Product Ad Day: What We Capture and Why It Works

What Is a Product Ad Day?

A Product Ad Day is our focused production format designed to capture maximum usable content in a single shoot day. Instead of producing one polished piece, we strategically capture the raw material for 5-8 finished videos—all optimized for paid advertising.

It's the core of The First Drop and our retainer shoot days.

The Strategy Behind It

Why Volume Matters

If you're running paid ads, you need creative variety. A single video—no matter how good—will fatigue. You need multiple angles, hooks, and approaches to test what resonates.

Product Ad Day is designed to give you that variety efficiently.

Capture Once, Edit Many

The key insight: many ad variants can share the same footage, just edited differently. By capturing strategically, one day's footage supports multiple finished pieces:

• Same hero shot, different opening hooks
• Same product footage, different messaging
• Same lifestyle clips, different pacing
• Same B-roll, different music/tone

What We Capture

Hero Product Shots

The centerpiece footage—your product looking its absolute best.

What this includes:

• Multiple angles (straight-on, 3/4, overhead)
• Different lighting setups (soft/editorial, hard/dramatic)
• Various backgrounds (seamless, textured, contextual)
• Action shots (pours, condensation, bubbles)

Why it matters: These are your "money shots"—the visuals that anchor every ad.

Hook Variants

The first 1-3 seconds determine whether someone keeps watching. We capture multiple hook options:

Types of hooks:

• Problem setup — Visual that represents the before state
• Product reveal — Dynamic introduction of your product
• Benefit showcase — Immediate demonstration of key benefit
• Social proof setup — Reviews or testimonials on screen

Why it matters: Testing hooks is the highest-leverage creative variable. Different hooks can 2-3x performance.

Lifestyle/Context Footage

Product in real-world context—how it's used, where it lives, who it's for.

What this includes:

• Usage scenarios (pre-workout, morning routine, social gathering)
• Environmental context (gym bag, desk, cooler)
• Hands-on moments (opening, pouring, drinking)

Why it matters: Context helps viewers imagine the product in their own life.

Detail and Texture

Close-up macro shots that showcase product quality.

What this includes:

• Label/packaging details
• Liquid movement and color
• Condensation and frost
• Texture and finish

Why it matters: Details communicate quality and justify premium positioning.

B-Roll and Transitions

Supporting footage that adds polish and pacing to final edits.

What this includes:

• Camera movements (slides, pans, reveals)
• Abstract beauty shots
• Environmental ambiance
• Transitional moments

Why it matters: B-roll makes the difference between "content" and "premium content."

A Typical Product Ad Day Schedule

| Time | Activity | |------|----------| | 7:00 AM | Crew call, setup begins | | 8:00 AM | Lighting and staging | | 9:00 AM | Product prep, first hero shots | | 10:30 AM | Variant angles, background changes | | 12:00 PM | Lunch break | | 1:00 PM | Lifestyle/context setups | | 3:00 PM | Detail shots and macro work | | 4:30 PM | B-roll and transitions | | 5:30 PM | Review selects, pickup shots | | 6:30 PM | Wrap |

That's 10+ hours of focused production, maximizing every setup for multiple uses.

What You Get From One Day

Finished Deliverables

From a standard Product Ad Day:

• Hero spot (1) — Your primary piece, 15-30 seconds
• Hook variants (2-3) — Same content, different openings
• Concept variants (2-3) — Different angles/approaches
• Cutdowns — 6s bumpers for each piece

Total: 5-8 unique pieces × 3 platform formats × 2-3 lengths = 30-50+ individual files

Raw Material

Beyond finished pieces, you retain footage for future use:

• Additional edits from the same material
• Stills exported from video
• Audio for podcast/social clips
• Assets for future campaigns

Maximizing Your Product Ad Day

Do This

Come prepared:

• Product samples chilled/ready
• Brand guidelines shared in advance
• Reference content identified
• Clear goals for what you're testing

Be available:

• On-set presence recommended (or remote via live stream)
• Quick decisions keep production moving
• Flag concerns immediately, not in post

Think in variants:

• Every setup should yield multiple usable clips
• "What else can we capture while we're here?"
• Plan for testing, not just one "perfect" video

Avoid This

Last-minute product changes — Delays cascade through the whole day

Unclear creative direction — We'll capture something, but it might not be what you needed

Skipping pre-production — The shot list ensures nothing gets missed

Cramming too much — Better to nail 8 pieces than rush 12

What It Costs

The First Drop — $3,500

Our starter package with full pre-production and post-production:

• Creative brief and shot list
• Half-day shoot
• 2-3 finished videos
• Vertical + horizontal formats

Standard Package

For brands needing more content:

• Standard — $6,500 (full day, 4 videos)
• Campaign — $12,000+ (multi-day, 8+ videos)

Is Product Ad Day Right for You?

Yes, if:

• You need ad creative volume (not just one hero piece)
• You're running paid campaigns on Meta, TikTok, or YouTube
• You want to test multiple hooks and concepts
• You prefer efficient production over extended shoots

Consider alternatives if:

• You need a single flagship brand video (Hero Spot is better)
• You need ongoing content monthly (Retainer is more efficient)
• Your content is highly complex (multi-location, talent-heavy)

Ready to Book?

The First Drop is the easiest way to experience our production process. One project, 2-3 videos, no commitment to ongoing work.

Learn about The First Drop →