What blew up for The Ordinary this quarter
Its standouts were tactile lip-treatment videos. Here's why they worked, and three briefs that answer them.
What we found
- The stronger videos give viewers an object, an action or a buying worry to follow, then add the science.
- Texture and application make the product desirable before viewers need to understand its formula.
- A diagram explainer and a talking-head quiz sat below the account's usual views, inside its normal range.
- The pink barrier serum explainer is the closest reference: it answers color, smell, packaging and pilling while the product stays on screen.
The videos at a glance
| Video | What it is | Views | Outlier | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 theordinary | Lip treatment launch montage | 94.8K | 5.4X | Oct 14 |
 theordinary | Silhouette teaser | 63.6K | 3.6X | Oct 13 |
 theordinary | Ingredient blender | 281.4K | 3X | Oct 24 |
 theordinary | In-store capsule machine | 257.4K | 2.7X | Oct 16 |
 theordinary | Instagram silhouette teaser | 224.1K | 2.4X | Oct 9 |
 theordinary | Pink barrier serum explainer | 216.9K | 2.3X | Oct 5 |
Why each one worked
1Ingredients become a product
Vacuum-packed berries and leaves lead into liquid pouring, a blender starting, and packaged tubes appearing in the mixture. The viewer gets a small visual puzzle with a clear finish, and physical action carries the explanation.
2A launch you can almost feel
The edit moves between reflective packaging, cream stretching, the metal tip and close-up application. The promise also removes an expected downside of lip plumpers, and comments asking about it show what caught attention.
No tingling ??Comment on the launch
3A reveal that invites guesses
The tube comes out of shadow, followed by its applicator, formula dispensing and application. Viewers see enough to guess the product without getting the full answer, and comments speculate about the formula.
4A product launch with a prize inside
A hand turns a capsule machine, opens tokens and reveals products or a discount. The action creates a simple question: what will come out? Comments ask where the machine is.
What to leave behind
A lip-skin diagram explainer reached 53,421 views and a talking-head brand quiz reached 55,150. Both stayed inside the account's normal range. The useful distinction is where the explanation starts. Start with something viewers can watch, then add the science.
Three briefs
The idea
Answers the pink serum's sensory explainer with a visible wear test. Viewers see how the serum spreads and wears in a real routine, which is useful buying evidence rather than another bottle recommendation.
Filming beats
Alternate openings
Proof rules
Record the actual result, including pilling if it happens. No smoothing filters, lighting changes, or claims that a shiny finish proves barrier repair.
Hook
What does "barrier repair" mean in this bottle?
Direction
Open on the finished serum beside a simple visual model of its approved barrier-support mechanism. Show each confirmed hero ingredient with its approved job, then show application. Avoid implying viewers can mix the product at home.
Hook
Barrier serum, up close.
Direction
Open on an extreme close-up of the serum leaving its dispenser. Move to spreading, skin application and a full product reveal. Keep one short headline on screen, and pair the texture with one approved benefit.
Run it on your competitor
This is the exact prompt behind this page. Swap the handle and the product for yours.
Find the videos that blew up for @theordinary this quarter. Tell us why, then give us three briefs that answer them for our barrier repair serum.
Questions
No. Competitor posts are the research, not the template. Each brief answers a working pattern with your own product, and comparative claims stay out.