, and automatic content categorisation. Try it free for 7 days at vibemyad.com/explore.