Planning campaign video formats one cut at a time costs twice: more shooting days, more alignment and, in the end, edits that do not fit together. A shoot designed for every format from day one saves time and makes the campaign stronger.
At Breuninger, 6 TV spots were part of my work. I learned that a TV spot is rarely the only result of a shoot today. Most people first meet the campaign as a short clip on their phone.
- Plan all formats before the shoot, not in the edit.
- The first seconds must work in every format.
- The brand belongs in the picture early, not only at the end.
- A shot plan per format prevents expensive reshoots.
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Plan campaign video formats before the script
The most important rule is simple: the format list is fixed before the script. Landscape for TV and YouTube, vertical for Stories and Reels, square for feeds, plus lengths from six seconds to the full spot.
If you fix the campaign video formats in advance, the shoot can capture the right angles for each one. What is missing in the edit can hardly be saved later. Why the idea still comes before everything else is the topic of my post on the TV spot.
A simple table for everyone involved helps: channel, format, length, flight period and the key message. Agency, production and media team then share the same picture from day one. Questions that would otherwise only appear in the edit are settled in the briefing.
What Google’s ABCD framework recommends
Google sums up its findings on effective YouTube advertising in the ABCD framework: Attract, win attention from the start, Brand, show the brand early and often, Connect, emotion and story, and Direct, a clear call to action (see here: Google, ABCDs of effective video ads).
For planning campaign video formats this means: every cut needs its own strong opening and the brand in the first seconds, even the shortest one.
In fashion this is a real shift. Classic spots often build a mood and show the logo only at the end. In the feed, many people scroll on before that moment. The brand must be recognisable through colour, product or face in the very first frames.
The shot plan for all formats
In practice, a shot plan helps that assigns every take to one or more formats. The camera frames generously so that vertical and landscape can come from the same image, and the key moments are also filmed upright.
This includes separate openings for social: a product in motion, a look into the camera, a surprising sound. Planning campaign video formats this way turns one shooting day into material for many weeks.
Alignment with photography matters too. When moving image and stills are made on the same set, light, styling and motifs should be planned for both. Then poster, ad and clip belong together and the campaign feels like one piece.
Media planning benefits as well. Once the lengths and aspect ratios are clear, the media team can book placements early and the creative team knows its limits. Planning campaign video formats together with media avoids cuts that end up with nowhere to run.
Edit, sound and subtitles
Many clips play without sound. Subtitles and text overlays are therefore not an extra but part of the design. The sound should still be mixed for TV and for people wearing headphones.
Finally, a short test pays off. Two or three versions of an opening quickly show which start keeps people watching. The insight feeds into the next shoot, and each campaign gets a little better than the last.
My conclusion: good campaign video formats are not made in the edit but in the planning. Fixing them before the shoot saves cost, keeps the brand recognisable in every channel and gives the idea more room. How AI helps in production is covered in my post on campaign production with AI.