Most competitor video ads that survive are not expensive. They are well structured. The first three seconds do a specific job, the middle does another, and the end asks for something. That structure is what you are after.
Step 1: Find the video that survived
Show me [competitor]'s longest-running video ad.
Video production costs real money, so a brand leaving a video running for months is a strong signal. They are not doing it out of sentiment.
Step 2: Get the breakdown, not the file
Break that video down scene by scene and tell me what each scene is doing.
What you want is the job of each beat: the hook, the problem, the demonstration, the proof, the ask. Once you can name each beat, you can rebuild it with completely different footage.
Step 3: Turn it into your script
Write that as a script and shot list for my brand.
You get a scene-by-scene script with what happens on screen, what is said, and roughly how long each beat runs. That is a brief a creator can shoot, or a starting point for generation.
Step 4: Watch the first three seconds
If you change one thing from the original, make it the opening. The hook decides whether anything else gets seen, and it is the cheapest part to test:
Give me three alternative openings for that script, each with a different emotional angle.
Shoot or generate all three. Openings are where the variance is.
Producing it
You can hand the script to a creator, film it yourself, or generate it. Generation is the fastest path to something testable, and a rough version that proves the structure works is worth more than a polished version of an untested idea.
FAQ
Do I get their actual video file?
No, and you would not want it. You get the structural breakdown and a script for your own version. Reusing their footage would be using their asset.
What if the competitor's video uses a creator I do not have?
Note the type of person and their role in the ad, then cast to that. The specific face is rarely what makes it work. The framing and the delivery usually are.
How long should the remake be?
Match the original's length as a starting point, since that length survived. Then test a shorter cut, because shorter usually wins on paid social.
Can I generate the video rather than filming it?
Yes. Generated video uses credits and takes a few minutes. It is well suited to testing a structure before committing to a real shoot.