You've GOT to try this
How to get unique ads from your production days
Hello! Welcome to your weekly dose of INSPO ✨
If you’re a fan of bloopers or the behind the scenes footage they sometimes show at the end of a film, you’re going to like this.
I found this ad a while ago, saved it and had forgotten about it until now.
It was live for a LONG time so I’m guessing it performed well.
The best bit, it was captured on a shoot day but is purely behind the scenes footage.
And whilst it’s not Friends bloopers, it’s a great lesson in how to make ads that don’t feel like ads at all.
Ad breakdown
I’ve not seen many ads like this.
Yet.
There are a lot of ‘how we made this post’ reels on organic channels but that trend doesn’t really seem to have made its way over to paid yet. Maybe it won’t.
Either way, this popcorn ad for Opopop is a stroke of genius.
Here’s why I think it works…
👉 Engaging, fast-paced visual hook with multiple clips in the first 3 seconds
👉 Fast-paced editing throughout as well as hand held movement
👉 Gets to the product quickly with a message that drives curiosity
👉 Shot like ‘behind the scenes’ footage on an iPhone which makes you feel like you’re in on a secret and want to know more about what’s going on
👉 Multiple people trying the product and exclaiming how good it is, their reactions are natural and don’t feel fake — social proof
👉 No music to emphasise the fact it’s ‘BTS’ footage and noisy production audio has even been left in for authenticity
👉 The script, even though it doesn’t feel scripted at all, gets straight to the point ‘what makes it better than other popcorn?’ or in other words ‘why should I care?’
👉 The excitement in the actor’s voice when he’s telling them it’s not like other popcorn and the fact he responds, again, so naturally instead of listing benefits feels genuine no matter what his relation to the brand is
👉 There’s a quick ‘how to’ in there that handles the ‘it’s probably a faff’ objection and shows how easy/fast it is to make
👉 Visually the product isn’t that obvious so they cleverly get everyone to ask ‘what’s that?’ and comment using the word popcorn to make sure it’s obvious what the ad is for
👉 And finally, a fun CTA hook whilst someone grabs popcorn and they tell you where you can buy it.
So simple, so what’s the catch?
Why isn’t everyone running ads like this?
I suspect it’s because they’re really hard to make feel genuine.
Whilst they look unplanned and off the cuff, a lot of thought has gone into the details and all the people on film are probably used to being on camera to a certain extent.
Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it. You definitely should.
How to make this format work for your brand
These kind of ads don’t follow a strict formula, they work because they feel genuine. So use the style as inspiration, but don’t copy. To help with the planning, here are a few things to think about:
🪩 What ‘behind the scenes’ scenario suits your product best? It might be a production trip oversees, an office meeting or a photoshoot like the example.
🪩 Who needs to be there? Who’s good at being natural on camera and knows how to talk about the product without a script?
🪩 What do people question most about your product? The taste? The smell? The functionality? Lead with that.
🪩 What objections do people have? Answer them.
🪩 Film too much, then edit down, don’t try and get it all in one take, you’ve got to allow for natural flow.
Give this a go and let me know how you get on, can’t wait to see them 💪🏼
Thanks for reading,
Katherine 🪩
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