Key Takeaways
- The best CTV ads are built for the screen they play on: landscape, sound on and readable from the couch.
- Most of these spots get the brand or the product on screen in the first few seconds.
- Each spot is built around one clear idea, with proof added when there's room for it.
- Formats that work on social, like creator comparisons and problem-solution openers, can work on TV when they're rebuilt for it.
- Without a click, the next step has to be easy to remember: an offer, a short URL or a QR code.
A CTV ad has a different job than a social ad. It plays full screen with the sound on, often from across the room, and nobody can tap to buy.
Below are nine CTV and YouTube spots we've made for clients, each a different format, with a note on what it does well. Hit play on any of them for sound.
1. The Problem-Solution Opener: Uber Eats Pickup
This spot opens with a frustration everyone knows: "Tired of waiting for takeout?" over a receipt. The app shows how Pickup works, and it lands on "Just grab & go. $0 Delivery Fee."
Why it works: It sticks to one problem and one answer, and that's all it tries to do. Naming the frustration first makes the viewer nod before the brand asks for anything.
2. The Day-in-the-Life Montage: Uber Eats
This one opens on the logo and the app, then walks through a day of moments: breakfast, a work-from-home lunch, groceries for dinner and late-night cravings, each checked off like a list. It closes on the logo and "Order now on Uber Eats."
Why it works: The brand bookends the spot, so there's no doubt whose ad it is. The checklist structure turns one app into a lot of reasons to use it, and it's easy to follow from the couch.
3. The Creator Comparison: iHerb Shipping
A creator opens with "Guess who I ordered my supplements from," then compares "iHerb shipping," a clean warehouse, against "Big box shipping," a box tossed onto a doorstep. It closes on the opened box and a line about trusted supplements sourced straight from trusted manufacturers.
Why it works: It takes a format people know from social, a creator talking to camera with a side-by-side, and builds it for a TV screen. The question in the first line makes you want the answer, and the answer is the brand.
4. The Animated Explainer: iHerb Creatine 101
"Creatine's NOT just for bodybuilders anymore" opens over gym footage. Then clean animation stacks the product's benefits one at a time next to the tub before landing on "Shop Creatine."
Why it works: It opens by challenging an assumption, then uses motion graphics to make the proof easy to read on a big screen. One benefit at a time is far easier to follow from across the room than a wall of text.
5. The Split Screen: iHerb Creatine
The frame is split in two. One side shows handheld, phone-style footage of someone opening a tub of California Gold Nutrition creatine, scooping it and mixing it. The other side holds a clean product shot on a green background. Captions build the case: not all creatine is the same, this one is pure creatine monohydrate, and iHerb's testing program checks every product, with no fillers or "mystery ingredients."
Why it works: The split screen gives you real-life use and a clear product shot at the same time, and it's a smart way to fit phone-style footage into a 16:9 frame without black bars. The product never leaves the screen.
6. The Single-Offer Spot: iHerb Sale
A quiet nighttime bedroom scene, with sleep products like lavender oil and valerian root on screen and one line: "Everything I use to end the day feeling right is 20% off at iHerb." It ends on a green iHerb card and "Shop the sale."
Why it works: It has exactly one message: the offer. The setting does the rest, so the products feel like part of a routine rather than a list of SKUs.
7. The Bold Opener: Mood
The spot opens with "Leave the tariffs in 2025," then "Leave the alcohol in 2025," with animated gummy characters bouncing across the frame.
Why it works: It's fast and funny, and it tells you what the product replaces before you've had time to look away. A bold, slightly unexpected first line is one of the best ways to earn the next few seconds.
8. The Real-People Spot: Maximus
This spot is built around real people talking straight to camera, with lines like "get up and kick some butt" carrying the energy. It ends on the brand and a simple call: "Get back to your prime."
Why it works: Real voices are powerful on TV, where people are listening. Several faces saying it in their own words feels more credible than one polished voiceover.
9. The QR Code Spot: Project Food Box
A QR code sits in the corner for most of the spot while the story plays out: nutritious food delivered to your door to make meal prep easy. It ends on the logo, the QR code and the URL together.
Why it works: Nobody can click a TV, so the spot gives people a way to act the whole time it's running. Ending on three options, the brand, the QR code and the URL, means anyone interested has an easy next step.
What These CTV Ads Have in Common
- They're built for the TV, not resized from a phone. Landscape, readable from across the room and paced for a big screen.
- The brand shows up early. Most of these spots put the brand or the product on screen in the first few seconds.
- They're written for sound. Voiceover, dialogue and creators talking to camera carry the message.
- One idea per spot. Each one leads with a single message, and the longer spots add proof.
- The next step is easy to remember. An offer, "Order now," "Shop the sale" or a QR code on screen.
Many of them also borrow formats that work on social, like creator comparisons, problem-solution openers and split screens, and rebuild them for TV. We wrote more about that in your best TV ad is probably already running on Meta.
For the full process behind ads like these, see the ultimate guide to making CTV ads. For the technical side, see our CTV ad specs, and for YouTube openings, how to write YouTube ads for the five-second skip.
Work With the Team Behind These Ads
Every spot on this page was made by our CTV and YouTube creative agency, the same U.S.-based team that makes our clients' Meta and TikTok ads. If you're comparing partners, our buyer's guide to hiring a CTV creative agency covers what to ask. Or book an intro call to talk through your account.
FAQ
What makes a good CTV ad?
It's built for the TV screen: landscape, written for sound, readable from the couch and clear about the brand early. Without a click, it also gives people an easy way to act, like an offer, a short URL or a QR code.
How long should a CTV ad be?
Most CTV spots run 15 or 30 seconds. A :15 works best with a single message, and a :30 has room for proof. For each platform's accepted lengths, see our CTV ad specs.
Can UGC work as a CTV ad?
Yes, when it's built for the screen. The iHerb shipping spot uses a creator talking to camera, and the split-screen creatine spot pairs phone-style footage with a clean product shot so it fills a 16:9 frame.
Should CTV ads include a QR code?
They can help when the goal is a response. Keep the code on screen long enough to scan, make it big enough to read from the couch, and check each platform's rules, because some add their own.
Can I see more of Biddyco's work?
Yes. Our CTV and YouTube page shows these spots, and our creative examples page has our social work.
