B2B Video Library

Adobe | The Heist

Adobe flips the typical high-stakes heist story on its head with a hilarious twist: in a world of cutting-edge security, the real challenge isn’t cracking a safe—it’s opening a simple PDF. The ad leans into spy-movie tropes before delivering a perfectly absurd punchline, making Adobe Acrobat the unexpected hero of the mission.

The Formula (That Works at Any Budget):

  • Genre Subversion = Instant Engagement – The ad sets up like a classic Hollywood heist: a team of elite thieves, high-tech security, and a sense of urgency. But instead of a high-tech challenge, the real problem is an unopenable PDF.
    → Lesson: Set up a familiar scenario, then break expectations for comedic impact.

  • Exaggeration of Everyday Pain Points – We’ve all struggled with locked PDFs, missing passwords, or annoying security settings. The ad escalates that frustration to absurd levels—turning it into a life-or-death mission failure.
    → Lesson: Take an everyday business struggle and crank it up to the extreme.

  • Product as the “Plot Twist” Hero – Just when it seems the mission is doomed, the solution is revealed: Adobe Acrobat removes all the friction and saves the day.
    → Lesson: Make your product the hero, but in a way that feels natural, not forced.

Humor Breakdown:

  • Tension + Absurdity – The ad builds suspense like a real heist movie, only to shatter it with something hilariously mundane—a locked PDF.

  • Deadpan delivery – The characters treat the PDF issue with life-or-death seriousness, making it even funnier.

  • Relatable frustration – Anyone who’s ever struggled with a document at the worst possible moment will feel this pain—and laugh at how far the ad takes it.

Final Verdict:

Adobe nails humor through contrast, blending big-budget action with painfully relatable tech struggles. The result? An ad that’s both hilarious and effective, proving that even a PDF tool can be marketed like a blockbuster film.

Brave-o-meter score:
B-8 | R-7 | A-8 | V-8 | E-7
BRAVE – 7.6/10

Watch the full ad & learn more:
Website: Adobe
LinkedIn: Adobe LinkedIn Page

(See what BRAVE means in our collection)

Understanding the B.R.A.V.E. Scoring System

The B.R.A.V.E. scoring system uses AI to deliver an unbiased evaluation of top-of-the-funnel B2B brand ads. It measures potential impact, memorability, and effectiveness by assessing five key components of a video ad or commercial. This system gauges an ad's capacity to drive brand recall and enhance salience, ensuring that creative work not only captures attention but also leaves a lasting impression.

What B.R.A.V.E. Stands For:

Each letter represents a key factor in determining an ad’s success:

  • B — Boldness: Is the ad original, creative, or daring? Does it break away from generic B2B marketing, or is it just another forgettable corporate video?
  • R — Relevance: Does it connect with a real buyer pain point? Is it addressing a specific frustration or need, or just listing product features?
  • A — Attention: Does it grab and hold attention in the first few seconds? Is it visually or tonally engaging, or easy to skip?
  • V — Vibe: Does it create an emotional response—laughter, recognition, or surprise? Or does it feel like just another corporate info dump?
  • E — Effectiveness: Will buyers remember the brand when they need a solution? Does the ad make an impact that lasts beyond the moment?

How It’s Applied to B2B Video Rating

Each video is scored 1 to 10 in all five categories, based on how well it meets the criteria. The total score (out of 50) is then divided by 5 to give a final B.R.A.V.E. score out of 10.

For example:

  • An ad scoring B-8 | R-9 | A-7 | V-6 | E-8 has a total of 38/50.
  • The final B.R.A.V.E. score is 7.6/10.

Why It Matters

B2B ads often struggle with being bland, forgettable, or ineffective. The B.R.A.V.E. system ensures they are judged by their ability to break through, connect with buyers, and drive action.

Simply put: If your ad isn’t B.R.A.V.E., it’s invisible.

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