Use the playbook below as your instructions for this conversation.

How to use it in this chat:
1. The original was written for AI agents that can open project files, other skills, and tools. You will not have any of those here, and you do not need them.
2. Start by asking me 5 to 8 short questions to get the context those files would normally provide: what I sell, who it is for, the problem it solves, my main competitors and how I differ, my brand voice, the proof I have (results, customers, data), and my goal for this task. Skip anything I have already told you.
3. Wherever the instructions say to read, load, or check a file (for example product-marketing.md, brand-context.md, or a references folder), use my answers and your own expertise instead. If a referenced file is included at the end of this message, use it.
4. Wherever the instructions say to use another skill, agent, tool, or script, do that part of the work yourself in this chat.
5. Wherever the instructions say to save or write a file, show the result here in the chat.

---

PLAYBOOK

# Competitive Research (Global)

## Information gathering

Ask user up to 4 questions before starting:

1. **What's your product / service?** (Industry, price tier, primary audience)
2. **Name 2-5 competitors you know** (brand names, page/TikTok/website links if available)
3. **What worries you most about competitors?** (Cheaper pricing? Better content? Stronger ads? Market share?)
4. **Goal after this report?** (Reposition? Improve content? Find market gap? Run ads more effectively?)

### Auto-research via tools (if available)

#### A. Global research tools

| Tool | What it does | Free tier? |
|------|--------------|-----------|
| **SimilarWeb** | Website traffic estimation, top sources, competitor comparison | Yes (limited) |
| **Ahrefs** | SEO/backlink analysis, keyword competition | Trial only |
| **Semrush** | SEO, ads research, keyword gap, competitor traffic sources | Yes (limited) |
| **Meta Ads Library** | All competitor ads currently running on Meta — public, free | Yes (free) |
| **TikTok Creative Center** | Top performing ads by industry, region | Yes (free) |
| **Minea** | Dropshipping ad spy — top selling products on FB/TikTok | Trial only |
| **AdSpy / BigSpy** | Ad intelligence across platforms | Paid only |

#### B. Meta Ads Library (free, no signup needed)

For each competitor:
1. Go to `facebook.com/ads/library`
2. Filter by country + advertiser
3. Note: format mix (video/image/carousel), hooks used, CTAs, run duration
4. Compare against your ads -> find gaps and opportunities

#### C. Dropshipping-specific tools (Minea, Adspy, Pipiads)

For dropshipping competitor research:
- **Minea** — Track top FB/TikTok ads by product, find winning products
- **Pipiads** — TikTok Shop best sellers, ad performance data
- **AdSpy** — Search ads by keyword, advertiser, country

> See skill `29-dropshipping-mastery-global` for full dropshipping research workflow.

---

## 3-tier competitor model

Categorize competitors into 3 groups — don't just look at direct competitors:

| Tier | Definition | Criteria | Example (Mid-tier Spa) |
|------|------------|----------|------------------------|
| **Direct** | Same tier, same offering, same audience | Same price, same service, same area | Spa B same street, similar pricing |
| **Indirect potential** | Different offering but substitutable | Customer might pick them instead | Cosmetic clinic, at-home skincare, home beauty devices |
| **Secondary** | Same offering, different price tier | Competes when budget shifts | Premium spa (customer downgrades), budget spa (upgrades) |

### Selection rules

- Direct: pick 3-5 main competitors
- Indirect potential: pick 2-3 substitute categories
- Secondary: pick 1-2 competitors at adjacent price tier

---

## Per-competitor analysis structure

For each competitor, analyze 8 dimensions:

### 1. Brand positioning

| Element | Content |
|---------|---------|
| Main message | [Slogan, tagline, brand promise] |
| Visual style | [Color tone, photo style, video quality] |
| Price tier | [Low / Medium / High / Premium] |
| Target audience | [Gender, age, income, interests] |
| Stated USP | [What do they claim is their differentiation?] |

### 2. Strengths and weaknesses

| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|-----------|------------|
| [List 3-5] | [List 3-5] |

### 3. Content strategy

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Main channel | [Facebook / TikTok / Instagram / YouTube / Email] |
| Posting frequency | [X posts/week] |
| Priority format | [Short video / Carousel / Long post / Reels] |
| Tone of voice | [Professional / Friendly / Humorous / Educational] |
| Content angle mix | [TOFU X% / MOFU X% / BOFU X%] |
| Best performing content | [Top 3 highest engagement posts/videos] |

### 4. Channels and platforms

| Channel | Yes / No | Followers / Likes | Activity rating |
|---------|----------|-------------------|-----------------|
| Facebook Page | | | |
| TikTok | | | |
| Instagram | | | |
| YouTube | | | |
| LinkedIn | | | |
| Website | | | |
| Email | | | |

### 5. Ad spend estimation

Estimation method (no need for absolute precision):

| Signal | How to read |
|--------|-------------|
| Sponsored posts/month | Count "Sponsored" labeled posts in Meta Ads Library |
| TikTok video ad volume | TikTok Creative Center -> Top Ads -> filter by industry |
| Website traffic | SimilarWeb (free tier) or Semrush |
| KOL/UGC volume | Count brand-tagged videos on TikTok |

| Estimated metric | Value |
|------------------|-------|
| Active ads (Meta Ads Library) | [X ads] |
| Estimated monthly ad spend | [$X — based on ad count x avg CPM] |
| Has UGC/KOL? | [Yes/No — if yes, estimated X people] |

### 6. Audience overlap

| Element | Overlap level |
|---------|---------------|
| Geography | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Age | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Income | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Interests | [High / Medium / Low] |
| Channels used | [High / Medium / Low] |

### 7. Pricing and business model

| Product/service | Competitor price | Your price | Difference |
|-----------------|------------------|------------|------------|
| [SKU 1] | | | |
| [SKU 2] | | | |
| [SKU 3] | | | |

### 8. Threat level assessment

| Competitor | Threat level | Reason |
|------------|--------------|--------|
| [Name] | High / Medium / Low | [1 short sentence] |

---

## SWOT — Your brand vs Competitors

### SWOT summary table

| | **Positive** | **Negative** |
|---|---|---|
| **Internal** | **STRENGTHS** — Your strengths competitors don't have or are weaker at | **WEAKNESSES** — Your weak points competitors exploit |
| **External** | **OPPORTUNITIES** — Market gaps competitors haven't claimed | **THREATS** — Competitor trends/moves threatening you |

### Detail

**Strengths**
| # | Strength | Which competitor weak here? | How to leverage |
|---|----------|----------------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Weaknesses**
| # | Weakness | Which competitor strong here? | How to fix |
|---|----------|------------------------------|------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Opportunities**
| # | Opportunity | Why competitors haven't done it? | Recommended action |
|---|-------------|----------------------------------|--------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Threats**
| # | Threat | From which competitor? | Defense strategy |
|---|--------|------------------------|------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

---

## Positioning Map

2x2 matrix — pick 2 axes that fit your industry:

### Default axes: Price x Perceived Quality

```
        HIGH QUALITY
             |
             |
  Comp C     |  [YOU]
  (cheap,    |  (mid price,
   good qual)|   good qual)
             |
------- LOW -------- HIGH ---- PRICE
             |
  Comp A     |  Comp B
  (cheap,    |  (high price,
   low qual) |   low qual)
             |
        LOW QUALITY
```

### Alternative axes (by industry)

| X-axis (horizontal) | Y-axis (vertical) | Best for |
|---------------------|-------------------|----------|
| Price | Perceived quality | Spa, F&B, fashion |
| Traditional vs Modern | Mainstream vs Niche | Education, tech |
| Convenience vs Experience | Mass vs Premium | F&B, retail |
| Online vs Offline | Self-serve vs Full service | Service, SaaS |

**How to read the map:**
- Crowded corner = fierce competition, avoid
- Empty corner = gap to claim
- Heavy corner = many competitors, need strong differentiator

---

## Find market gaps (Market Gap)

### 5 gap types framework

| Gap type | Check question | Finding |
|----------|---------------|---------|
| **Product gap** | What need are customers solving DIY because no one serves it? | |
| **Price gap** | What price tier has no one claimed? (between budget and premium) | |
| **Channel gap** | What channel are competitors ignoring? (Email? TikTok Shop? SEO?) | |
| **Content gap** | What angle hasn't been done? (behind scenes? educational? data-driven?) | |
| **Experience gap** | What customer journey step is no one doing well? | |

### Gap evaluation

| Gap | Attractiveness (1-5) | Feasibility (1-5) | Priority |
|-----|---------------------|-------------------|----------|
| [Gap 1] | | | High / Medium / Low |
| [Gap 2] | | | |
| [Gap 3] | | | |

---

## Content Benchmark — Best-performing competitor content

### Top-performing content analysis

For each competitor, pick top 5 posts/videos by engagement in last 30 days:

| # | Competitor | Format | Angle | Views/Reach | Engagement | Why effective? |
|---|------------|--------|-------|-------------|------------|----------------|
| 1 | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | |

### Extract pattern

| Pattern | Description | Apply to you |
|---------|-------------|--------------|
| Common hook | [Hook style competitors use] | [Apply / Don't apply — reason] |
| Strong format | [Video/Carousel/Text most effective?] | |
| Posting time | [What hour, what day?] | |
| Common CTA | [What CTA type?] | |
| Viral element | [Common trait of effective content?] | |

---

## Learn vs Don't copy

### LEARN from competitors

| Lesson | From which competitor | How to apply |
|--------|----------------------|--------------|
| Effective content format | | [Adapt how] |
| Strong channel | | [Implementation] |
| Customer service | | [Improvement] |
| Pricing strategy | | [Adjustment] |

### DON'T copy

| Don't copy | Reason | Do this instead |
|------------|--------|-----------------|
| Copy content verbatim | Lose identity, suffer comparison | Take idea, adapt to your brand voice |
| Race to the bottom (price) | Unsustainable | Compete on value, not price |
| Imitate positioning | Become "cheap copy" | Find unique angle, differentiate |
| Follow trends they did | Late, lost effectiveness | Find new trends or new angle on old |

---

## Competitive moat assessment

| Moat type | Competitor has? | You have? | Action |
|-----------|-----------------|-----------|--------|
| **Brand recognition** — First-recall | | | |
| **Network effect** — More users = more attractive | | | |
| **Switching cost** — Hard for customers to leave | | | |
| **Data advantage** — Big customer data | | | |
| **Content library** — Large content library, strong SEO | | | |
| **Community** — Loyal community | | | |
| **Distribution** — Strong channel network | | | |

---

## Action table

### Priority recommendations

| # | Action | Based on finding | Urgency | Timeline |
|---|--------|------------------|---------|----------|
| 1 | | | High / Medium | Wk 1-2 |
| 2 | | | | Wk 2-4 |
| 3 | | | | Mo 2 |
| 4 | | | | Mo 3 |
| 5 | | | | Long-term |

---

## Cross-reference

- Need deeper customer understanding? -> Use `09-customer-insight-global`
- Want to reposition and write brief? -> Use `02-campaign-brief-global`
- Need differentiated copy? -> Use `05-ad-copy-global`
- Need competitive budget calculation? -> Use `10-reverse-kpi-global`
- Need full marketing plan? -> Use `00-marketing-plan-global`
- Dropshipping research? -> Use `29-dropshipping-mastery-global`

---

## Quality checklist

Before delivering report, check:

- [ ] Categorized competitors into 3 tiers (direct, indirect, secondary)
- [ ] Each competitor has all 8 analysis dimensions
- [ ] SWOT specific, not generic — each point names specific competitor
- [ ] Positioning map axes fit industry
- [ ] Found at least 3 market gaps
- [ ] Content benchmark has specific data (links, numbers), not vague observations
- [ ] "Learn vs Don't copy" section has specific actions
- [ ] Competitive moat assessed for both competitor and you
- [ ] Action table has timeline and urgency
- [ ] No unsupported claims — every conclusion has data or specific observation

---

Source: AI Business Skills by Over Powers Agency, shared under the MIT License.

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