Stop Leading with Features: How to Warm Audiences Before You Close the Deal

When it comes to marketing videos, one of the biggest strategic questions brands face is this: should you tell your audience exactly why your product is great—or should you start by simply making them care? 

Marketers often frame this as overt versus covert advertising. Overt ads tell you directly what a product does and why you should buy it, with a clear call to action suggesting a sale. Covert ads lead with story, emotion, or entertainment, weaving the brand into the narrative instead of spotlighting it. These types of ads either leave out a CTA altogether, or start with a softer, low-lift CTA such as, “give us a like or a follow” or “join our email newsletter for a discount/more tips and tricks”. 

Both approaches can work—but they serve different roles in the customer journey. Let’s unpack what the research says about each style, and how brands (let’s say a random toothpaste company for example) can use both effectively inside a sales funnel. 

What the Research Says 

1. Trust and Believability 

Multiple studies have shown that consumers tend to trust covert advertising more. When people realize they’re being sold to, they activate what researchers call persuasion knowledge—the mental defense system that makes us skeptical of marketing. Consider how often you’ve swiped past a video within half a second the moment it seemed like an ad.

Covert ads delay or soften that response. A 2019 study found that audiences rated covert promotions as more believable and emotionally resonant, leading to stronger brand evaluations. In contrast, overt ads often trigger resistance: “they’re just trying to sell me something”. 

2. Attention and Engagement 

Story-driven, covert videos are typically better at holding attention. Narrative structure and emotion create curiosity loops—the same psychological mechanisms that make us binge TV shows. 

By contrast, overt feature-lists can lose viewers quickly, especially in scroll-based environments like TikTok or YouTube Shorts. Without emotional or visual intrigue, the brain labels them as ads and tunes out. 

3. Memory and Recall 

Emotional engagement enhances memory formation. Research in advertising psychology consistently shows that people remember stories better than facts. 

4. The Risk of Going Too Far 

That said, covert advertising can backfire if audiences feel deceived. Transparency matters. If viewers later discover the “story” was actually an ad, the brand risks losing trust. Avoid lines like, “...and that’s why I LOVE my new XYZ and can’t imagine life without it!” The key is balance: subtle persuasion, not manipulation. 

Applying It to the Toothpaste Example 

Let’s imagine two campaigns for the same toothpaste brand. 

Campaign A: Overt Ad (Features-First) 

A bright, clinical set. The narrator lists product benefits: “Whiter teeth in 3 days. Dentist-approved enamel protection. Vegan and fluoride-free.” 
The brand logo appears prominently in the first 3 seconds before the presenter even begins speaking. 

Pros: 

• Quickly communicates differentiation and value. 

• Strong performance for people actively shopping. 

• Easier to measure direct conversions. 

• Makes it clear and easy to buy if viewers are ALREADY ready 

Cons: 

• Triggers skepticism in cold audiences. 

• May feel like “just another ad.” 

• Limited emotional connection or recall. 

• Triggers immediate swipes away if viewers are not correctly pre-qualified  

Campaign B: Covert Ad (Story-First) 

A short film follows someone getting ready for a big date. They’re nervous, brushing their teeth as part of their confidence ritual. The brand is seen naturally—no product claims, no pitch. 
At the end, they smile in the mirror and head out the door. This person has a relatable yet desirable life. We’re rooting for them to win. 

Pros: 

• Captures attention and emotional engagement. 

• Builds brand affinity. 

• Reduces ad-resistance; feels authentic. 

Cons: 

• Slower path to conversion—viewers might not remember why the toothpaste is special. 

• Requires follow-up messaging to drive purchase. 

• Less efficient if your goal is immediate sales. 

Where Each Belongs in the Funnel 

The key isn’t choosing one or the other. It’s sequencing them correctly. 

Top of Funnel (Awareness) 

Goal: Grab attention, build emotional connection. 

Style: Covert, Story first 

Middle of Funnel (Engagement) 

Goal: Educate, show differentiation 

Style: Hybrid, Story + Product benefits 

Bottom of Funnel (Conversion) 

Goal: Drive purchase 

Style: Overt, Feature-First  

Think of it like dating: the first interaction shouldn’t be a marriage proposal. You start by just having fun, showing personality and compatibility (covert), then you share more about your strengths, vulnerability, and what you bring to the table (hybrid), and finally, when the trust is built, you ask for commitment (overt). 

Platform Context Matters 

• On social media feeds: People are in entertainment mode. Covert storytelling wins attention. 

• In search ads or product comparison contexts: People are already shopping. Overt, feature-driven ads perform better. 

• In retargeting campaigns: You’ve already earned attention and found an audience who is interested. That’s the perfect time for the overt “why buy now” message. 

But Which Works Better? (If you could only choose one) 

If your brand is new or lacks strong emotional equity, starting with an overt features-list ad will be like shouting into the void. Viewers don’t yet have a reason to trust you or care about your benefits. It’s money wasted. 

Covert storytelling gives them that reason. It establishes connection first, credibility second, and conversion third. 

However, if your brand already has awareness and credibility, think Colgate or Crest, leading with overt benefits can be efficient. Consumers are already past the “who are you?” stage; they just need a reason to switch or repurchase. That’s not to say Colgate or Crest couldn’t benefit from some brand affinity, especially if they don’t have any differentiating features. For instance, they both advertise the same thing: the best whitening formula, dentist recommended, cavity prevention, etc.

As a matter of fact, I challenge you right now to explain the difference between both of those brands from the top of your head. You can’t, can you?  

If they were to put money into covert ads that make their brand cool and differentiated, they’d win over a lot of people. All the while, turning average buyers into faithful fans with MUCH higher lifetime value. For starters, they could try leaning harder into comedy/entertainment in their video content. 

Let’s analyze a campaign that Colgate is currently running. They call the campaign “Smile First”, with the tag line, “smiling first can help someone find the courage to do the same”. They are running a video featuring a girl at school photo day who is nervous to smile because of her braces. But another girl with braces smiles at her and she suddenly has the courage to smile too. This video would be classified as a middle of funnel, semi-overt style ad. However, if the goal of a middle of the funnel ad is to be engaging, I have to ask, does that sound like a very engaging concept to you? No. Here’s what’s wrong with it: 

• The scenario is safe and generic. It won't generate high engagement or stand out in a feed. 

• The story is low on drama, humor, tension, novelty or a strong hook. 

• For a middle-funnel piece (intended to engage, deepen connection, move toward consideration), the message is somewhat vague: “smile to help others” is nice, but doesn’t strongly differentiate Colgate’s brand, nor does it create a strong interactive moment. 

• There's a mismatch: if middle-funnel is meant to transition from “I like the brand” toward “I might purchase it”, you want more than generic kindness—you want something memorable, maybe a little distinctive, brand-centric, even entertaining or surprising. 

Given all of that, there’s a good opportunity to propose a more engaging, higher-impact, middle-funnel idea for Colgate. 

Hypothetically, what if they invested their campaign spend into a simple podcast style, episodic setup between Colgate representatives and different guest stars each week? They could create a 2-minute gameshow where they show the guest star closeup images of other famous people's smiles and have the guest try to guess whose smile it is. No need to mention if those smiles use Colgate. This is about pure entertainment related to smiles and teeth. This poses the Colgate brand as a pop culture entertainment source. It makes them fun, memorable, and unique. People would subscribe to their pages just to watch their content. And then the next time those viewers are in the toothpaste isle, they'll spot Colgate and be much more emotionally connected, making the likelihood of a sale exorbitantly higher. 

You could have a lot of fun iterating ideas like that to create so many other video series for Colgate’s channels. Here are some more fun examples: 

• “Guess That Cavity” – Dentists look at extreme close-ups of teeth and have to identify what’s wrong—except one image is actually a frosted donut. 

• “Brush Off” – Contestants have to brush a fake set of teeth while riding a mechanical bull and reciting Colgate ingredient facts. 

• “Mouthful of Truth” – Dentists try to debunk common myths while wearing cheek retractors. 

This analysis demonstrates exactly what most legacy brands fail to understand about modern funnel psychology: you don’t earn loyalty by talking about your product—you earn it by being part of culture. 

The Bottom Line 

Overt and covert marketing aren’t opposites—they’re complementary. 

• Covert content wins hearts and attention. 

• Overt content closes the deal. 

The smartest brands build campaigns where each type of message supports the other, moving viewers smoothly from curiosity to conviction. 

So before you start your next campaign, ask yourself: 
Are you trying to make people care—or make them convert? 

Because your answer should determine not just what you say, but when you say it.