Video ad examples: 8 real brand videos and the format behind each
Video ad examples you can watch: 8 videos that The Ridge and Liquid I.V. posted on their own YouTube channels, from a 6-second launch to a Game Day TV commercial. The format behind each one, what to copy, and the openings both brands run on Meta now.
Marián Cabadaj
10 min read
Short answer: the video ad examples worth copying have one clear opening, and a small team can shoot most of them on a phone. Below are 8 videos that two DTC brands, The Ridge and Liquid I.V., posted on their own YouTube channels. They cover 8 formats: the call-out, the interview chain, the creator partnership, the six-second launch, the unboxing demo, the founder offer, the customer story and the big TV spot. Press play on each one, then copy the format, not the footage.
Every video comes from the brand's own channel, never from a re-upload. We describe only what is on screen and in the description, and we never say an ad won, because YouTube shows no sales data. The collage at the top shows opening frames of video ads both brands run on Meta, from the public Ad Library on October 29, 2026.
What makes a video ad example worth copying?
A video ad is worth copying when you can rebuild its first three seconds with your own product this week. TikTok tells advertisers to introduce the content proposition in the first 3 seconds and to put the hook inside the first 6 (TikTok for Business, creative best practices). It also says that "90% of ad recall impact is captured within the first six seconds" (TikTok for Business, creative codes). What this means for a DTC brand: write the first three seconds first, and treat the rest as the payoff.
| Format | What the opening shows | Use it when | Example below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call-out | The product and a line aimed at the old way | Your product replaces a known habit | The Ridge vs leather wallets |
| Interview chain | A person holding the product, answering one question | You have many faces to film | Liquid I.V. with McLaren |
| Creator partnership | A known face | A creator already uses or co-designs the product | Marques Brownlee for The Ridge |
| Six-second launch | The product and one big word | You launch a flavor, color or version | Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free |
| Unboxing demo | Hands, a box, the product | The product does one clear thing | The Ridge Tracker Card |
| Founder offer | The founder, named on screen | You run a sale, a drop or a giveaway | The Ridge sweepstakes |
| Customer story | A real person in a seated interview | The buyer's reason is the story | Liquid I.V. Run For Your Why |
| Big TV spot | A strange scene and one question | You have a budget for a big moment | Liquid I.V. Take a Look |
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Add as preferred sourceWhich video ad examples can you watch right now?
Five of the 8 videos are vertical. Three are wide: the creator video, the Sugar-Free launch and the TV spot.
The call-out: The Ridge vs leather wallets
The Ridge posted this 21-second short on June 17, 2026, under the title "This is a message to every bulky leather wallet out there". A Ridge wallet sits on a table in a dim room, and red words appear on screen one or two at a time: "to every", "leather wallet", "in 10 million pockets", "I'm coming". Close-ups of the metal wallet cut in between the words.
What to copy: name the old habit your product replaces, and let the product talk to it. You need no actors, only the product and good light.
The interview chain: Liquid I.V. with McLaren
Liquid I.V. posted this 38-second short on October 27, 2026. The caption on screen reads "Pass the stick: McLaren Racing Edition". Each person holds a Liquid I.V. stick, answers the question in the title, "who has the HOTTEST job at McLaren?", and passes the stick on. Drivers labelled Lando and Oscar, a team engineer, pit crew and an F1 Academy driver each take a turn.
What to copy: one question, many faces, and the product in every hand. It is a street interview without the street, and the faces can be your team or your customers.
The creator partnership: Marques Brownlee for The Ridge
The Ridge posted this 63-second video on September 24, 2024. It opens on the caption "From the mind of Marques", and Marques Brownlee talks to the camera about redesigning the wallet. Then the video cuts to his hands, which show the Biflex with captions such as "most commonly used cards", "elastic sides" and "leather on both sides". The Ridge channel also has a video titled "MKBHD Joins Ridge as Chief Creative Partner".
What to copy: let the creator explain why, then show how with hands only. In the US, keep the paid partnership label on: the FTC says a material connection "must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously" (16 CFR 255.5).
The six-second launch: Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free
Liquid I.V. posted this 6-second video on January 9, 2024. A hand pours a stick into a water bottle under the words "Zero sugar". Then the logo fills the screen over a backyard scene, with "Real hydrating" and "Shop now".
What to copy: one word for what is new, one shot of the product in use, then the logo. A launch only has to say one thing.
The unboxing demo: The Ridge Tracker Card
The Ridge posted this 17-second short on August 28, 2026. The camera looks down on a cutting mat. Two hands open the box, take out the black card and hold it up, and a blue version appears next to a round white puck. The description says the Tracker Card now runs on Google Find Hub and Apple Find My.
What to copy: a top-down shot, two hands, no face and no script. It works when the product is small and easy to show.
The founder offer: The Ridge sweepstakes
The Ridge posted this 24-second short on July 27, 2026. The founder, labelled on screen as "Daniel Kane, Ridge Founder", talks to the camera about the 2026 summer sweepstakes. The prizes flash up one by one, among them a Lamborghini Sterrato and $100,000 in cash. A "How it works" card follows, then the bonus entries you get when you buy. The description says entry is free, purchases add extra entries, and entries closed on September 8, 2026.
What to copy: put the founder's name on screen and give the offer one clear rule. Keep the legal terms in the description, as The Ridge does.
The customer story: Liquid I.V. Run For Your Why
Liquid I.V. posted this 1 minute 58 second video on October 28, 2026, one of many runner videos in its "Run For Your Why" series. Grace Wright sits in front of a plain wall and talks, and the edit cuts to her running in the city and to a Liquid I.V. pack. The description says she runs in support of the Children's Tumor Foundation.
What to copy: let a real person say why they do the thing your product helps with. For paid ads, cut a 15-second version.
The big TV spot: Liquid I.V. Take a Look
Liquid I.V. posted this 30-second Game Day commercial on February 8, 2026. Toilets in many different bathrooms fill the screen, then the captions "Take a look at your pee" and "Yellow?" appear. The answer comes at the end: a stick poured into a glass and the line "Hydrate with Liquid I.V.".
What to copy: one blunt question that the viewer can check today. The same question works as a 6-second phone video.
What do the same brands run on Meta right now?
On October 29, 2026, both brands ran the same formats as video ads on Meta. The collage at the top shows five opening frames from the Ad Library. The Ridge ran an "American Wallet" vs "Japanese Wallet" skit from October 16, a 56-second power bank ad under Marques Brownlee's name and a tracker card demo. Liquid I.V. ran a 40-second street interview about travel and a 6-second Hot Chocolate launch.
How long should a video ad be?
Match the length to the job. Meta allows Reels ads from 0 seconds to 15 minutes (Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Reels video), so the platform sets no practical limit. The 8 videos above show the range.
| Video | Length | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free | 6 seconds | Say what is new |
| The Ridge Tracker Card unboxing | 17 seconds | Show the product in hand |
| The Ridge call-out | 21 seconds | Pick a fight with the old habit |
| The Ridge sweepstakes | 24 seconds | Explain one offer |
| Liquid I.V. Take a Look | 30 seconds | Ask one question, give one answer |
| Liquid I.V. with McLaren | 38 seconds | Many faces, one question |
| Ridge x MKBHD Biflex | 63 seconds | Let a creator explain a product |
| Liquid I.V. Run For Your Why | 1 minute 58 seconds | Tell one person's story |
Short ads carry one claim each, so a brand can run many side by side. The three Ad Library frames below are current Liquid I.V. video ads on Meta.
The sweat close-up is a problem opening. The ad text reads "Water alone doesn't replace what sweat takes out. Liquid I.V. does." It runs 6 seconds, live since October 8, 2026.
The court ad is a plain demo: a man pours a stick into a bottle, with the line "Liquid I.V. helps replace electrolytes lost on the court." It runs 6 seconds, live since October 22, 2026.
The athlete video shows three logos on screen and adds a discount code in the ad text, live since October 26, 2026. If you already pay for a sponsorship, reuse the footage as an ad.
How do you make a video ad from these examples?
Pick one row from the format table, then plan the first three seconds before anything else. You can shoot the call-out, the unboxing demo, the six-second launch and the founder offer with one phone, a tripod and a friend.
What goes in the first frame?
One person or one product, plus a caption of five words or fewer. TikTok recommends displaying 5 to 10 words per second when you use text (TikTok for Business, creative best practices).
Where should captions sit?
Keep captions away from the edges, where the app covers them. For Reels ads, Meta suggests leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements, in a 9:16 frame of 1440 x 2560 pixels (Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Reels video). Check your frame in the tool below before you export.
Upload reel
No file? Type a size
Fill the frame
Format
Details and full spec
- Ratio
- 9:16
- Minimum
- 500 px wide
- Safe area (Meta's ad guidance)
- 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side, 40% bottom on the right 21%
- Video file size limit
- 4 GB
- Video formats
- MP4, MOV
- Image formats
- JPG, PNG
Instagram Reels Safe Zone Checker: the full tool, with the benchmarks and the FAQ
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How many video ads should you test?
Test formats before you test edits: three formats with one cut each tell you which one to scale. Then reshoot the winner with a new caption, as The Ridge did with a "Gen Z Wallet" version of its wallet skit, or add a creator, as in its Meta list video "Reasons you need this smart wallet" with jon.lava, live since October 22, 2026. For the decision of which angle gets a video at all, read our guide to ecommerce video ads.
How Selzee fits next to your video ads
Selzee does not make video. Selzee is an AI ad generator that makes finished static image ads: it finds the ads trending for other brands right now and recreates them for yours, with your products, logo, colors and fonts.
That is still useful next to a video plan. The caption that opens a winning video is a tested message, and a static ad runs it in feed, story and square sizes the same day. You approve the ads you want and publish them to Meta Ads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok in one click. If you want video with an AI actor instead of a creator, our AI UGC guide compares the tools. For quote-led ads, see our testimonial ads examples.
Video ad examples: FAQ
What is an example of a video ad?
Liquid I.V.'s 30-second Game Day 2026 commercial "Take a Look" is a video ad: it asks one question about the viewer's hydration and answers it with the product. You can watch it in this post. Selzee recreates winning ads for your brand.
What are the main types of video ads on social media?
The common formats are the call-out, the interview, the creator partnership, the short launch, the product demo or unboxing, the founder offer and the customer story. Each one opens differently in the first three seconds. Selzee makes static ads from the formats trending now.
How long should a video ad be on Meta?
Meta allows Reels ads from 0 seconds to 15 minutes, so length is a choice. A one-claim ad can run 6 seconds, and a creator explainer or a story needs a minute or more. Selzee makes static ads you can run next to your videos.
What aspect ratio should a video ad use?
Use 9:16 vertical for Reels, Stories and TikTok. Meta's Reels ads guide lists 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels and asks you to keep the top 14% and bottom 35% clear of text. Selzee sizes static ads for 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1.
How do I find video ads my competitors run?
Search the brand's name in Meta's free Ad Library and set the media type to video: each ad shows its start date and ad text, but no results data. Then check the brand's own YouTube channel. Selzee finds the ads trending in your market for you.
The short version
Watch the 8 videos, pick one format from the table, and write a first frame with five words or fewer. Shoot two versions this week, keep the captions inside the safe zone, and run both to the same audience.
If you want static ads that test the same messages every day, see how Selzee works on your own brand.