ClickUp | How Software Engineers Feel When They’ve Had It!

Two software engineers sit at their desk, visibly frustrated. The man groans, “Oh, come on!” while the woman throws her drink in anger. The action freezes and bold text appears: “We’re Software Engineers” and “WE’VE HAD IT with Outdated, Overly Complex Tools.” When the scene resumes, the man flips the entire desk as both cheer in cathartic release. Suddenly, the footage rewinds, putting everything back in place. A calm voiceover introduces ClickUp, showing its clean, easy-to-use interface for sprints, timelines, and team collaboration. The message is clear: bad tools create chaos, ClickUp brings order.

The Formula (That Works at Any Budget)

Painful truth = Bad tools make you snap
The ad captures the universal frustration of working with clunky software that slows you down and makes every task harder than it should be.
Lesson: Turn an internal feeling (frustration) into an external, physical, and highly memorable action.

The cathartic hook = The desk flip
Instead of simply showing stressed faces, the ad delivers the fantasy release everyone secretly wants—the dramatic desk flip. It’s shocking, funny, and instantly relatable.
Lesson: Start with a bold, unexpected action to make your audience feel the pain before you show the solution.

Rewind to the solution = Calm after the chaos
The clever rewind effect undoes the destruction and transitions smoothly into ClickUp’s calm, organized dashboard. The contrast is powerful and satisfying.
Lesson: Use creative editing to emphasize the before-and-after transformation your product delivers.

Humor Breakdown

The humor is slapstick catharsis. The slow-motion tantrum is exaggerated enough to be funny, yet grounded in a frustration every engineer understands. The rewind gag adds a smart storytelling twist that ties the chaos directly to the solution.

Final Verdict

This ad is short, bold, and instantly relatable. By showing raw frustration in a hilarious way and then rewinding to calm, ClickUp proves itself as the obvious cure for software-induced stress.

BRAVE-o-meter
B: 9 | R: 8 | A: 7 | V: 9 | E: 8
Final Score: 8.2/10

Watch the full ad & learn more:
Website: ClickUp.com
LinkedIn: ClickUp on LinkedIn

(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:

  • BBoldness: Is the ad original, creative, or daring? Does it break away from generic B2B marketing, or is it just another forgettable corporate video?
  • RRelevance: Does it connect with a real buyer pain point? Is it addressing a specific frustration or need, or just listing product features?
  • AAttention: Does it grab and hold attention in the first few seconds? Is it visually or tonally engaging, or easy to skip?
  • VVibe: Does it create an emotional response—laughter, recognition, or surprise? Or does it feel like just another corporate info dump?
  • EEffectiveness: 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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