0:00 Most ads you running right now are burning money. And I'm not saying that to be dramatic. I'm saying it because I personally tested over a thousand ad creatives across hundreds of e-commerce brands. And what I keep seeing is the same thing over and over. Brands are recycling the same tired formats that stopped working a long time ago. But here's the thing, after all that testing, there are 11 ad concepts that came showing up in winning ad [music] accounts. Not just performing, scaling. And they fall under two categories that most brands are either ignoring completely or doing wrong. The first category is AI-generated ads. The second is founder ads. And in this video, I'm going to break down all 11 concepts, show you real examples of each one, and tell you exactly how to make them so you can start running them this week. Let's get into it.
0:45 I'm 82 years old and my hair looks like this without any extensions or treatments because of these three Korean hair secrets. I am Dr. Jen, retired dermatologist from Seoul. Save this video if you want to stop hair loss and regrow thick, full hair fast. Number one, I never use rosemary oil. American women shocked when I say this. They spend months rubbing rosemary oil thinking it fixed hair loss. This is one of my favorite AI concepts right now and I'll show you why. What you're looking at is an AI-generated character from the very first second, you have an authority figure on screen. An elderly professional who looks like she's lived through everything. And people instinctively trust their elders. There's this built-in credibility that you get for free just by choosing the right avatar. I've seen this concept replicated with a retired man or by a
1:33 grandmother. All kinds of inspirational figures that carry instant authority in certain niches. And the most beautiful thing is it's incredibly simple to create. You generate the image, you animate it, you write a solid script, and you're done. The key is picking an avatar that your target audience would naturally listen to. If you're selling a health supplement, it's a doctor. If you're selling a financial product, it's a retired Wall Street guy. If you're selling something for moms, it's a wise grandmother. The avatar does half the selling for you even before a single word is spoken. This one comes in two flavors and both of them work. The reason you wake up with stiff hands and sore joints, your back feels tight all day, your knees hurt when you walk upstairs isn't your weight. It's not your age and it's definitely not
2:18 arthritis. You've tried everything, eating cleaner, drinking more water, walking, stretching, maybe even turmeric or ginger. But the stiffness and the puffiness always come back. So you go see someone, they say it's just arthritis, give you ibuprofen or a gel, but those only numb the pain, they don't fix your inflammation. The first version is what you're seeing right now. An AI-generated speaker at what looks like a TED Talk or a conference. It feels like an educational talk, not an ad. Did y'all see they tried to hide what this [ __ ] just said? She's 81, but she looks like she's 30. Watch this. >> You're not fat, you don't have arthritis, you don't have a slow metabolism, you don't have all these health issues. What you have is chronic inflammation. To most people, inflammation means you sprain an ankle, it balloons up, turns red and sore, and
3:04 it's inflamed. The second version adds a reaction layer. You keep the speaker, but now you have another avatar watching and reacting to what's being said. Think of it as one of those reaction videos on YouTube. It adds a social proof element, someone else validating the information as it's being shared. Both versions work well, but here's my recommendation. Add some B-roll. Throw in some product shots, some lifestyle footage, some product testimonials. Because if the whole thing is just an AI avatar talking, it can feel a little too obvious. A bit of B-roll breaks up the pattern and makes the whole thing feel more natural. And if you really want to maximize this concept, make your speaker say something controversial, something provocative, something that makes people stop and go, wait, what? That's what
3:50 stops the scroll and that's how you make the most of this concept. I found a way to make [music] our porch look magical without adding a penny to the electric bill. Ever since I found the glowing garden frog from Twinkling Tree, [music] our outdoor space has felt like a scene from a fairy tale. It sits right there in its little rocking chair and the level of detail is impressive. This one is stupidly simple and I love it. What you're looking at is basically an animated slideshow. Quick cuts, product in context, beautiful visuals. And the ad is just showing the transformation in a few quick, punchy frames. You can create these on Nano Banana and then animate them in probably 15 minutes total. They work especially well for visual products. Things where seeing it is believing it. Think of garden lights, furniture, home decor,
4:35 anything where the product itself is the hero and you don't need a long explanation to get it. The secret sauce here is that each frame stays for about 3 seconds, 2 to 3 seconds. Just long enough for the viewer to process it, but not long enough to get bored. It creates this rapid, almost hypnotic viewing experience. You think about it before you've even left the house. Before you sit down. Before someone takes [music] a photo. The noise doesn't stop. So you just [music] don't. And it gets heavy. What if you didn't have to carry [music] it alone? What if someone understood? You're allowed to try again. Properly this time. Now, this one, I really, really like
5:22 this approach. What you're watching here is an animated narrative about the emotional weight of weight loss struggle. This concept is harder to replicate than the others I've shown you so far because it requires a thoughtful script and a well-crafted animation. But when it's done right, it hits differently than anything else in the feed because most of the ads are screaming, buy now, it's 20% off, and this one is whispering, I understand what you're going through. It works incredibly well for products that tap into emotional pain points. Think of weight loss, mental health, skin care insecurities, parenting struggles. If your product solves a problem that people feel deeply about, this format is going to outperform almost anything else you test against it. Now, before we keep going, let me tell you something very
6:07 important. Knowing the format is step one, but the real challenge is figuring out which concept fit your brand, your product, your audience, and your current situation. And then producing them at the quality and volume you need to actually scale. And that's exactly what we do at 99ads.com. If you're an e-commerce brand spending $30,000 or more per month on ads and you want a team that lives and breathes this stuff to build you a customized scaling roadmap, not a generic template, a plan built specifically around your brand, your creative gaps, and your growth goals, then click the link in the description to see if you qualify. We'll look at your current ad account, your creative bottlenecks, and map out exactly how to get to the next ad spend level. Link is in the description and if you qualify, it's completely free. That
6:53 said, let's move on. I got a lot to cover. >> [music] >> Scratchless. What's happening here is two AI characters are debating each other. It's simple to create. You have two images, you animate them, you write a script where they argue with each other, and that's it. And it works beautifully because it's a format people are already used to consuming. We all love watching debates. There's an inherent curiosity, who's going to win? And the clever thing is by framing it as
7:38 a debate, you're addressing objections in real time. The losing side is literally voicing the viewer's doubts. And then the winning side is dismantling them one by one. It's objection handling disguised as entertainment. If you sell a product in a space where there's an obvious old way versus new way type of tension, this format is a gold mine. If you've heard of Ozempic face, here's what that really means. When you lose [music] weight quickly, your skin can lose volume, firmness, and start to show wrinkles and sagging. Most people think filler or Botox is the only fix, but that's not true. [music] My dermatologist recommended Dermatologist's needleless growth factor serum. After a few weeks, I noticed my skin looked plumper, tighter, and more [music] youthful, like it was filling itself back out. No needles, no insane price tag. They offer 60-day returns and ship super fast. If you're worried about Ozempic face, this is the best place to start. Check out the thousands of
8:23 five-star [music] reviews and click this video to grab yours now. For those who don't know, PAS stands for problem-agitate-solution. It's one of the oldest frameworks in direct response. But what makes this version different is that the problem and agitation are visually enhanced with AI. This concept works best for products that address problems with delayed results. Things like skin care, hair loss supplements, because the AI lets you visualize the problem and the transformation in ways that would take months to capture with real footage. You're compressing time. You're showing the viewer the future they're trying to avoid and then showing them how to avoid it. And pro tip, if you want to make the most of this format, hit the like button and subscribe to the channel. It may or may not help your ROAS go up.
9:10 I know big things like teaching your kids the Bible can feel overwhelming. But I'm not here to make it harder for you. I'm here to help you show your little ones that God isn't [music] distant, creation isn't random, and their questions, they actually matter. Your kids aren't too young to learn truth. And you're never too busy to plant that seed. You've probably seen this style blowing up recently and there's a good reason for that. The key with Pixar style ads is making sure the product looks native to the format. It has to feel like it belongs in this animated world. When it's done well, like the example you're seeing right now, it doesn't feel like an ad at all. It feels like a scene from a movie that happens to feature the product. Everyone grew up watching Pixar. It triggers nostalgia and warmth before the viewer even processes that's
9:56 an ad. If someone with painful lipedema took my powerful formula twice a day, here's what would happen. I'm Cleavers. [music] I'm the slicer. I break apart the hardened fibrous protein sludge that traps fluid against your nerves and causes that agonizing sensitivity. And this is a variation of the Pixar concept, but instead of just looking pretty, it's doing real work, explaining the unique mechanism behind the product. Explainer videos are one of the best ways to communicate a complex unique mechanism. If your product has multiple ingredients or a multi-step process that makes it work, this format lets you break that down without boring people to death. The animation keeps the viewer engaged while the script does the selling. Now, I'll be honest, this Pixar trend is not as new as it was 6 months ago, but the explainer version of it
10:43 still performs because the educational value keeps it relevant even after the novelty of the format fades away. Hi, I'm your eyelash, and I need to talk about your mascara. That last one came out like wet cement. Dried into a cast. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. And the [music] clumping. You paid how much for spider leg? The third and final Pixar variation, and this one goes full entertainment mode. The entire ad is narrated by the perspective of an eyelash, an actual eyelash complaining about how terrible most mascaras are. The takeaway here is that Pixar style animation is not just one concept, it's a canvas. You can use it for emotional storytelling, for product education, or for pure entertainment. The format is flexible. The execution is what makes
11:30 each version distinct. Dr. Scholl's? Four out of 10. Aetrex Solely? Five out of 10. Fulton? Three out of 10. Too harsh for most people. Drugstore insoles? >> Two out of 10. Just don't waste your time. >> Enertor? >> Three out of 10. Powerstep? >> Five out of 10. >> Z-Liner? Two out of 10. Way too hard on the fascia muscle. This one is an absolute weapon if you're in a saturated niche. The concept is that simple. An expert figure rates and ranks competing products. This works because it mirrors exactly how consumers actually make buying decisions. When someone is choosing between five products, they want someone to just tell them which one is the best. And this ad format does that exactly. It's incredibly simple to produce. You don't need anything fancy, just a clean visual format where you're showing the product, the score, and a
12:15 quick animation. And because the viewer gets to see the competition being objectively evaluated, it builds way more trust than just saying our product is the best. So, if you're in a niche where there are a lot of options and the consumer is confused about what to pick, test this format immediately. All right, now let's shift gears completely. Because as much as AI has changed the game, there's one format that I believe is still one of the most underused weapons in all the DTC advertising game. And that's the founder ad. People buy from people. They always have. And when the actual founder of a brand gets on camera, the person who started this thing from scratch, the person who lost sleep over it, who put their own money on the line, there is a magic that no AI
13:01 avatar, no UGC creator can replicate. It's authenticity that you literally cannot fake. And I'm seeing this work across every vertical at every spend level. The founder ad is not a nice to have anymore. It's a must-have. So, let me show you four ways to do it. Yes, hello. Is this sound now? Hi, this is Danny. I'm the CEO of IMA. I know this is a bit random, but we just wanted to call our best customers and thank you for your support over the last year. Yeah, yeah, of course it's real. This is not AI talking, yeah. This one is brilliant in its simplicity. What you're seeing here is the CEO of a supplement brand calling one of their best customers on the phone. Not a
13:47 scripted testimonial, not a paid review, an actual conversation with someone who loves the product and keeps coming back. And in that conversation, naturally, the customer explains why they buy, what results they're seeing, how it fits into their life. This format is pure gold for mid to bottom funnel. The people who see this ad probably already know your brand exists. They've seen your other ads, they've visited your website, but they haven't pulled the trigger yet. And then, when they see the founder personally calling customer to thank them, that's the kind of thing that pushes someone over the edge. It says, "This brand actually cares." To replicate this, call your 10 best customers, record the conversations, launch them as ads, and see what happens. As easy as that. No need for
14:32 any post-production, no need for fancy editing. That's it. Test it and let me know. I tried everything. [music] Keto, fasting, workouts that made me want to cry. Nothing worked until I found GLP-1 medication. Yep, that was me. And if you've been struggling with weight loss, trust me, I get it. And that's one of the reasons why I started Evolve >> [music] >> to make access to treatments easier for people like me and like you. Because this should be easy. No more waiting rooms, no insurance headaches, just simple access to doctor-led weight loss program. Listen, if I could do it, trust me, you can, too. 50,000 [music] people have started their weight loss journey through Evolve. Are you the next? Go to tryevolve.com and let's do this together. This is closer to the classic founder ad, and it's probably the most versatile. In this example, the founder shares their personal struggle with
15:19 weight loss. Everything they tried, everything that failed until they finally found GLP-1 medication and realized that it should be accessible to everyone. The frustration is what led them to build a company. This is the origin story, and every brand has one. When you put that on camera, it does something that no amount of clever copywriting can do. It gives people a reason to buy from you instead of from the 50 other brands selling exactly the same thing. The structure is simple. What was the problem you personally experienced? What did you try that didn't work? What did you build and why is it different? Keep it under 2 minutes, film it on your phone. You don't need a production team. In fact, the more raw it is, the better it tends to perform. 10 years ago, I had the bright idea to
16:04 start a food company. You know, the first year, it was it was a lot, and I realized I need help. I have a great relationship with my mom. You know, when we were starting this up, [music] I I thought like why not why not tag her in? So, when he told me his idea, I thought, well, cool, you know, that seems to be a a place where there's a good market. >> And we get to spend some time [music] together, pack some orders. She wanted to contribute, wanted to help. >> For me to work with him was very exciting. This one takes a more emotional angle. In this ad, the founder talks about the early days, packing orders with his mom, the growth of the company from nothing to what it is today, showing the human side of the brand. And this works incredibly well if you want to build legitimacy. If you want people to understand that there's a real team behind this product, real families, real stakes, it's not just a white-label product from a factory, it's
16:50 someone's life's work. This format is especially powerful for brands that have a genuine family story, a humble beginning, or an emotional reason for existing. And if you have that story, tell it. Hey, I'm Melanie, co-founder of Truvani, and we started this company because we were tired [music] of protein powders that were full of nasty chemicals, fake flavors, and tons of weird ingredients we couldn't pronounce. [music] But Truvani is different. It's made with organic premium ingredients, no fillers or junk, and [music] protein from organic chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peas to curb cravings, sustain muscle mass, and help you feel fueled throughout the day. This combines the PAS framework with the founder's personal delivery. And when it's done well, it might be one of the most effective of all concepts. If you have a founder who can deliver on camera, this
17:37 one is incredibly effective. In this case, because she's the founder, she can say things that a UGC creator can't. She can say, "This is why we built it." She can speak to the decisions behind the product with the authority of someone who actually made those decisions. If you're going to test one founder ad format, make it this one. Problem, agitation, solution. Told by the person who experienced the problem and built the solution. It's direct response fundamentals meets human authenticity. That's the combination that scales. So, now you know the 11 formats that are actually working right now. But knowing the formats is only half the battle. The real skill is taking one winning ad and turning it into 10 more variations so you never run out of winning creatives. So, click this link right here because I
18:22 break down exactly how to take a single winning ad and multiply it into an entire library of creatives that keep your ad accounts scaling. I'll see you there.
