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  • [3 Ad Thursday] šŸ“ˆ 2 Very Different Supplement Ads... And Both Work Incredible!

[3 Ad Thursday] šŸ“ˆ 2 Very Different Supplement Ads... And Both Work Incredible!

Plus: AI generated podcast-style ad with over $460k in adspend...

Welcome to, or welcome back to this week’s VidTao 3 Ad Thursday!

Each Thursday we’ll be diving into our VidTao YouTube ad library to uncover 3 high-performing YouTube ads driving results.

This week we’ve got three high-performing YouTube ads for you to check out & model, including:

  • 🌸 Tai Chi Walking - The AI Generated Podcast Ad ($460+ in AdSpend)...

  • 🐻 Grüns - The Bear Coach-Led Ad With over $1.9M Estimated AdSpend…

  • 🧠 Supplement Ad — The Founder Confession Ad That Exposes the Industry…

Ready to check the ads out?


The tracking metric you've never heard of that 4x'd a $750M business šŸ“ˆ


99% of DTC Subscription brands miss this

Duolingo was stuck in 2018.

Yes, $750M in revenue & 40 million+ daily users…

But growth?

Flatlining.

Hundreds of tests running… Nothing moving the needle.

They were trapped optimizing metrics everyone tracks: conversion rates, retention rates, acquisition costs.

Then they used a framework that flips traditional tracking on its head…

…exposing the ONE metric that mattered most...

…buried in every DTC subscription brand's biggest blind spot.

When they tested it against everything else — new user acquisition, reactivation campaigns, onboarding flows — this one metric had 10x more impact than all of them.

The result?

4x growth.

Not from better ads. Not from new traffic sources. Not from a rebrand.

From tracking one transition that 99% of subscription brands completely ignore.

Want to see how you can uncover your DTC subscription business’s ā€œmagic metricā€?

VidTao Co-Founder Brat Vukovich just wrote an article inside his weekly newsletter, The Dashboard, walking you through exactly how to dig into your own subscription business and uncover this golden insight.

PS — The Dashboard is where Brat shares weekly notes on building Bratrax, buying media, and making sense of performance data - without the fluff.

PPS — Send this link to a friend who needs it: blog.bratrax.com

Let's dive right in and take a closer look at this week's YouTube ad standouts and discover what makes them so successful.

🌸 Tai Chi Walking - The AI Generated Podcast Ad ($460+ in AdSpend)

First ad we chose for this week -  this Tai Chi Walking AI ad we found inside VidTao, with estimated total ad spend of over $460K!

Check it out:

Here are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸŽ™ļø Hook: Age-Specific Directive

Starts with an assertive statement:

ā€œAll women over 45 should start losing weight with Tai Chi walking.ā€

No brand intro, no soft entry - it commands attention.
It feels like advice from a trusted expert, not an ad.

🧠 Format Innovation: AI-Generated Conversation

Instead of traditional talking-head testimonials, the ad simulates a natural podcast chat.

Two AI-generated women ask and answer relatable questions (ā€œWhat if I haven’t exercised in years?ā€).

This conversational format builds authenticity while bypassing skepticism toward overly polished ads.

šŸ’¬ Empathy Engine: Fear & Reassurance Loop

The first speaker plays the hesitant viewer (ā€œMy coach says cardio is the only wayā€).

The second speaker provides calm, confident counterpoints (ā€œHe’s wrong. Gym doesn’t work at our age.ā€).

Each objection is neutralized with a nurturing tone - turning skepticism into safety.

šŸŖž Mechanism = Minimal Effort + Quick Wins

ā€œ9 minutes a day.ā€

ā€œNo equipment.ā€

ā€œStart small.ā€

Each phrase collapses perceived effort barriers - crucial for a 45+ audience that’s fitness-resistant.

It also uses temporal proof: ā€œIn 3 days… in 7 days… in a monthā€¦ā€ to build micro-commitment momentum.

šŸ’— Emotional Core: Relief from Failure

The contrast with ā€œthe gym doesn’t work anymoreā€ taps into years of frustration.

It reframes slowness and gentleness as intelligent - a comforting identity shift for the target demo.

šŸ–±ļø CTA Framing

Ends with a clear and friendly next step:

ā€œJust click the link, get the app, and start tomorrow.ā€

No hard sell -  it sounds like personal advice, not marketing language.

The black-screen outro (ā€œTap now ā†“ā€) seals the pattern with modern, minimal urgency.

Let’s also take a look at what this advertiser’s landing page looks like:

~ update from our friends at Funnel of the Week ~

Air Fryers, ā€˜Dark Posting’ & Category Creation for
a $4B Market

Our friends at Funnel of the Week just released a new funnel breakdown…

…This time it’s a DTC beauty brand using dark posting + smart benefit repositioning to turn a decades-old niche product into a mainstream hit.

The product? Shampoo bars. The angle? No longer ā€œeco-friendlyā€ - now it’s hair transformation stories like:

ā€œMy hair grew 4 inches in 2 monthsā€
ā€œFinally found the solution for my thin, lifeless hairā€

And the growth opportunity is huge:

  • US shampoo bar market: $4.13B, growing 7.7% annually

  • Only 35% of consumers know this category exists

  • Only 8% have tried solid shampoo bars

Inside this breakdown, you’ll see:

 āœ“ All ā€œdark postā€ influencer accounts running now - and how they target different demos
āœ“ Creative strategy that shifts from eco benefits to personal transformation
āœ“ The awareness stage moves that take someone from ā€œnever heard of itā€ to ā€œordering todayā€
āœ“ How this exact framework has created billion-dollar markets before (electric toothbrushes, plant-based meat, and more)

🐻 Grüns - The Bear Coach-Led Ad With over $1.9M Estimated AdSpend

Next up - this interesting superfood gummy supplements ad we found inside VidTao:

Its estimated total ad spend is over $1.9M šŸ¤Æ

These are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸŽ¬ Hook + Character Introduction

A giant green bear in a gym interrupts two humans:

ā€œJanet, when’s the last time you had a vegetable?ā€

Within seconds the brand signals tone (funny + educational) and positioning (healthy but not serious).

The mascot is impossible to ignore - a pattern interrupt that anchors the viewer before product context appears.

🄦 Concept Bridge → Product Reveal

ā€œMeet Grüns - a daily pack of 8 gummies with all the superfoods you need to thrive.ā€

The bear functions as a comedic ā€œcoachā€ explaining nutrition to humans.

It blends authority (he knows what’s healthy) with relatability (he’s a literal snack mascot).

šŸ’š Education Without Boredom

Instead of slides or voice-overs, the script uses dialogue to teach:

  • Whole-food ingredients call-out (ā€œOrganic spinach I can read it!ā€)

  • Nutrient bundle recap (Vitamin C, Zinc, Adaptogens)

  • Micro-benefit stack (mood, anxiety, energy)

 It’s scientific copy camouflaged as banter.

šŸ“ Mechanism + Relatability

ā€œThey’re basically fruit snacks with benefits … your childhood gummies grew up.ā€

That line is the entire positioning in one sentence -  comfort + function.

The ā€œgym guy skepticā€ acts as audience proxy, voicing the doubt that ā€œhealthy must taste terrible.ā€

When he loves the taste, the ad delivers its emotional payoff.

šŸ“Š Visual Storytelling + Brand World

  • Color palette = green/yellow = health + energy

  • Cutaways to ingredient tables, whiteboards, and review montages

  • Kinetic text (ā€œTake on the Go!ā€ / ā€œOnly 20 Caloriesā€) reinforces benefits visually

It feels like a Pixar fitness parody meets DTC education ad.

šŸ’” Offer + CTA

ā€œClick the link now and jump-start your journey to comprehensive health.ā€

Ends on social proof (25 000 + reviews) and community framing (ā€œGrüns Superstarsā€).

The bear remains the voice throughout - a consistent identity anchor for the brand long-term.

Here you can check out other cool ads by the same advertiser for some additional inspo, don’t miss out:

🧠 Supplement Ad — The Founder Confession Ad That Exposes the Industry

Aaand last for today, but certainly not least - a supplement ad:

Its estimated total ad spend is nearly $170K!

These are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸŽ¬ Hook + Emotional Trigger

The ad opens with a man in a store aisle saying,

ā€œNever buy magnesium from the store.ā€

It’s a direct, polarizing opener -  instantly sparking curiosity and distrust toward mainstream products.

šŸ’¬ Shift to Founder Storytelling

Cut to a podcast-style setup with the founder explaining the ā€œdirty truthā€ behind supplement manufacturing.

He exposes cheap store brands as contaminated with heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic, a shocking and believable claim thanks to the calm, rational delivery.

🧪 Proof + Industry Scandal Framing

He builds credibility by saying he sent popular store brands to three independent labs - all showed contamination.

This transforms what could sound like marketing into a whistleblower narrative.

By exposing systemic flaws, he creates a moral foundation for his own brand.

āš–ļø Mission Contrast

ā€œI started Organixx Ocean because I wanted supplements I could actually trust.ā€

He contrasts ā€œprofit vs. purityā€, positioning Organixx as the rare brand that refuses to cut corners.

He lists the operational sacrifices - paying more for ingredients, fewer supplier options, handling customer service in-house - which all serve as tangible proof of integrity.

šŸŒ™ Product Benefit Layer

Once trust is established, the founder ties back to the emotional benefits of magnesium:

  • Better sleep

  • Less muscle cramping

  • Reduced stress

The transition feels earned - benefits come after credibility, not before.

šŸ“‰ Offer Close + Soft Urgency

Ends with a simple, non-hyped CTA:

ā€œUp to 60% off — for a little longer.ā€

It feels exclusive but believable, fitting the calm tone of the ad.

To finish off with, here’s a quick scroll through their landing page:


šŸ•µļø Want to ā€œSpyā€ on over 29 million YouTube ads (and landing pages)?

Go here to claim your free trial of the VidTao Premium YouTube Ad LibraryšŸ‘‡

That’s all for this week, folks! šŸš€

We hope this week’s selection of high-performing ads has sparked new ideas to test yourself!

Want more insights like these?

Stay tuned for next week’s VidTao 3 Ad Thursday, where we’ll continue breaking down winning strategies from the best YouTube ads in the game!

And btw… If you have questions about YouTube ads?

Go here to schedule a free chat with our friends at Inceptly. Inceptly is a top Direct Response video ad agency, specializing in high-performing YouTube ad creatives & media buying.

Have a great week!

PPS - Are you spending $1k/day+ on Paid Ads? šŸ‘‰ Go here to set up a free YouTube Ad brainstorm chat.