The Standard Playbook Is Saturated

Every SaaS company bids on competitor brand names. Search “Notion” and you’ll see Coda ads. Search “Slack” and you’ll see Teams ads. It works, but everyone’s doing it.

The problem with saturated tactics: high CPCs, moderate conversion rates, and zero differentiation. You’re fighting in the same auction as a dozen other alternatives.

Here’s what almost nobody does: bid on competitor employee names.

Why Employee Names Work

Think about who searches for a specific person’s name at a company:

Journalists researching a story about the competitor. They’re looking for quotes, background, or dirt. Your ad shows up in their research.

Investors doing due diligence. They’re evaluating the competitor’s leadership team. They see your alternative.

Prospects who met the CEO at a conference or heard them on a podcast. They’re in buying mode, researching options.

Recruiters and candidates researching the company culture. They see your ad and maybe think twice.

Each of these people is exactly who you want to reach—and they’re not searching the brand name. They’re searching the person.

The Math Actually Works

Nobody else is bidding on “[CEO name] [company]” because it feels weird. That’s exactly why the auction is cheap.

The volume is low, but the intent is extraordinary. Someone searching for a specific executive is deep in their research process. They’re not casually browsing—they’re investigating.

A hundred high-intent clicks from journalists and investors converts better than ten thousand casual brand searches.

Which Names to Target

Not every employee name makes sense. Focus on people who appear in public:

Founders and C-suite — The most searched. Investors research them. Journalists quote them. Prospects follow them on Twitter.

Vocal product leaders — The VP of Product who blogs about their roadmap. The engineering lead who speaks at conferences.

Anyone who’s been in the press — Recent funding announcements. Product launches. Podcast appearances.

Skip the random engineer who never posts publicly. Target the people who generate searches.

The Legal Question

Here’s the thing: people’s names aren’t trademarked. The CEO’s name isn’t company intellectual property.

You can’t use competitor logos or trademarked slogans in your ad copy. But bidding on a person’s name as a keyword? That’s just search advertising.

According to Google Ads Trademark Policy by Google, advertisers can use trademarked terms as keywords as long as the ad copy doesn’t imply false affiliation. Personal names don’t fall under trademark protection in keyword targeting.

Is it aggressive? Yes. Is it legal? Also yes.

Why Your Marketing Team Will Hate This

Let’s be honest: this tactic lives in the “effective but uncomfortable” zone.

Your marketing team might push back because:

• It feels like a personal attack on individuals
• It could damage relationships if discovered
• The competitor might retaliate
• PR risk if journalists write about the tactic itself

These are valid concerns. Weigh them against your growth goals. In competitive markets where you’re fighting for every customer, discomfort alone isn’t a good reason to avoid effective tactics.

When It Makes Sense

This works best when:

You’re a clear alternative — If someone’s researching CompetitorCo’s CEO, your product should be a legitimate option. Random targeting doesn’t convert.

The competitor has high-profile leadership — More public presence means more searches. A stealth-mode startup with an unknown founder won’t generate volume.

Your conversion funnel handles skeptical traffic — These visitors know you’re targeting their search. Your landing page needs to make a strong case fast.

You’re comfortable with aggressive tactics — If your brand positioning is “friendly and collaborative,” this might conflict. If you’re positioning as the scrappy alternative, it fits.

What to Expect

Low volume, high quality. You might get 50 clicks a month, but those clicks come from people who matter—investors, journalists, senior decision-makers doing deep research.

Track these campaigns separately. The standard metrics won’t tell the full story. Look at:

• Which company domains visit from these campaigns
• Time on site compared to other traffic sources
• Demo request quality and close rates
• Whether press mentions increase

The downstream effects matter more than the direct conversions.

The Ethical Line

There’s a version of this that crosses into genuinely problematic territory. Don’t:

• Target junior employees who aren’t public figures
• Create ads that could be mistaken for the person’s own content
• Use names of people who’ve explicitly objected
• Bid on personal matters (family names, personal scandals)

The goal is competitive marketing, not harassment. Target public business personas, not private individuals.

FAQ

Key Takeaways