A landfill subscription

The strategy behind a long, top performing video ad

Hello! Welcome to your weekly dose of INSPO ✨

If you’re nervous about putting time and money into a long-form video ad only to have it fail miserably, this week’s breakdown is for you.

Long video ads take more effort but they can be highly effective, especially for products that need a bit more of an explanation.

They help broaden creative diversity in your account too.

So if you want to test long-form videos but you don’t want them to fail, the strategy and planning stage is critical.

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Ad breakdown

According to the agency that made Leaf Shave ad, it’s currently a top performer.

That doesn’t surprise me. Watch it, you probably won’t be surprised either.

No matter what you’ve been told about long-form video vs short-form or statics vs carousels, it’s not the format that makes an ad good or bad, it’s the strength of the message when seen by the right people, the format is a message strengthener.

I like long ads like this because they can work on multiple levels.

This ad speaks to an audience who’s unaware they have a problem, they haven’t even considered that their razor might be overpriced and contributing to landfill, and for the right people, this ad will make them take notice, maybe even buy.

But it also speaks to those who are problem aware and even solution aware, they know they should buy razors that are less expensive and less wasteful (a friend’s mentioned a few brands before) but are their old razors really THAT bad? It reminds them of the problem and presents an appealing solution.

Here’s why I think this ad works well:

👉 Leaf isn’t a cheap product and it does a great job of educating people on why it’s still far more valuable than throwaway razors.

👉 The ad focuses on price and quality before environmental damage. Whilst we all want to do our bit for the planet, very few of us will switch to products that are subpar and expensive just to avoid waste.

👉 It uses ‘bad guys’ messaging, exposing razor companies’ secrets in order to make you feel like their on your side. Builds relatability through a shared enemy.

👉 It quickly gets into the value of the product itself, how it works and what you can achieve with it.

👉 Showcases a study, even if small it helps to build trust and credibility for a new brand that’s not one of the big names you know.

👉 Includes some UGC clips of customers using the razor, again building trust and social proof as well as targeting a specific audience (women) for this particular razor.

👉 Great use of engaging visuals and fast transitions that keep you watching

👉 Overall makes it obvious it’s a women’s ad without calling it out. The types of razors, the creators involved and the mention of shaving specific parts of the body.

There’s a lot to bring together in a long-form video ad but if you get it right it you can see great returns.

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How to make this format work for your brand

The most important thing here is the planning. You need to be clear on your strategy for this particular ad.

❌ Just because it’s a long video doesn’t mean it’s a ‘say anything and everything about your brand’ video ❌

🪩 Make sure you’re clear on WHO you’re talking to, HOW they’re currently feeling about their existing solution and WHAT you want to say to them

🪩 Think through every step of the ad before you start filming, storyboard the whole thing including transitions

🪩 Do your research and understand the language your audience uses, the visuals they’re used to seeing and the objections they might have around your product, once you understand all of this you can systematically adjust your ad to speak to your audience in a way that grabs their attention and keeps it.

Give this a go and let me know how you get on 💪🏼

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Thanks for reading,
Katherine 🪩

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