Keeping an eye on what other companies are doing isn’t just casual curiosity: it’s a strategic practice for communication and public relations teams. In a competitive and constantly evolving environment, tracking competitors helps teams better understand the landscape, identify reputational risks, and adjust brand positioning with greater agility and accuracy. This practice goes beyond simply monitoring what’s being said about your own brand. It means expanding your view of the market, gaining context for decision-making, and aligning institutional actions more closely with the external environment.
What Does It Mean to Monitor the Competition?
Competitor monitoring involves consistently observing the actions of other companies in your industry or those that speak to similar audiences. This includes watching campaigns, public statements, social media activity, press coverage, and public stances on key issues.
The goal isn’t to copy strategies, but to understand what messages are being sent, how they’re being received, and what kind of impact they’re having. With this insight, your communication efforts can be more grounded in data, responding with intention instead of relying on guesswork.
What Should You Monitor?
Monitoring criteria will depend on your organization’s goals, but there are some common areas to track:
- Competitor campaigns and new product launches
- Participation in events, awards, and rankings
- Executive and spokesperson messaging
- Reactions to crises or sensitive topics
- Trending topics in the media and on social platforms
- Shifts in tone and frequency of institutional communications
These indicators help you understand how the sector is evolving and where your brand may need to reposition to stay ahead.
Monitoring Is About Reading the Landscape Before Acting
Communication stops being reactive when it starts to operate based on scenario analysis. By monitoring competitors’ movements, the team can anticipate shifts, reduce uncertainty, and strengthen its ability to respond.
Rather than waiting for issues to escalate, it learns to act on early signals. Rather than repeating formulas, it builds strategies grounded in observation, cross-referencing, and interpretation.
Monitoring the competition means transforming attention into insight—and insight into action.
