Every long-running ad Citizen runs on Facebook & Instagram — pulled from the public Meta Ad Library, x-rayed by the same system that runs ad accounts autonomously.
Active ads
1202
Winning set
50
30+ days live
Longest live
115d
App rating
4.72★
517K ratings
Brand palette
The short version
Key facts
- As of September 14, 2026, Citizen runs 1,202 active ads in Meta's Ad Library across Facebook and Instagram; 50 of them have survived 30 or more days of continuous delivery.
- Its longest-running ad has been live for 115 days.
- The winning set splits 80% static, 20% carousel.
- The most common message angle is urgency scarcity, carried by 52% of the winning set.
- Winning copy runs in 2 languages: English 90%, Japanese 10%.
- The App Store listing holds 4.72 stars across 516,880 ratings.
The winning set
Live Meta ads gallery
50 ads have survived 30+ days of continuous delivery, out of 1202 currently active. Below: 30 creatives picked to span every angle and buyer the account runs; the ×N badge counts the ads running each one. Tap any card for its Meta Ad Library record. Sorted by longest live: the account's most proven creatives lead, podium first.
115d image ×2 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK
115d image ×2 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
115d image ×3 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK
115d image ×2 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK
115d image ×3 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
115d image EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
115d image ×2 ads EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
111d image EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
111d image EN
LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition
102d dco JA
シチズン カスタマイズ ウオッチ 世界に1つの時計
97d image EN
Series 8
97d dco JA
シチズン オーダーメイドウオッチ
97d dco JA
贈り物は幸せの原点 シチズンのオーダーメイド時計
97d dco JA
大切な人に贈るシチズンのオーダーメイド時計
97d image EN
Series 8
97d dco JA
97d carousel EN
97d carousel EN
97d carousel EN
96d image EN
83d image EN
83d image ×2 ads EN
83d image EN
47d dco EN
46d image EN
43d image EN
41d image EN
41d dco EN
40d image ×2 ads EN
34d image ×2 ads EN
+9 more winning creatives in the full set, with every hook and persona call — free with a Google account.
The x-ray — every winner analyzed frame by frame
What the winning set is actually doing
Language distribution — where the winning set actually runs
Share of the winning set per copy language. Translation is a deliberate spend decision: a language earning survivors is a market the money already believes in.
English
90% · 45 ads
Japanese
10% · 5 ads
Format split — statics vs video in the winning set
What survives 30+ days by medium.
static 40 ads · 80%
carousel 10 ads · 20%
Angle mix — what the money says works
Every winner tagged with the message angle it leads with, and the languages it runs in — longevity under spend is the only public vote that counts.
urgency scarcity
52% · 26 ads
unclassified
22% · 11 ads
value proposition
10% · 5 ads
star power
10% · 5 ads
feature reveal
6% · 3 ads
Languages across the set: English 90% · Japanese 10%
The winning set, read from the creatives themselves — the top 15 analyzed winners, hook by hook.
| Days live | Ads | Lang | Angle | Persona | On-screen headline | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 115d | ×1 | en | urgency scarcity | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 111d | ×1 | en | — | — | LIGHT in BLACK | Static |
| 111d | ×2 | en | — | — | LIGHT in BLACK Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition | Static |
| 102d | ×1 | ja | value proposition | gift_giver | シチズン カスタマイズ ウオッチ 世界に1つの時計 | DCO |
| 97d | ×1 | en | feature reveal | — | Series 8 | Static |
| 97d | ×1 | ja | value proposition | gift_giver | シチズン オーダーメイドウオッチ | DCO |
| 97d | ×1 | ja | value proposition | gift_giver | 贈り物は幸せの原点 シチズンのオーダーメイド時計 | DCO |
| 97d | ×1 | ja | value proposition | gift_giver | 大切な人に贈るシチズンのオーダーメイド時計 | DCO |
| 97d | ×1 | en | feature reveal | — | Series 8 | Static |
+24 more winners, hook by hook, with per-ad angle and persona calls — free with a Google account. Browse the full set ↗ or claim the workspace
Creative strategy
The dissection
918 active Meta ads for Citizen's safety app compress into exactly 2 unique primary texts and 2 x-rayed creatives, both Japanese personality quizzes ("推しグセ診断") tied to a Global Citizen cause message. Only 2 ads have cleared the 30-day survival bar, topping out at 46 and 42 days, +0 new winners landed this week, and 211 ads retired since 2026-07-27, all while 87 of 606 reviews flag paywall friction the quiz never mentions.
The 8-Question Quiz Card
Both x-rayed creatives run the same personality quiz hook, 100% of the live angle set, split evenly dco and image with zero on-camera casting. The viewer opens on a title card ("GLOBAL CITIZEN 推しグセ診断," 46 days) or a bare quiz prompt ("推しグセ診断," 42 days), never a person, just app screens cycling through eight questions. This two-creative formula is the entire proven playbook running right now.
Paywall Pain, Zero Mentions
606 reviews average 4.72★ lifetime, but 87 flag paywall friction, 38 report failed phone verification, 38 cite pricing, 27 flag unmoderated comment sections, and 25 raise always-on location privacy concerns. None of that shows up in the two live primary texts, which talk only about discovering your "推しグセ" character type, not the safety features people are actually complaining about.
Two Survivors, 211 Retired
Of 918 active ads, only 2 have cleared the 30-day survival bar, topping out at 46 and 42 days. This week added +0 new winners while 211 ads retired since 2026-07-27, meaning the account is testing heavily without expanding its proven set. The winning formula hasn't shifted in weeks: same quiz hook, same dco/image split, same zero-people execution.
One Persona Covered, Six Empty
The Playful First-Timer holds every tagged ad (2 of 2), while six other persona buckets, including The Precision Professional and The Meaningful Gift Buyer, sit at 0 ads each (GAP). Every dollar of proven performance is riding on a single audience read, leaving the rest of the persona map as pure whitespace HyperScale agents haven't tested.
Five Placements, Same Two Creatives
The identical 2-creative quiz format runs across FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AUDIENCE_NETWORK, MESSENGER, and THREADS, letting dco stretch one hook across five placements instead of building network-specific creative. With only 2 unique primary texts total, reach is coming from distribution breadth, not creative variety.
What we'd test next
- A dco personality quiz ad reusing the exact title-card hook mechanic from the 46-day winner but swapping the fandom framing for a safety-habit theme, targeting The Playful First-Timer in Japanese.
- A second dco quiz variant keeping the Global Citizen cause-tie copy but opening on a live-video-alert result screen instead of a bare title card, testing whether the 42-day creative's mechanic transfers to a safety-feature payoff for The Playful First-Timer.
- A 15-30s video ad with an on-camera presenter (0% of current creatives use one) walking through a real live-video safety alert, a proven subscription-app mechanic this set has never tested, aimed at The Playful First-Timer.
- An English-language version of the same 8-question quiz title-card format, since both active ads run in Japanese only, tested against an English-speaking safety-conscious persona to open the untouched language whitespace.
The HyperScale batch
New ad concepts, generated for Citizen
HyperScale agents are producing an original round of ad concepts for Citizen, built from the winning angles above, the brand's real App Store assets, and what reviewers actually say. This page updates when the batch drops.
This analysis lives in a ready-made HyperScale workspace. If you work on Citizen, it's yours: we hand it over personally, usually within a day.
Customer voice — 590 recent reviews analyzed
What reviewers actually say
Objections the ads must pre-empt
- App is not free — most useful features require a paid subscription
- Phone number verification frequently fails or is confusing to set up
- Cancellation is difficult and billing can be unclear or unauthorized
- Comment sections often contain hate speech, spam, or political bias unmoderated
- App requires always-on precise location, raising privacy concerns
Review-theme mix
Share of analyzed review mentions per theme — ＋ praise, − complaint, ~ mixed. Themes, not individual reviews.
− paywall friction
32% · 87
− pricing
14% · 38
− phone verification issues
14% · 38
− subscription billing problems
5% · 15
− content moderation & comments
10% · 27
− privacy & location tracking
9% · 25
− coverage gaps & missed alerts
8% · 22
− app stability & regressions
8% · 22
“I really appreciate this app especially on how quickly it lets me know about what's going on near me”
“Timely on the spot crime and event news and data ALL IN REAL TIME”
“I have two young children and it's good to know what's going on”
“accurate always telling you what's going on”
“now because of the citizen app I can find crime to fight with GREAT efficiency and now I have more time to spend with the WIFE and the KIDS”
“Useful and better than the news, entertaining too”
“Useful and better than the news, entertaining too”
“This is better than most to stations and social media combined”
“Timely on the spot crime and event news and data ALL IN REAL TIME”
“I really appreciate this app especially on how quickly it lets me know about what's going on near me”
“I love this app, and it's a very useful service”
“I have two young children and it's good to know what's going on”
“The $ex offender registry is free for everyone just look it up”
“now because of the citizen app I can find crime to fight with GREAT efficiency and now I have more time to spend with the WIFE and the KIDS”
“It used to be great at being informed about situations happening nearby”
“I love this app, and it's a very useful service”
“I used to get notifications about everything happening in my community and close to my home. It was helpful because I had teens”
“The $ex offender registry is free for everyone just look it up”
“It helped keep me informed of ongoing robberies and violent crimes”
“Alerts just started coming through again as of 7/6/2026. Thank you for listening to feedback and remediating”
“I loved this app before you removed the ability to view all the 911 calls in the city”
“90% of the app is blocked by a super expensive pay wall”
“alerting me to stuff that's happening over 1,000 miles away but never skips a beat to let me know that a sex offender lives on the same street as me and hides the creeps face behind a paywall”
“alerting me to stuff that's happening over 1,000 miles away but never skips a beat to let me know that a sex offender lives on the same street as me and hides the creeps face behind a paywall”
“hiding images of offenders behind a paywall is low. That should be a free feature. People should be able to see what these people look like”
“Can't believe they try to charge to release info about child sex offenders”
“Shame on citizen for charging money for public information and safety alerts. Much of the information is provided to them free of charge by public agencies”
“Shame on citizen for charging money for public information and safety alerts. Much of the information is provided to them free of charge by public agencies”
“Can't believe they try to charge to release info about child sex offenders”
“Wants to charge you almost $30 per month”
“90% of the app is blocked by a super expensive pay wall”
“Pay 14.99 a month to see what's happening around me?”
“Customer service sucks you can only email them which they'll never get back to me and I never got my $20 back”
“does not cancel and they automatically sign you up for a $20 subscription. Scam.”
“I woke up one morning and saw Apple took $20 from my account at 5am when I was asleep”
“Said they need billing info just to verify Apple account but automatically charged $13. Scam!!!!!!”
“does not cancel and they automatically sign you up for a $20 subscription. Scam.”
“I woke up one morning and saw Apple took $20 from my account at 5am when I was asleep”
“I accidentally started a subscription and they stole my money”
“I tried 2 different numbers and none worked. I'm from ottawa and it's available there. But it won't work!”
“I tried 2 different numbers and none worked. I'm from ottawa and it's available there. But it won't work!”
“Won't accept my number if I use the area code, with a 1 or without either. Just doesn't work”
“Won't accept my number if I use the area code, with a 1 or without either”
“This app also tracks users every move and will only work if you allow the company to have your exact location 24/7/365 - creepy for such an unreliable company”
“This app also tracks users every move and will only work if you allow the company to have your exact location 24/7/365 - creepy for such an unreliable company”
“hides my followed areas alerts behind a requirement to give them 24/7, always on precise location data”
“data mining my location for no gain beyond knowing that someone was assaulted 10 miles away”
“Using this app will expose your exact location to thousands of people and doxx your address”
“That chat feature is just filled with bots or racists or both”
“They allow people to spam the app with hundreds of copy pastes. And antisemeic comments.”
“They allow people to spam the app with hundreds of copy pastes. And antisemeic comments.”
“Every 3rd comment on newsworthy events is some MAGA bot cheering for the latest state-sponsored assassination”
“I can listen to the scanner for free. Facebook and Instagram and TikTok are always on the news so fast it's pointless to pay for this.”
“There's some massive police incident around the corner right now and not a damn thing on this app”
“It's crazy how useless this app is. I get more info from Nextdoor”
“It's crazy how useless this app is. I get more info from Nextdoor”
The market around it
Brands competing for the same feed
Keep exploring the radar
More Meta ads teardowns
More News advertisers on the radar
Also winning with the urgency scarcity angle
Also localizing winners into Japanese
Quick answers
FAQ
How many ads is Citizen's safety app running on Meta?
918 active ads sit in the Meta Ad Library (top 916 x-rayed), but they compress into just 2 unique primary texts and 2 x-rayed creatives, both Japanese personality quizzes.
What languages and angles do the ads use?
Every tracked active ad runs in Japanese only. The single live angle is personality quiz hook (2 ads), built around an 8-question "推しグセ診断" tied to a Global Citizen cause message.
What's actually working right now?
Only 2 ads have survived past 30 days, running 46 and 42 days on a dco/image title-card format with zero on-camera casting. This week saw +0 new winners and 211 ads retired since 2026-07-27.
What do reviewers say versus what the ads promise?
The app holds a 4.72★ lifetime rating across 606 reviews, but 87 flag paywall friction, 38 report failed phone verification, and 27 flag unmoderated comments. None of that appears in the quiz-style ad copy.