Product launch campaign: phases, the pieces you need and a real example

What a launch campaign is and why publishing the product is not enough

A launch campaign is the set of actions a brand uses to introduce a new product to the market: what is said, where, in what order and with which pieces. Its goal is that on the day the product goes on sale there are people waiting for it, and that in the following weeks there are still reasons to buy it.

Many small brands launch differently. They finish the product, take some quick photos, upload it to the online shop and post that it is available. The result is usually the same: a few sales to existing customers and silence afterwards.

The problem is not the product. It is that nobody knew it was coming, nobody understands at a glance what it is for and there is no content to keep talking about it the following week.

A well-planned campaign solves all three. It builds anticipation before release, explains the product so it is understood in seconds, and has content ready for several weeks.

You do not need a big brand's budget. You need to plan ahead and produce sensibly: one clear idea, a few well-made pieces and a single production that yields everything. That is what we explain below, with a real example we were part of from the product design onwards.

The three phases: build-up, launch and follow-through

Every launch campaign has three moments, and each calls for different pieces.

Build-up. Two to four weeks before release. The goal is for your audience to know something is coming and want to find out what. Teasers that show without fully showing work well, such as a detail, a texture or the product backlit, along with the making process, the story of why it exists and, if possible, a waiting list or pre-sale. This is the time to talk about the problem it solves, before revealing the solution.

Launch. Release day and the week after. This is when the main piece goes out, usually a video introducing the product and its promise, together with the product photos, the shop page, the email to your list and, if there is budget, the ads. Everything has to go out at once with the same look.

Follow-through. The four to eight weeks afterwards. It is the most forgotten phase and the one that sells most in the medium term. This is where usage demos, answers to questions that come up in the comments, first customers' opinions and short clips that keep the product in the feed come in.

If you plan all three phases before shooting, all the content comes out of the same production. That is the difference between an affordable campaign and one that eats the budget by shooting every week.

The full structure, with concept and channels, is that of a 360 campaign, applied to a very specific moment.

What pieces you need to launch a product

For most launches, these are the pieces you cannot do without.

The main video. Thirty seconds to a minute and a half. It states the problem, introduces the product and shows the promise. It goes on the website, in the main ad and in the launch-day post. We explain it in how to make a product video that sells.

The demos. Short videos, fifteen to forty seconds, each showing one feature: how it opens, how it is used, what makes it different. These are the pieces that help sell most in the follow-through phase.

Product photography. Neutral background for the online shop and photos of the product in use, in context, for social media, emails and ads. A product page with poor photos undoes everything else.

Vertical clips. For Instagram, TikTok and Shorts: two-second hooks, quick pace, big text. Many come from outtakes of the main video.

Teasers. Details, process, countdown, for the build-up phase.

Support pieces. Banners, an image for the email, a poster if there is a physical shop, and a product page that says the same as the video.

On a well-planned day, almost all of this can be shot. We cover it in one shoot, a month of content.

A real example: Bunker, from product design to campaign

Bunker is a case we know from start to finish, because it began before the launch: the brand asked us to design its anti-theft bum bag from scratch. We designed the hidden compartments, the security closure system and the choice of materials, and saw the prototyping through to the final product.

When the product was ready, we did its visual launch. Professional product photography, with technical details, lifestyle shots with models and compositions highlighting its anti-theft function. And demo videos explaining the security system, because a product like that cannot be understood from a photo: you need to see how it opens and how it does not. You can see it in the Bunker bum bag case.

Earlier, with the same brand and BCNaPieDeCalle, we had launched La Bunker, their line of anti-theft backpacks. There the challenge was different: presenting a new brand in Barcelona's streetwear segment. We made three ads, of 60, 45 and 30 seconds, shot on location around the city, with an urban visual world. Each ad told a different side of the product and all three built the same brand.

What both cases show is that a product with a visible function, such as a closure or a compartment, is sold by showing it. And that when the team making the campaign knows the product inside out, the campaign explains it better.

Timeline and mistakes to avoid

This is the indicative timeline we propose for a launch.

Eight weeks before: objective, audience, message and map of pieces. This is the time to settle the central idea.

Six weeks before: pre-production. Script, locations, casting if needed, final product or prototype ready to shoot.

Five weeks before: the shoot and photo session, ideally over one or two days.

Four weeks before: the build-up phase begins while post-production is finished.

Launch day: everything goes out at once.

Eight weeks after: measure what worked and decide what to reinforce.

And these are the mistakes we see most.

Shooting without the final product. A prototype with defects or a colour that later changes forces you to redo photos and videos. If there is no alternative, shoot what does not depend on the detail and leave the rest for the end.

Listing features instead of benefits. Nobody cares about the type of zip; they care that nobody is going to open their backpack on the metro.

Putting everything into launch day. Without the follow-through phase, the launch fizzles out within a week.

Improvising the photos. A good product page sells more than many posts.

How we run a launch at Bostak Films

At Bostak Films we are a creative agency and a production company, which means a single team can carry an entire launch: the idea, the script, the shoot, the photography, the post-production and every piece for each phase and channel. In some cases, as with Bunker, even the product design.

The process starts with a conversation to understand the product, who it is for and what makes it different. Then we propose the campaign idea and the map of pieces by phase, so you know from the outset what you will get and when. We describe it in detail in what a campaign with a creative agency looks like. We produce in our studio in Viladecans or on location in Barcelona and the surrounding area.

We work with brands in Barcelona, the Baix Llobregat and the rest of Spain, and remotely with brands from abroad launching in the Spanish market. See how we work as a creative agency in Barcelona. If you have a product about to come out, or still at prototype stage, book a free diagnosis and we will tell you how we would approach the launch.

FAQ

Got a project in mind?

We tell stories in video end to end — production, filming and post-production.

Keep reading