“We can’t see what competitors spend” is a common misconception. Our breakdown of where $150 million in monthly legal advertising goes proves otherwise. While exact contracts are private, the data infrastructure for competitive intelligence in advertising is well-developed.
The Intelligence Stack
Primary Data Sources
AdImpact
- Real-time TV and digital ad tracking
- Spend estimates by market and advertiser
- Creative capture and analysis
- Originally built for political advertising, now used broadly
Kantar/Vivvix
- Comprehensive cross-channel spend tracking
- Creative examples and messaging analysis
- The industry standard for competitive analysis
- Subscription-based with various tiers
Nielsen Ad Intel
- TV-focused measurement
- Detailed market and daypart data
- GRP and reach estimates
- Integrates with broader Nielsen data
Free/Low-Cost Options
Meta Ad Library
- See all active Facebook/Instagram ads from competitors
- No spend data, but creative and messaging visibility
- Free and publicly accessible
Google Ads Transparency Center
- View competitors’ Google Ads
- Limited historical data
- Free to access
ATRA Reports
- Macro-level legal advertising data
- OOH heat maps and top markets
- Published annually, publicly available
What to Analyze
Share of Voice
How does your estimated spend compare to competitors in your DMA?
| Metric | What It Reveals |
|---|---|
| Estimated spend | Raw investment level |
| Ad units purchased | Frequency and presence |
| % of market | Relative competitive position |
Example: Morgan and Morgan’s 8% of all legal ad dollars nationally shows the scale gap smaller firms face. In your DMA, who holds that dominant position?
Media Mix
Where are competitors placing their budgets?
- TV heavy: Traditional brand-building approach
- Digital heavy: Performance-focused, likely search and LSAs
- Balanced: Sophisticated multi-channel strategy
- OOH heavy: Local market saturation play
Understanding their mix reveals both their strategy and potential gaps. If everyone’s on TV, digital might be underserved. If everyone’s on Google, TV might offer breakthrough.
Messaging and Positioning
What story are they telling?
- Injury types emphasized: Auto, truck, slip/fall, mass tort?
- Value propositions: “No fee unless we win,” “Local attorneys,” “Billions recovered”?
- Tone: Fighter? Advocate? Professional? Empathetic?
- Differentiation claims: What makes them supposedly different?
Most PI advertising looks identical. Identifying the sameness reveals opportunity for genuine differentiation.
Geographic Focus
Where are they concentrating?
- Which counties or cities get heaviest coverage?
- Are they metro-focused or reaching into suburbs/rural?
- Which DMAs are they present in vs. ignoring?
Geographic analysis can reveal underserved pockets within your market.
Building Your Competitive Profile
Competitive Analysis Process
Identify Your True Competitors
You’re probably not competing with Morgan and Morgan’s $218 million budget. Identify the 3-5 firms that target similar case types, operate in your geographic area, appear in similar channels, and compete for similar clients.
Map Their Spend and Mix
Using available tools, estimate their approximate annual/monthly spend, channel allocation (TV, digital, radio, OOH), geographic concentration, and seasonal patterns.
Analyze Their Creative
Collect examples of their TV/video spots, Google Ads copy, social ads, billboard/OOH creative, and website messaging. Look for patterns in messaging, visual style, and claims.
Identify Gaps and Opportunities
Where are they NOT? Which channels are underused? Which case types are underemphasized? Which geographic areas have less coverage? What messaging angles are they missing? These gaps are your opportunities.
Using Intelligence Strategically
Don’t Just Copy
The goal isn’t to replicate competitor strategies. If they’re spending heavily on TV, matching their spend is likely futile. Instead, find where you can differentiate.
Find Underserved Audiences
If competitors target broad demographics on broadcast, targeted streaming to specific households might be more efficient.
Test Differentiated Messaging
When everyone says “We fight for you,” saying something genuinely different breaks through. Use competitive analysis to identify the messaging white space.
Time Your Moves
If competitors run heavy in Q1 for mass tort, your general PI campaign might get more attention in Q2 when the noise decreases.
The Competitive Advantage Question
Competitive intelligence shows you what others are doing. The strategic question is: What will you do differently?
In a market where 2,000+ advertisers compete and $2.5 billion is spent annually, copying the leaders is a losing strategy. The opportunity is in reaching the right households before they need a lawyer, so when they do need one, they’re searching for you specifically, not clicking the first ad they see.
That’s differentiation that competitors can’t easily counter, regardless of their budget.