This is VERY clever
How to make an ad that doesn't feel like an ad
Hello! Welcome to your weekly dose of INSPO ✨
This week’s ad is simple to make but very clever.
We’re all exposed to ads every day on social platforms and it’s probably fair to say we get bored of brands listing what their products do to, trying to make us care about things we don’t.
That’s why I love what this brand has done with this ad. They’ve flipped the script and made what might have been a boring list into an engaging, high-value ad.
I imagine a lot of people watch it all the way through.
Ad breakdown
This is a great example of a solution-aware ad.
It will resonate with anyone who knows a cooling bed is a good solution to keeping their dog cool but hasn’t yet decided which brand is for them.
And it does this in a very clever way…
Instead of comparing their bed with others or listing features, they’ve made their creative feel more like a helpful guide than an ad for their product.
The hook ‘What questions should I ask before buying a cooling mat?’ is brilliant because it instantly builds relatability.
Yes, it’s content coming from a brand that sells the product you’re thinking about but it instantly makes you feel like you’re about to learn something rather than be sold to.
The questions then highlight each key product feature in a way that suggests other products might not have these things — we’re already starting to think this one is probably the best solution.
The additional copy that pops up with each question then strengthens the message further, highlighting why it’s an important question to ask and the negative consequences of opting for a product without a particular feature e.g. ‘some use highly toxic gels that can harm your dog’.
They’ve also produced this ad in a native style so it feels like an organic piece of content, building trust through authenticity.
Each clip is a real-world shot of the feature in action, shot on a phone and without any fancy editing or transitions.
It’s simple, it’s very easy to make and it works hard.
Even if you don’t own a dog you’re probably interested in what to avoid should you ever need to buy one of these!
How to make this format work for your brand
This is a really easy ad to make for your product so I’d highly recommend giving it a go, especially if your product has a list of features people don’t know much about.
🪩 Identify the 5 most important features of your product and turn them into a question that someone might ask about products like yours in general.
🪩 Film short video clips highlighting each feature to show off your product.
🪩 Add in additional copy to promote the benefits of a product (yours) that has certain features even if others don’t and acknowledge the downsides of not having those features.
Give this a go and let me know how you get on 💪🏼
Thanks for reading,
Katherine 🪩
Oh and if you liked this email, I’d be grateful if you could pass it on to your team…
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Great vid and very helpful idea. Thanks Katherine