Success Stories

Ad Spotlight: No Video Ad? No Problem. How Hulu Connected CellDration to Shuttlerock to Create Impactful Ads

When CellDration decided to try video advertising with Hulu’s Ad Manager platform, they were coming in brand new to the video advertising space. They didn’t have pre-existing ads to pull from, nor did they have the “war-chest backing of a big brand.” They needed to make an impactful ad that would help them maximize their ad budget.

This is where they were able to use Hulu’s Creative Directory to find Shuttlerock. We interviewed CellDration’s CEO and Founder, Rudy Byfield, to learn about his experience finding and working with Shuttlerock to create ads that were the core of several impactful campaigns on the Hulu Ad Manager platform.

Hulu: Tell us about CellDration and your campaign goals.

Rudy: We offer remineralized water that’s really delicious stuff—we create it with a purification process that’s unlike what anyone else is doing, and we’re really excited to be bringing it to market. Because everyone needs water, we approached the experience with Hulu as an opportunity to explore and reach new audiences.

We wanted to cast a wider net with our campaigns on Hulu. We deliberately targeted markets we hadn’t populated yet, and we wanted to see where we could get a response to identify where to talk to local retailers based on market demand.

But we needed the right ad to do that.

Hulu: Walk us through your creative process as you developed your ads.

Rudy: We didn’t have an ad to start with—and we knew an impactful ad was critical to a successful campaign—so we took advantage of Hulu’s Creative Directory to find Shuttlerock.

They have been amazing to work with. It was all a highly collaborative experience, and they’ve been able to pull from my spaghetti plate of ideas and create beautiful imagery that makes sense to viewers.

Shuttlerock was able to take all of our ideas—sort of a hodgepodge of things—and put them together in a meaningful way. The resulting ad was very, very impactful.

Hulu: What do you feel makes a successful video ad based on your experiences?

Rudy: You have to be able to distill down, into just a few words, what it is you want your audience to remember about your brand. And this is why we’ll continue working with Shuttlerock on a number of long-term projects—they were fantastic at this.

They helped us get to that key-takeaway in a matter of seconds in our videos.

For example, for our ad campaign during Black History Month, they helped us really highlight that we are a Black-owned business, which was the right message for that campaign.

Focusing on the key takeaway we wanted the audience to have for each campaign has opened so many doors for us. Because of the interest generated through our campaigns on Hulu, we’ve been able to use the ads created by Shuttlerock as we build relationships directly with retailers. There have been a number of times where we’ve shared the video ads to help communicate our product effectively—and it’s because of our campaigns on Hulu that we have these wonderful resources.

Hulu: What advice do you have for other businesses doing this for the first time?

Rudy: The challenge of sharing your message in 30 seconds is a conduit for putting a concise story together, which is truly a phenomenal way forward!

Hulu has given small brands like us the opportunity to take our turn to stand at the pulpit and tell our story.

The fact is that as a small start-up we don’t have the war-chest backing of a big brand, so every spend needs to be precise and calculated in order to get the results we need to be successful. In teaming up with Shuttlerock and Hulu as we did on these campaigns we’ve been able to create the impact we needed to really move the needle.

Based on these experiences, I’m a believer. I’ve seen the results for myself in my own company and my own brand, and I’m fully on-board for the extended future.

Learn More About the Opportunity for Your Brand with Hulu’s Self-Service Ad Manager

Thank you, Rudy, for sharing your experiences with us! We appreciate your willingness to share your advice with other brands, and we always love to hear that Hulu Ad Manager is helping move businesses forward!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Looking for an experience like this for your own business? Learn more about Hulu Ad Manager’s Creative Providers and participate in the same seamless process from ad creation to distribution. Making an impactful connection with your audience is easier than you think!