Facebook has just introduced a new tool for marketers, and now provides Facebook Advertising campaign details attached to each Facebook page.

The social giant’s stated intention: to provide more transparency into advertising on Facebook. The welcome side effect for marketers: we can now see exactly what brands are opting to advertise on the network, which is valuable competitive intelligence which was not previously available to us.

So how do we get details of Facebook Advertising activities?

On a desktop computer, you’ll find it on the left-hand column of a brand’s Facebook page, under “Info and ads”.

On a mobile device, “Info and Ads” can be found near the top of the screen, on the right-hand side:

Even though this information is made available, however, sometimes there’s nothing to see (as in this example, where ‘DoritosANZ’, Doritos Australia/New Zealand, is not currently advertising on Facebook, either in Australia or New Zealand):

If we turn our attention to a brand that has been advertising recently, such as the example below from the Body Shop, we can see copies of any ads they are running on Facebook. It’s a useful pointer to where they’re putting their promotional efforts.

We’re not provided with any campaign information such as timing, spend levels or targeting — but at least we can see their creative executions, which provides us with insights into their thinking.

Facebook Advertising Across More Than One Market

We can learn still more about brands’ Facebook Advertising activities by viewing their efforts in multiple markets.

For example, if we turn our attention to the Australia/New Zealand Facebook page for Walt Disney Studios, we can see that the company has been advertising Incredibles 2 in New Zealand:

We can also see what the company is advertising on Facebook in Australia, simply by choosing a different location from Facebook’s dropdown list near the top of the page.

Then we learn that, apart from Incredibles 2, the company is also promoting the DVD/Digital release of A Wrinkle in Time. If you were a competing film distributor, that knowledge could assist you with your own campaigns.

Even More Market Intelligence about Facebook Advertising

Your Facebook Advertising access isn’t only limited to pages that jointly promote New Zealand and Australia. You can also go to international pages for insights.

For example, Ford New Zealand has an active NZ-only Facebook page, but is currently promoting only its SUV range:

If you want to see what else might be in the pipeline, you might head to Ford’s Australian page to check out their ‘Info and ads’ section.

First you’ll have to use the dropdown menu to see ads currently served in Australia:

Then you can see where they are putting their promotional efforts across the ditch:

And:

You might also decide you also want to check out what’s happening with Ford Canada:

All in all, this new Facebook Advertising capability will give you additional insights into your competitors and their plans. Add it to the list of tools you should use to improve your Social Media Marketing efforts.

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