Can you target competitors on Facebook ads?

Facebook advertising is one of the most powerful ways for businesses to reach potential customers. With over 2 billion monthly active users on Facebook, it provides an enormous opportunity to get your brand and products in front of a highly targeted audience.

One strategy that is sometimes used in Facebook advertising is targeting a business’s competitors. The idea is that people who are interested in or already engage with competing brands may be good potential customers for your own business. However, directly targeting a competitor’s brand name or trademarks is against Facebook’s advertising policies and can result in your ads being rejected or your account being suspended.

Why would you want to target competitors?

There are a few reasons why a business might consider targeting a competitor’s audience on Facebook:

Reach a more focused audience – People engaging with your competitors’ content are likely to be interested in your type of products or services.
Capture market share – You may want to reach customers of competitors to convince them to buy from you instead.
Target inactive customers – Customers who haven’t purchased from a competitor in a while may be open to switching brands.

Position yourself as an alternative – You can introduce your brand to audiences already familiar with competitors in your space.

Essentially, by targeting your rivals’ customers you are going after low-hanging fruit – leads who you know are already interested in what you have to offer. This can be an effective way to grow your customer base.

Is it allowed to target competitor brands?

Directly targeting a competitor’s name, trademarks or branded terms is strictly prohibited under Facebook’s advertising policies. This includes:

Using a competitor’s name as a keyword to target ads
Including a competitor’s name or branding in your ad copy
Using ad creatives containing logos or branding belonging to another company

Targeting pages or accounts explicitly associated with a competitor’s brand

If you do any of the above, your ad account is likely to be suspended either automatically or after manual review by Facebook’s policy compliance team.

Why is competitor targeting banned?

Facebook prohibits brands from directly targeting or mentioning competitors in ads for a few reasons:

Trademark infringement – Targeting a trademarked brand name without permission could constitute an infringement of trademark rights.
Unfair competitive practices – Directly targeting competitors could be viewed as anti-competitive behavior in some cases.
User experience – Users may find competitor ads confusing, misleading or annoying when viewed on a competitor’s page.

Compliance – Rival brands often closely monitor targeting of their trademarks and report violations.

What are some compliant ways to target competitors?

While directly targeting a competitor isn’t allowed, there are some compliant alternative strategies you can use to reach audiences interested in rival brands on Facebook:

1. Target by interest or behaviors

Rather than directly targeting a competitor’s name or branded content, target audiences based on interests and behaviors that are relevant to your industry and indicate they may engage with competitors. Some options include:

Interests like “Consumer Electronics”, “Department Stores”, “Pet Supplies”, etc.
Behaviors like “Shopping enthusiasts”, “Luxury shoppers”, “Bargain hunters”, etc.
Demographic traits like age, location, income level, etc.

You can research competitor pages to see their audience demographics and what types of interests are over-indexed to find relevant targeting options.

2. Retarget website visitors or customers

Consider placing the Facebook pixel on competitor websites to enable you to retarget visitors with your ads later. This can help you reach audiences who have shown interest in rival offerings. Just ensure the pixel is placed legally, like on a shared inventory site.

You can also create lookalike audiences modeled off your existing customers. People who have purchased from you are more likely to also consider competitor products.

3. Target by placement

Facebook allows you to target ads to appear in specific locations, like embedded in relevant news articles or other media content. Try targeting content about your industry or competitors so your ads are viewed by that engaged audience.

You can also target websites, apps or categories competitors may advertise in so your ad is viewed alongside theirs. Just avoid their branded social pages or content.

4. Use contextual targeting

Facebook’s contextual targeting options allow you to show your ads to people viewing content related to certain keywords, even if those words don’t appear on a page. So you could target relevant terms associated with a competitor brand without directly using their name.

Is it OK to reference competitors in ad copy?

Referencing the fact that you offer an alternative to other brands in your market is generally allowed, but should be handled carefully. Some dos and don’ts include:

✅ Use general descriptors like “alternative to [category]” or “compare to other brands”
❌ Don’t directly name specific competitor companies or products

✅ Talk about how you compare without calling out rivals explicitly
❌ Don’t use logos or recognizable branding from competitors
✅ Focus on your own products, services and benefits for customers

The safer option is to highlight what makes your brand great rather than mentioning competitors at all. Don’t make rivals the focus of your messaging. It’s smarter to differentiate your business on its own merits.

Best practices for compliant competitor targeting

Here are some top tips for effectively targeting competitors without violating Facebook’s policies:

Research how competitors target customers to inform your own audience selection

Analyze competitors’ customer demographics and lookalikes to identify relevant targeting attributes
Target interests, behaviors, placements and media related to your market
Retarget people who visit competitor sites or similar businesses

Use contextual signals around your industry to reach interested audiences
Focus ad copy on your own brand identity, products and offers
Avoid naming or alluding to specific rival companies in your ads

Consult Facebook’s rules if in doubt about targeting strategies
Monitor performance and optimize targeting over time

What happens if you break Facebook’s competitive targeting policy?

If you directly target, mention or use a competitor’s name or brand assets in Facebook ads, a few things could happen:

Your ad could be automatically disapproved and not run at all
Your ad could be flagged during review and rejected by Facebook’s policy team
Your ad could run but then be taken down later resulting in wasted spend

Your Facebook ad account could be suspended temporarily or permanently

The consequences really depend on the severity of the violation. But any prohibited usage of a competitor’s name or trademarks puts your Facebook advertising privileges at risk. It’s not worth jeopardizing your account for strategies that usually aren’t very effective anyway.

Are there any exceptions?

Facebook does allow properly researched comparative advertising in some cases. Some key requirements for comparative Facebook ads include:

Factual, objective and measurable comparisons only
Transparent attribution identifying any competitors referenced
Messaging focused on your own brand’s benefits

Not using another’s brand assets without permission
Adhering to local regulations around comparative advertising

You may be able to reference market research data or use basic product attribute comparisons. But Facebook will heavily scrutinize any ads that name or allude to competitor brands. Expect comparative ads to take more time to be approved, if they are approved at all. It’s safest to just promote your own brand independently.

Conclusion

Trying to target competitors directly on Facebook is an ineffective strategy that violates the platform’s advertising policies and could get your ad account shut down. While you can research how rivals market to customers for competitive intelligence, you should avoid directly targeting their brands, trademarks, or followers.

Focus your Facebook ad strategy on showcasing your own products, services and brand strengths instead. Build high-quality tailored audiences based on interests, behaviors, placements and context signals rather than going after competitors directly. With a compliant and optimization approach to Facebook advertising, you can successfully reach audiences interested in your market without targeting prohibited brands.

Compliant Targeting Methods	Non-Compliant Targeting
Interests and behaviors	Competitor names and branding
Lookalike audiences	Competitor’s social pages or accounts
Contextual signals	Competitor trademarks and logos
Retargeting competitors’ site visitors	Branded competitor terms
Relevant placements	Any direct references to competitors

With smart and strategic targeting that follows Facebook’s guidelines, you can maximize your ad performance and avoid issues targeting prohibited brands or trademarks.

Want to learn more?

Targeting the right audiences with your Facebook ads is crucial for success. Check out these additional resources to master compliant and effective Facebook advertising:

Following Facebook’s policies and optimizing your targeting will help you successfully reach interested audiences and avoid problems. With smart and creative compliant strategies, you can make your ad budget go further.

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Our expert social media marketing team can help you maximize results from your Facebook advertising while avoiding issues. Get in touch to learn how we make sure your ads stay compliant and perform for your brand!