Playbook: Launching an AI-Powered Vertical Video Campaign in 30 Days

Launch an AI-powered vertical-video campaign in 30 days — without agency wait times

Pain point: Your brand needs scalable, on‑brand vertical creative fast — but inconsistent assets, slow workflows, and high agency costs keep campaigns stuck. This 30‑day go‑to‑market playbook shows how to ideate, produce, and scale a vertical‑first campaign using AI tools and creator partnerships so you move from brief to measurable scale in one month.

Why this matters now (2026): Vertical + AI = new creative economy

Two macro shifts in late 2025–early 2026 make this playbook urgent: the explosion of AI-driven video platforms and the rise of vertical streaming/episodic formats. Startups and platforms — from Higgsfield’s fast growth in AI video generation to Holywater’s funding to scale vertical episodic streams — have recalibrated attention economics for mobile-first audiences.

“Holywater is positioning itself as ‘the Netflix’ of vertical streaming.” — Forbes, Jan 2026

What that means for brand teams: you can now generate, iterate, and localize vertical assets at scale; experiment with serialized short-form content; and pair creator authenticity with generative speed. The competitive advantage goes to teams that systematize creative production, integrate assets into ad tech/CMS, and measure impact in real time.

What you’ll get from this playbook

• A prioritized 30‑day calendar (week-by-week tasks and deliverables)
• Actionable production schedules and roles (internal + creator)
• AI tool stack recommendations and templates
• Measurement plan with core KPIs, testing framework, and scale tactics
• A reproducible checklist to hand off to marketing ops and growth

High-level 30‑day timeline (inverted pyramid: start with what matters)

Focus on speed, iteration, and measurement. Top priorities for day 0–30:

1. Product-market creative hypothesis — single, measurable creative idea tied to a conversion metric.
2. Rapid production & localization — leverage AI for first-cut edits and creator shoots for authenticity.
3. Integrated measurement — instrument assets for attribution and incremental lift tests before scale.

Tools & platform stack (2026): choose for workflow automation, quality, and integration

Select tools that support API automation, templates, and brand governance. Example stack:

• AI generation & editing: Higgsfield (AI video generation), Runway/Adobe GenAI, Synthesia for avatar-driven messaging — pair with governance and automation like autonomous workflows to speed first cuts.
• Audio & voice: ElevenLabs for natural voiceovers, Descript for quick edits
• Vertical-specific editing: CapCut, TikTok Creator Tools, toolchains with aspect-ratio presets
• Asset management & templates: DAM with variant templates (Brandfolder/Bynder equivalents with API)
• Measurement & ad ops: Server-side tagging, GA4 / BigQuery, MMP for mobile, BI dashboards for creative analytics
• Creator marketplace & contracts: Creator platforms with rights management and bulk onboarding

Week-by-week breakdown: Day 0–30

Days 0–3: Define the GTM hypothesis and constraints

Make a one‑page creative hypothesis: audience, single message, CTA, and primary KPI.

• Audience slice (e.g., new trial signups, cart abandoners, high-intent search)
• Creative hypothesis (example): “A 15s micro-drama showing product benefit drives CTR 2x vs product demo”
• Primary KPI (e.g., landing-page CVR, CPA) and guardrail metrics (view-through rate, completion)
• Constraints: budget, compliant claims, localization breadth, timeline

Days 4–10: Creative ideation, storyboarding and template design

Run focused ideation sprints with a cross-functional pod: brand lead, creative director, growth lead, producer, and one data analyst.

1. Produce 3 rapid concepts with one key difference each (emotion, product focus, CTA placement).
2. Create vertical templates for 9:16, 4:5, and 1:1 with brand-safe overlays and motion typography.
3. Design a script bank: 6×15s hooks, 4×30s narratives, and 2×60s episodic outlines for serialized runs.
4. Prepare a creator brief with shot lists and AI augmentation notes (e.g., “supply product B-roll for generative background replacement”).

Days 11–18: Production — mix creators + AI for speed

Split production into two parallel streams: creator captures and AI-assisted renders.

• Creator captures: Onboard 6–12 micro-creators for authenticity. Use standardized shot lists and brand kits. Compensate with flat fees + performance bonus to align incentives.
• AI-assisted renders: Use Higgsfield / Runway to generate B-roll variations, dynamic backgrounds, or alternate voiceovers for rapid iteration.
• Daily deliverables: 6 raw takes per creator, 12 AI variants for each hero scene, metadata tags for A/B testing.

Days 19–24: Post-production, localization & governance

Prioritize fast first cuts and multiple localized variants.

1. Batch edit first cuts using AI tools for pacing and subtitle generation.
2. Generate language variants (voice + captions) using ElevenLabs + automated subtitle workflows.
3. Run a short brand safety and IP check; ensure legal signs-off on claims.
4. Export tracked assets into the DAM with naming conventions for campaign, creativeID, variant and target audience.

Days 25–27: Experimentation & pre-launch tests

Before scaling, run micro-tests to validate creative signals.

• Launch 6 variants to small audience pockets (3–5% of intended spend).
• Measure engagement, CTR, VTR (view-through rate), and landing-page conversion.
• Run a creative-level A/B using multi-armed bandit or adaptive allocation for faster convergence.
• Holdout a control cohort for an incrementality test if budget allows.

Days 28–30: Scale & operationalize

Roll out top-performing variants, automate delivery pipelines, and set up weekly optimization cadences.

• Automate creative rotations via ad platform APIs and link creative metadata to analytics.
• Set scale rules (e.g., increase spend on creative with CTR > X and CVR uplift > Y).
• Document lessons, teardown insights, and prepare serialized content follow-ups (ep 2–4) if episodic performed well.

Production schedule template (sample day-by-day)

Use this template for a single creative concept produced in parallel across creators and AI.

1. Day 1: Creative brief and shot list published. Creators receive kit and schedules.
2. Day 2–3: On-location or remote shoots. Capture variants: hero, social cutaways, product close-ups.
3. Day 4: Raw ingest; AI generates B-roll/background variants.
4. Day 5: First cut (15s/30s/60s); subtitle and voice variants generated.
5. Day 6: Internal review and legal check; apply changes.
6. Day 7: Export and tag to DAM; schedule micro-tests.

Roles & responsibilities (pod model)

• Campaign Lead: KPI owner and decision maker for go/no-go.
• Producer: Manages schedule, creator coordination, and budgets.
• Creative Director: Storyboard, templates, final creative sign-off.
• Growth/Media Lead: Audience selection, trafficking, and optimization rules.
• Data Analyst: Measurement setup, dashboarding, incremental lift tests.
• Brand Ops/Legal: Compliance, rights, and IP clearance.

Budget allocation (rule of thumb for a 30‑day sprint)

Percentages adjust with scale, but for a fast pilot:

• Creative production & creators: 35%
• AI tooling & cloud processing: 10–15%
• Media test spend (microtests): 25%
• Measurement & analytics: 5–10%
• Contingency & scale budget: 15–20%

Measurement plan: what to track and how to attribute

Make measurement a first-class deliverable. Integrate creative metadata into the ad pipeline so you can analyze performance by creativeID, variant, and audience.

Core KPIs

• Engagement: View-Through Rate (VTR), Completion Rate (CR)
• Action: Click-Through Rate (CTR), Landing Page Conversion Rate (CVR)
• Efficiency: CPM, CPA, ROAS
• Quality: Brand lift studies, attention/minute, and incrementality

Attribution & testing

• Instrument server-side events and map creativeID to conversions for more reliable attribution.
• Use short-term creative holdouts or geographic holdouts for incrementality testing.
• Run multi-armed bandit where appropriate to reallocate spend to high performers quickly.

Creative testing matrix (actionable)

Test the following variables in parallel — isolate one variable per test where possible:

• Hook placement (0–3s) — test instant hook vs. slow build
• CTA timing — early vs. late vs. end-screen
• Format length — 6s bumpers, 15s social, 30s stories
• Tone — informative vs. narrative vs. UGC recreation
• Localization — dialect, voice, cultural variant

Creator partnerships: brief, rights, and incentives

Creators are your authenticity vector. Structure deals for speed and scale.

• Use a standardized brief and shot list to reduce back-and-forth.
• Pre-negotiate usage rights for paid and organic amplification (time-limited or perpetual depending on budget).
• Incentive structure: flat production fee + performance bonus or rev-share for episodic IP.
• Onboard via a creator portal where assets, captions, and guidelines are auto-provisioned.

Scaling playbook after day 30

After the pilot, turn the sprint into a repeatable engine.

1. Automate pipeline: creative templates + API rules to publish new variants every week.
2. Library & reuse: tag winners and create derivative variants for new audiences.
3. Serialized content: if episodic concepts work, plan a 6–12 episode mini-series to increase retention and lower CPMs through habitual consumption.
4. Partner with platforms: explore vertical streaming placements and emerging vertical ad formats (inspired by Holywater’s episodic approach).

Case examples & signals from the market (2025–2026)

Recent signals underline the opportunity:

• Higgsfield’s rapid user growth and $1.3B valuation highlighted demand for AI-driven video tools that creators and teams can use to produce social-first vertical content at scale.
• Holywater’s funding round (Jan 2026) demonstrates platform-level investment in serialized vertical experiences — brands can leverage similar formats for episodic branded storytelling.

These trends mean it’s no longer just about a single viral clip; it’s about building branded vertical experiences that can be iterated with generative tooling.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Pitfall: Over-optimizing for AI novelty rather than brand clarity. Fix: Keep the core message atomic and measurable.
• Pitfall: Poor metadata and no creativeID. Fix: Enforce naming conventions and map creativeIDs to every ad and asset.
• Pitfall: Legal and rights friction after launch. Fix: Pre-clear creator rights and automated contracts.
• Pitfall: Chasing vanity metrics. Fix: Align creative tests to conversion or lift targets, not just views.

30‑day checklist

• One-page creative hypothesis and target KPI — DONE
• Vertical templates for core aspect ratios — DONE
• Creator briefs and contracts executed — DONE
• AI tool chain configured and API access verified — DONE
• Micro-test launched and winners identified — DONE
• Instrumented attribution for scale — DONE

Future predictions (2026–2028): what to prepare for

Plan for these near-future trends:

• Integrated DCO for video: Dynamic creative optimization at the frame level will let brands swap product overlays and CTAs in real time based on audience signals.
• Creator + AI co‑ownership models: More platforms will enable revenue‑share for serialized branded IP created with creators and AI.
• Attention-based pricing: Ad platforms may start offering attention-weighted buying (price by engaged seconds) — creative teams must optimize for attention, not just impressions.
• Cross-platform content pods: Brands will publish episodic verticals on native social and vertical streaming platforms, requiring integrated delivery workflows.

Final actionable takeaways

1. Ship a single creative hypothesis in the first 72 hours — measure it against a conversion KPI.
2. Combine creators for authenticity with AI for speed — parallelize production streams.
3. Instrument creativeID mapping from ad creative to conversion events for reliable attribution.
4. Run short micro-tests, then scale winners with programmatic rules and automation.
5. Document and codify the playbook so the next sprint runs faster — turn pilots into repeatable engines.

Closing: get started this week

In 2026, brands that can iterate vertical creative quickly and measure what matters will outpace competitors still stuck in long agency cycles. Follow this 30‑day playbook, instrument your creative for real measurement, and pair creators with AI to unlock speed and scale.

Ready to launch? If you want a ready-to-run 30‑day calendar, creative templates, and an automation checklist tailored to your tech stack, contact our team for a free audit and execution plan.