The Shocking Truth About Long-Form Ads (That No One Is Talking About)

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I'm going to share something that might contradict everything you've been told about advertising in 2025.

Long-form ads aren't just viable – they're becoming essential for DTC brands.

This revelation came from one of our most successful recent ads, and the results were so compelling that I had to completely rethink our creative strategy.

The 2.5-minute ad that outperformed everything else

Recently, we created a 2.5-minute video for a client that completely outperformed our expectations. We also produced a 3.5-minute piece for the same brand.

Most marketers would have immediately dismissed these as "too long" for today's short attention spans.

But here's what happened:

1. The long-form ads performed exceptionally well on their own

2. We created a treasure trove of shorter assets from the same footage

3. The overall campaign efficiency skyrocketed

Why long-form content works in a short-attention economy

There are two core reasons why longer ads are becoming crucial for DTC brands:

First, they force your creative team to think differently.

When you're no longer constrained to 30 seconds, you have to rethink your entire communication strategy. This pushes your team outside their comfort zone and often leads to more authentic, compelling storytelling.

Second, they give you content versatility that short-form simply can't.

Think about traditional TV campaigns – they always shoot for the 60-second spot, knowing they'll also create 45, 30, 15, and 5-second cuts. It's a proven strategy that digital marketers have largely abandoned, and it's costing them.

The content multiplication effect

Here's what happens when you prioritize longer content:

• You shoot once but create dozens of assets

• You can test different segments to see which resonate most

• You discover hooks and angles you wouldn't have captured in a short-form-only approach

• You build a content library that can be deployed across channels

For our client, we used the longer videos as the foundation, then created numerous shorter cuts optimized for different platforms and objectives. This gave us significant testing volume without needing multiple shoots.

Rethinking production for long-form success

One important consideration: longer content may require different production approaches.

The typical single-creator, talking-head style that dominates social ads often struggles to maintain engagement beyond 30 seconds. To succeed with longer content, consider:

• Multiple presenters or testimonials

• More sophisticated production value

• Stronger narrative structure

• Visual variety and pacing changes

This might require adjusting your production budget, but the content multiplication effect more than justifies the investment.

The big opportunity most brands are missing

The most surprising insight from our recent campaigns is just how few brands are taking advantage of this approach.

While everyone obsesses over creating the perfect 15-second TikTok, there's a massive opportunity in the longer-form space – especially for brands with more complex value propositions or emotional selling points.

In 2025, the brands that master the art of long-form content that can be atomized into shorter assets will have a significant competitive advantage.

How to get started with long-form content

If you've been exclusively focused on short-form, here's how to begin incorporating longer content:

1. Identify your most successful existing ads – what story could you tell if you had 2+ minutes?

2. Plan shoots with "content multiplication" in mind from the start

3. Create a shot list that ensures you'll have enough variety for both long and short edits

4. Develop a stronger narrative structure that can sustain longer viewing

5. Edit modularly, creating the long version first, then extracting shorter clips

Remember, the goal isn't just to create longer ads – it's to develop a content ecosystem where your long and short assets work together to drive maximum performance.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you want me to address anything in the future for you. Just reply and I can write about it.

Make sure to check out the podcast.

Until then, keep creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

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Did you know we had a podcast called In the Cutting Room. Episodes drop every Tuesday. Make sure to listen to it on Apple, Spotify, or Youtube.

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