AI Ad Library: Find References for an Original Creative Brief

Use an AI ad library workflow when you need references for an idea you have not yet turned into a creative brief. Playad Inspiration lets you search Explore by a visual idea, brand or message, then keep useful examples in Inspired. Start with a question such as “How could we show a refill in the opening shot?” and select references that help answer it. The purpose is to turn discovery into a specific, original direction for your product, with a manageable shortlist to review before creating media.

What you can do

Search by visual idea, brand, or message

In the Explore tab, type at least two characters to begin a search. Your search term can describe a visual concept (such as 'outdoor morning routine'), a brand style ('minimalist skincare'), or a specific message angle ('introductory offer countdown'). Playad uses that query to surface relevant ads. This is keyword-driven discovery, not a filter of an exhaustive platform archive. You're finding directional references, not every ad that has ever run on any platform.

Browse with filters when you have no specific query

Without a search query in Explore, you can use the available type, video length, platform, country, launch date, and sort controls to narrow the browsing feed. This is useful when you want to explore by format or region before you've settled on a concept. Note that once you enter a search term, those browsing filters and sort settings are not applied to the search results. Clear the search to return to your filtered browse view.

Save individual references to Inspired

When an ad in Explore looks directionally useful, save it. Some ads contain multiple media items — an image and a video cut, for example — so use the individual-media save action if you only want one asset, or save all if the full set is relevant. Saved references collect in the Inspired tab and remain accessible there even if the discovery preview becomes restricted by your plan. Inspired is your working shortlist, not a permanent archive of everything on the platform.

Review and curate your shortlist in Inspired

The Inspired tab is where you evaluate what you've saved. Open any saved reference to preview it. You can also upload a reference from your own device using Upload New, which is helpful if you already have an ad you found elsewhere that you want to use alongside Explore discoveries. Delete references you've decided against to keep the shortlist focused on the brief. Treat this tab as a curated set of creative inputs, not a final deliverable.

Convert a chosen reference into an original brief in Chat

When Clone is available, open Chat from the selected reference and explain the structure you want to borrow: framing, pacing, layout or the order of ideas. Supply your own product, authentic brand assets and approved message. Review the proposed direction before generating. The reference is guidance for a new creative, not evidence that the same execution will work for your audience.

How it works

1. Select your team and brand, then open Inspiration

Confirm you have the correct team and brand selected in Playad before browsing. Inspiration recommendations and saved references in Inspired are scoped to the selected brand, so switching brands changes what you see.

2. Choose your search approach in Explore

For a specific concept, type a visual idea, brand or message in Explore. For format-led browsing, clear the query and use the available type, platform, length and country controls. Explore search uses the query and does not apply those browsing filters or their sort selection. Choose the mode deliberately so you understand which results you are inspecting.

3. Inspect ads and apply practical reference-selection criteria

Open an ad to examine the creative and any available advertiser details. When deciding whether to save a reference, consider: Does the visual structure match the format you're producing? Does the pacing or layout suit your audience's attention span? Does the message angle complement or contrast with what you want to say? You're selecting for creative direction, not for proven performance. A reference is useful if it answers the question 'Is this the kind of ad I want to make?'

4. Save useful references and build your Inspired shortlist

Use the save action on each reference that meets your selection criteria. For multi-media ads, choose individual-media or save-all based on what's relevant to your brief. Aim for a focused shortlist rather than saving everything you browse. Too many saved references make the review step harder.

5. Review your Inspired tab and select one reference to act on

Open Inspired and preview each saved reference in context. Remove any that no longer fit as the brief sharpens. When you've identified the one reference that best captures the direction you want, note what specifically appeals to you — is it the opening frame, the headline structure, the color palette, or the scene sequence? That specificity will improve the brief you write in the next step.

6. Clone the reference into Chat and write your original brief

Use Clone or Clone this ad on the chosen reference to open Chat with that reference loaded. Describe your product, audience, and message. Explain what you want to keep from the reference (structure, pacing, visual tone) and what should be different (brand identity, offer, language). Chat will propose a flow for review. Open the flow card to inspect the Flow Preview before continuing. Generation is not complete at approval — follow the current flow's generation controls to produce your output.

Using Playad: product screens

Example request

Use this saved reference as direction for an original bottle ad. Keep the clear opening product reveal, but use our actual product photo, brand and approved message. Explain the proposed scene structure before generating media.

Hypothetical example: a homeware brand building a visual brief

Illustrative example — not a product screenshot or customer result

Input: A hypothetical homeware brand needs a short product video for a refillable desk bottle. The reviewer starts in Explore with “desk routine” and “product refill” to look for opening actions, not to identify a supposedly winning ad.

Selection: Save references that each answer a different question: one shows a clear opening reveal, another a simple use sequence, and another a restrained ending. Inspect pacing and product visibility in the actual media.

Shortlist: In Inspired, remove references that do not fit the brand’s resources or approved message. Note which specific element each remaining example contributes. These notes are review practice, not an automatically generated library score.

Brief: Open an eligible reference through Clone and ask for an original bottle ad using authentic product assets. Specify the opening structure to keep and the brand elements to replace. Review the proposed Flow and actual outputs before using them. No campaign was created for this example.

Before you start

Explore search results are not filtered or sorted by your active browse filters or sort settings. Clear the search to return to a filtered browse view.

Inspired holds references you have saved manually or uploaded from your device. It is not an automatically curated set of top-performing ads.

Saved references in Inspired are inputs for creative direction. They are separate from final output files in Creations.

Clone is not available for all reference types. Google video ad cloning is not supported, and available actions depend on the reference media and provider.

Inspiration is for finding creative direction through discovery. Following competitors' known advertiser accounts is a separate tab with different behavior and separate controls.

A visible reference does not establish private campaign results or prove an ad will perform well for your brand. Use it to inform a testable creative hypothesis.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't my Explore search respect the filters I set while browsing?

Explore query search and filtered browsing are distinct modes. With a query, results use that search rather than the browsing filters and sort. Clear the query to return to the filtered feed. Check the actual media when a specific format is important to the brief.

What's the difference between Explore and Following for finding references?

Explore is for open-ended discovery: you search by a visual idea, a brand style, or a message phrase, or you browse by format and region. Following is for browsing the ads of specific competitor advertiser accounts you have added. If your goal is to find creative direction without a specific competitor in mind, start in Explore. If you want to see what a particular named advertiser is running, use Following.

Can I add references I found outside of Playad?

Yes. In the Inspired tab, use Upload New to add a reference from your device. This lets you include ads you sourced elsewhere alongside anything you saved from Explore, keeping all your references for a brief in one place.

Does cloning a reference mean I'm copying or reproducing the original ad?

Clone opens a new creative conversation with the reference as context. Specify the structural or stylistic elements you want to borrow, and supply your own product information and brand assets. Review the proposed direction and output; the action itself neither publishes a campaign nor establishes rights to reuse source material.

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