Video summary

The Sneaky Way To Steal Customers With Google Ads

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Summary (tech concept + setup guide)

The video explains a strategy for targeting competitors’ customers in Google Ads by building a custom audience based on browsing behavior. The goal is to have your ads shown to people who are likely to be interested in— or associated with— a rival brand.

The creator frames it as “stealing customers,” but the practical instruction is about:

  • Audience targeting (who you show ads to), and
  • Ad copy/creative alignment (what you say/show to prompt competitor-switching).

How to set it up in Google Ads (step-by-step)

  1. In Google Ads, go to Tools
  2. Under Shared library, open Audience manager
  3. Click Custom segments
  4. Click the + button to Create custom audience
  5. Name the segment (example: “sneaky competitor targeting”)
  6. In the segment criteria, expand “segment by also including”
  7. Choose “people who browse types of websites”
  8. Enter competitor-related websites (example scenario):
    • Advertising a premium grocer (Waitrose)
    • Competitors are Tesco and Sainsbury’s
    • The intent is to target people browsing competitor sites, then pitch superior quality to convert them
  9. Click Save
  10. The custom audience is then ready to use in Google Ads campaigns

Notes on effectiveness / limitations

  • This is not perfect “remarketing” to a competitor’s exact customer list.
  • However, it should still place ads in front of some competitor customers, which can improve conversion odds if your offer is better.

Recommended ad tactics (aggressive competitor call-outs)

The video suggests being more direct in ad copy and/or creative by calling out the competitor, for example:

  • “Buy ours instead”
  • “Our stuff is better”
  • “Better price”
  • “Extra features”
  • “Extra warranty”

Claim: Google can learn/identify who to show the ad to when you explicitly reference a competitor, ideally serving ads to people who are:

  • Customers of that competitor, or
  • Considering purchases from that competitor

Campaign type guidance

The creator says this strategy is more effective for certain campaign types, specifically highlighting Performance Max campaigns.

Main speakers / sources

  • Single speaker (creator/host): Demonstrates the Google Ads interface and explains the walkthrough.
  • Primary referenced source: Google Ads (Audience Manager / Custom Segments / Performance Max) targeting behavior.

Original video