Free
Snapshot
We read five of one brand's live ads and send back one page.
- Which story mechanics the ads rely on
- Which ones they never try
- One change worth testing first
Back in 3 business days. Sample below.
Request a snapshotUpstream creative supply for performance agencies
Proven in one market.New in yours.
You've seen the ads for ReelShort and DramaBox. The story mechanics behind them were refined in China, where 33,000 short-drama series competed for the next tap in 2025 alone. We study that market at the source.
Not the plots. The mechanics underneath them, rebuilt as original ad concepts your team can produce and test. We supply the idea. Your team keeps production and the client.
- The verdict“Couch cleaning. Two hundred.”
- The silence“Final inspection's Friday.”
- The workThursday, 11:40 PM
- The haul$200.
- The turn“Have a seat.”
- The release“...Where'd you get that?”
- End cardHave a seat.
Source mechanicPublic comeback
- Put-down, with a witness
- Silent effort
- Public reveal
- The doubter changes his mind
Hook. The landlord stands up, trousers covered in dog hair.
A market that tests story hooks harder than any ad account.
Chinese short dramas run as vertical episodes of a minute or two. Viewers decide episode by episode whether to keep going, so a slow opening or a late payoff shows up in the numbers fast. Writers there have tuned their stories for the thing your ads need most: holding a stranger's attention on a phone.
33,000short-drama series released in China in 2025
850 millionshort-drama users in China
Over ¥100 billionmarket size in 2025, double the year before
Figures: China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA). Series released and users from its October 2026 report; market size from a September 2026 State Council press briefing.
What “proven” means here
These mechanics are proven to hold attention, at very large scale. Whether one sells your client's product is a separate question, and the pilot exists to answer it.
What we take
The structure. Where the put-down lands, who is watching, how long the hero stays quiet, when the turn comes and who reacts to it.
What we leave behind
Everything on the surface. No plots, characters, dialogue or footage from any series. The setting, the people and the product in your ad are new.
Three mechanics from our library
Filed the way a supplier files an ingredient: origin, payoff, where it fits, where it doesn't.
In the source
Underestimated in front of everyone, she quietly proves them wrong.
Genre: comeback stories, 逆袭 (nìxí). The payoff has its own name in Chinese: 打脸 (dǎliǎn), the face-slap.
Spec sheet · M-01
Public comeback
- Origin
- 逆袭 comeback dramas, China
- Payoff
- Status reverses in front of a witness
- Feeling
- Dignity, recognition
- Fits
- Results that are visible, fast, and judged by someone else
- Avoid
- Products with invisible or slow results
- Put-down
- Silent effort
- Public reveal
- They change their mind
In your ad
Have a Seat
- “Couch cleaning. Two hundred.”
- Thursday night with the roller
- He sits. His trousers stay clean.
- “...Where'd you get that?”
What makes it hold
- The put-down needs a witness.If nobody on screen sees the insult, nobody on screen can be proved wrong later.
- The hero doesn't argue.Silence stores the tension that the reveal spends.
- The payoff is the doubter's face.Hold on the reaction longer than on the result.
In the source
The quiet new hire everyone ignored turns out to own the company.
Genre: hidden-identity stories, 隐藏身份 (yǐncáng shēnfèn). A secret identity is a 马甲 (mǎjiǎ), a “vest”. The reveal is when the vest comes off.
Spec sheet · M-02
Hidden truth reveal
- Origin
- 马甲 hidden-identity dramas, China
- Payoff
- The truth comes out and everything reframes
- Feeling
- Surprise, discovering hidden value
- Fits
- A real, provable advantage people don't know about
- Avoid
- Products whose selling point is common knowledge
- Surface
- Doubt
- Clues
- The truth
- Everything reframes
In your ad
An everyday backpack
- Everyone assumes it's designer
- Friends take a closer look
- The stitching, the details
- The real price
- “Where did you get it?”
What makes it hold
- The viewer knows before the room does.Being in on the secret is the reason to keep watching.
- Every clue is a small misjudgment.Each wrong guess raises the value of the truth.
- Someone else says it.The reveal lands harder from a third party than from the hero.
In the source
Left with nothing, she builds a business from scratch, one small win at a time.
Genre: career-rebuild stories, 搞事业 (gǎo shìyè), “getting down to business”.
Spec sheet · M-03
Step-by-step turnaround
- Origin
- 搞事业 career-rebuild dramas, China
- Payoff
- Progress the viewer can count
- Feeling
- Hope, achievement
- Fits
- Progress that can be measured and shown over time
- Avoid
- Low-priced impulse buys
- Stuck
- One small change
- Measurable progress
- A setback
- Made it
In your ad
A language app
- Day 1: can't order a coffee
- Ten minutes a day
- Week three: small talk
- A bad day
- Day 60: the whole conversation
What makes it hold
- Start lower than feels comfortable.The distance travelled is the story.
- Count something on screen.Days, money, words. A number the viewer can watch move.
- One setback before the win.Without it, the win reads as luck.
A brief your producer can book from.
This is a spec brief for an invented brand, so you can judge the work before you send us anything. A paid Story Concept pilot delivers the same seven parts for your client.
Spec creative brief
Have a Seat
At the pre-move-out walkthrough, the landlord sits on her couch and stands up with the back of his trousers covered in dog hair. Two hundred dollars, out of the deposit. At the final inspection she says three words: “Have a seat.”
- Audience
- Renters, 25 to 40, with a dog or cat that sheds, in furnished apartments.
- Insight
- Pet hair is invisible to you and obvious to everyone who sits down. For a renter, the person who sits down is sometimes holding your deposit.
- Source mechanic
- Public comeback, from Chinese comeback dramas. The put-down has a witness (the clipboard), the hero says nothing, and the payoff is the doubter checking his own trousers.
- Why this story
- She is put down by someone with power over her money, says nothing, and wins in front of him. The roller is the only reason she wins, so the product carries the turn.
- Product truth
- Roll back and forth over upholstery and the hair collects in a chamber. Empty it, reuse it. No batteries, no sticky sheets.
Have a seat.Story line and end line. The couch is ready for anyone, in any trousers.
| Time | Beat | Picture | Dialogue / text | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:02 | Put-downHook | Landlord stands up from the couch. Rear view: navy trousers covered in pale dog hair. The dog watches from the rug. | (none) | Hook slot Body starts at 0:02. |
| 0:02–0:05 | Put-downThe verdict | He slaps at his trousers, then writes on the clipboard. | “Couch cleaning. Two hundred. Final inspection's Friday.” | Dry, not cruel. He's right, and that matters. |
| 0:05–0:06 | Put-downSilence | She looks at the dog. The dog looks away. | (none) | The only laugh before the turn. |
| 0:06–0:10 | Silent effortThursday night | One continuous take: the roller goes back and forth across the cushion; the chamber fills. | THURSDAY, 11:40 PM | Product Real time, one take. The fill is the shot. |
| 0:10–0:11 | Silent effortThe haul | She opens the chamber over the bin. A fist-sized puff of hair drops. | $200. | Product Text lands on the drop. |
| 0:11–0:13 | RevealFriday | Landlord in the doorway, same navy trousers, eyeing the couch. The dog is on its own bed. | Her: “Have a seat.” | Calm. She's been waiting for this. |
| 0:13–0:16 | RevealThe turn | He sits, carefully. Signs. Stands. Twists to check the back of his trousers. Clean. He checks again. | (none) | Reversal Longest hold. Mirror the 0:00 framing. |
| 0:16–0:18 | Change of mindRelease | He crosses out “Couch cleaning $200.” Glances at the roller on the side table. | “...Where'd you get that?” | Grudging respect, not defeat. |
| 0:18–0:20 | Change of mindEnd card | The roller on the clean navy cushion. The dog climbs up next to it. | Have a seat. Brand X Pet Hair Roller | CTA button. Sound: a soft cushion settle. |
A. The stand-up
His trousers, from behind.
As scripted. No text. The image carries it.
0:02 He slaps at his trousers
B. Flash-forward
“He sat down on purpose.”
Open on the 0:13 shot: he twists to check his trousers. Hard cut with text “9 days earlier.”
0:02 Same, with “9 days earlier” over the first second
C. Her side
“My landlord wants $200 for dog hair.”
She whispers it to camera from the hallway while he's still on the couch.
0:02 Cut to him slapping his trousers
| 15s | From 20s | Shot | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | 0:00–0:05 | Hook + verdict | None |
| 0:05–0:08 | 0:06–0:09 | Roller take | Drop the dog look. Trim the take to 3s. |
| 0:08–0:09 | 0:10–0:11 | The haul | None |
| 0:09–0:12 | 0:13–0:16 | The turn | Drop the doorway. Lay “Have a seat” off-screen over his sit. |
| 0:12–0:13 | 0:16–0:17 | Crossed-out fee | Drop the line. |
| 0:13–0:15 | 0:18–0:20 | End card | None |
| # | Shot | Framing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The stand-up | Rear, waist height, locked off | Navy trousers, pale-coated dog. The contrast sells the joke. |
| 02 | Verdict, clipboard | Medium, his eyeline | Two takes: slapping trousers, writing. |
| 03 | Her look, the dog's look | Two close-ups | Shoot the dog first. Treats behind camera. |
| 04 | Roller take | Top-down macro, one take | Start on a fully haired cushion. Lamp light, night. |
| 05 | The haul | Medium close over bin | Use the hair from shot 04. |
| 06 | Doorway, “Have a seat” | Her over-shoulder to him | Same trousers as shot 01. |
| 07 | The turn | Rear, waist height, locked off | Match shot 01 exactly. This frame also opens hook B. |
| 08 | Clipboard insert | Top-down | “Couch cleaning $200” crossed out. |
| 09 | Hook C to camera | Handheld, hallway | Whispered, phone-native. |
| 10 | End card plate | Wide, cushion and roller | Dog climbs up on cue. |
Cast: tenant, late 20s, deadpan. Landlord, 55 to 65, fair and fussy. One pale, heavy-shedding dog on a dark couch.
| Time | Beat | Picture | Voice / text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:02 | Put-down | Creator to camera, whispering from the hallway. | “My landlord wants $200 for dog hair.” |
| 0:02–0:05 | Put-down | Cutaway: navy trousers from behind, covered in hair. Waist down only. | VO: “He sat on my couch for ten seconds. Inspection's Friday.” |
| 0:05–0:10 | Silent effort | Phone propped top-down. One take: the roller crosses the cushion, the chamber fills. | THURSDAY, 11:40 PM |
| 0:10–0:12 | Silent effort | The haul drops in the bin. | $200. |
| 0:12–0:16 | Reveal | Friday. The same trousers sit, stand, and a hand brushes the back. Clean. | Off-screen: “Have a seat.” |
| 0:16–0:20 | Change of mind | Creator to camera, deadpan, holding the roller. End card. | “He asked where I got it.” |
One creator, one phone, one afternoon. The landlord never shows his face, so anyone in navy trousers can play him. The mechanic is unchanged.
- Round 1
- Hooks A, B and C on the same body. Read 3-second hold rate.
- Round 2
- The winning hook against your current best ad. Read watch time, CTR, then cost per purchase.
- Round 3
- The scripted cut against the creator version. Read cost per purchase against cost to produce.
Same footage. New rhythm.
The other pilot needs no shoot. We re-order one of your live ads around a source mechanic and hand your editor a timecoded cut list, two versions, line-by-line captions and a side-by-side test plan against the original.
A 15-second product ad, before and after. The original opens on the problem. The re-edit opens on the result and adds one turn.
0:00
Originalproblem first
Re-editresult first
Open on the resultThe strongest frame moves to 0:00. Watch the 3-second hold rate.
Land a turnOne caption reframes the scene before the payoff. Watch average watch time.
Hold something backAn open question before the CTA, answered on the product page. Watch CTR.
We sit upstream. Your team keeps production and the client.
- YouSend one brandA public Ad Library link is enough. Nothing confidential.
- UsSnapshot, freeOne page on what the ads rely on and what they never try. Back in 3 business days.
- Us, then youPilot briefA concept or re-edit plan your editors and creators can work from directly.
- You and usTest and readYou run the test. We read the numbers with you and plan the next round.
Not an agency
We don't pitch brands, buy media or produce ads. We never contact your client. Our work can go out under your name.
Not an AI ad generator
You get a researched idea with its reasoning attached. Ask why any beat is there and we'll tell you.
Not a swipe file
Ad libraries show what ads in your market already do. We bring in story mechanics they haven't tried, from a market most teams can't read.
Start free. Then try one paid pilot.
No retainer to begin. Most agencies start with a free snapshot, so you see our work before you pay for anything. Then commission one piece of work and test it.
Paid pilot, choose one
One piece of work, done properly
Story Concept
$7505 business days
One production-ready brief, like the sample above: strategy, 20s script, 15s cut-down, three hooks, shot list, creator version and test plan.
Re-edit
$3503 business days
For one of your live ads: a timecoded cut list, two versions, line-by-line captions and a side-by-side test plan against the original. No new shoot.
- Fixed price, paid upfront. The clock starts when payment and brand materials arrive.
- One round of revisions within 2 business days, inside the agreed direction.
- If your team can't work from what we deliver, we'll revise it once more or refund you.
- We're taking on our first agency clients now. That's why pilots are priced where they are and capped at four a month.
After the pilot
Ongoing supply
New concepts and re-edits each month, with a readout of what your tests showed. Scoped with you once the pilot results are in.
Your pilot fee is credited to the first month.
Talk about it
Sample snapshot
Brand X pet hair roller
Five live ads read. An invented brand, to show the format.
What the ads rely on
Four of five open on the problem: a hand on a hairy couch, then the roller, then a clean cushion. The fifth is a creator testimonial.
All five have one person on screen and no dialogue with anyone else.
What they never try
Nobody is ever judged. There is no second person, no deadline and nothing to lose.
The result is shown in every ad, but nobody on screen reacts to it. The payoff has no witness.
First change to test
Re-cut ad 3 so the clean couch opens the ad, and add one witness: a guest who sits down and stands up clean.
Watch 3-second hold rate first, then watch time. If hold improves, a comeback concept is worth a pilot.
We source exceptional story ingredients for exceptional creative teams.
Think of us as a specialty supplier to a great kitchen. We find story mechanics proven with very large audiences and prepare them for your product. Your team cooks them into ads for your clients.
Why Ambrette. Ambrette is the seed of a flowering mallow, a rare natural musk that perfumers prize. A supplier finds it. A perfumer makes something new with it.
What we believe. Six hundred years ago the playwright Zeami wrote that what delights an audience and what feels new to it are the same thing. A story that has run its course in one market can be new again in another.
Who you'll work with
I'm Dylan Yao, founder of Ambrette. I study storytelling mechanics emerging from China's micro-drama market and turn them into original, brief-ready concepts for performance creative teams.
Questions agencies ask first
Where do the story mechanics come from?
Mostly from Chinese short dramas, and from other markets where serialized stories are tested at scale. We watch what tops the charts, break the winners down beat by beat, and keep the mechanics that repeat across many series.
Are you copying Chinese dramas?
No. We take structure only: the order of the beats and the reason each one works. Every plot, character, line and frame in your brief is new and written for your product.
Do these stories land with Western audiences?
The settings don't travel, and we don't ask them to. Being judged, staying quiet and being proved right are familiar everywhere. We rebuild the surface for your audience, and the pilot tests whether it lands.
Will another agency get the same concept?
No. A concept written for your client is never sold to anyone else. The underlying mechanic stays in our library, the same way a three-act structure belongs to nobody.
What if the work doesn't work for us?
Every pilot includes one round of revisions within 2 business days. If your team still can't work from it, we'll revise it once more or refund you. How an ad performs is what the test is for, and we read the results with you.
What does a pilot cost?
A Story Concept pilot is $750. A Re-edit pilot is $350. Both are fixed prices, paid upfront, and credited to your first month if you continue. Ongoing supply is scoped once the pilot results are in.
How fast?
A snapshot comes back in 3 business days. A Re-edit takes 3 business days and a Story Concept 5, counted from when payment and brand materials arrive.
Do you shoot or edit the ads?
No. We deliver briefs, scripts and re-edit plans. Your editors and creators produce them, so the work fits the way your team already runs.
Which platforms?
Short-form vertical video: Meta Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
Can the work go out under our agency's name?
Yes. Ownership and confidentiality are set in a short agreement before we start, and we can work under your NDA.
Send us one brand you're working on.
We'll read five of its live ads and send back one page, with the first change we'd test. Ready for a pilot already? Choose it below and we'll reply with an invoice and a start date.
- A public Ad Library link is all we need
- Back in 3 business days
- Free, and no call required
Your request is ready to send
Send it from your own inbox so our reply reaches you. Address: hello@ambrettesupply.com