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Why aren’t ads appearing in Brand Intel for a followed brand?

When you follow a brand in Brand Intel, their ads might not show up right away—or at all. Here's why this happens and what you can do about it

Joel Charboneau avatar
Written by Joel Charboneau
Updated today

Why aren’t ads appearing in Brand Intel for a followed brand?

Overview

Users may encounter situations where ads for a brand do not appear in the Motion application’s Brand Intel platform, even after following the brand or verifying that the brand is actively running ad creatives. This article explains the common reasons for such issues and provides troubleshooting steps to resolve them.

Common reasons ads do not appear

1. Time delay in populating ads

After a brand is followed in Brand Intel, there can be a delay while the system scrapes and collects data, including advertisements, from various platforms. During this time, ads may not yet be visible. This delay is a normal part of the data collection process and does not typically indicate a problem.

2. Age/Geo restrictions imposed by Meta

Certain ads may not appear if they have age restrictions applied by Meta. Motion collects ads through Meta’s Ads API, which does not allow for logging in to verify the user’s age or location. As a result, age/geo-restricted ads are not included in Brand Intel, even if they are actively running.

Troubleshooting steps

Step 1: Wait for scraping and verify the brand is followed

  • After following a brand, allow time for the system to complete its scraping process.

  • If ads are still not appearing after a reasonable period, verify that the brand was followed correctly in Brand Intel.

  • Refresh the Brand Intel platform to ensure the latest available data is displayed.

Step 2: Check for age/geo restrictions

  • Open the brand’s Meta Ads Library in a private or incognito browser window.

  • If you encounter an age/geo restriction notice, this is the likely reason why the ads are not visible in Brand Intel.

Note: this is a limitation of the Meta Ads API and not an issue with the Motion application.

Important Notes

  • Motion relies on third-party platforms' APIs, such as Meta’s Ads API, for ad collection. These APIs may impose restrictions (e.g., age-related content), which Motion cannot override.

  • Users should check other potential external factors, such as privacy settings or access restrictions in the respective advertising platforms.

Workaround: Use the Motion Chrome Extension

If a brand's ads are not appearing in Brand Intel due to age or geo restrictions, the Motion Chrome Extension can be used as a workaround to manually save those ads into your Motion workspace.

Because Motion's system scrapes ads from Meta's Ads Library in a logged-out state, it cannot access ads that require age verification or are geo-restricted. The Chrome extension bypasses this limitation because you are logged into Facebook in your browser — meaning you can see and save ads that the API cannot pull in automatically.

How it works

When browsing the Meta Ads Library with the extension installed, you can save individual ads directly into your Motion workspace with a single click. The saved ads will appear in your Inspo boards, where you can organize and share them with your team.

Note that this is a manual, one-ad-at-a-time process — it does not bulk-import all ads from a brand.

Getting started

You can download the extension from the Chrome Web Store. For an overview of how the extension works, check out this walkthrough.

If you have any trouble accessing or installing the extension, reach out to our support team via the chat bubble and we'll get you set up.

Still need help? Reach out to our support team via the chat bubble!

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