Three AI video tools are worth testing before your next campaign because each solves a different production problem: Runway for generating original visuals and B-roll from text or images, Creatify for producing ready-to-run ads from a script or product link, and HeyGen for presenter-led videos and translating existing footage into other languages. Running a small, structured test with each one will show which fits your campaign faster than reading feature lists ever could.
The trick is to test them on real work. Give each tool an actual brief from your upcoming campaign, set a time limit and judge the output on the same criteria you’d use for any ad: does it stop the scroll, explain the offer clearly and look like it belongs to your brand?
Before You Start: Set Up a Fair Test
A fair comparison needs a fixed starting point. Pick one product or offer, write a single 30-second script and gather the same assets for every tool, including your logo, product images, brand colors and any existing footage. That way, differences in the results come from the tools, not from the inputs.
Decide in advance what “good” looks like. Useful checkpoints include how long it took to reach a usable draft, how many edits were needed, how closely the result matched your brand and whether the video would pass your usual review process. Scoring each tool from one to five on these points keeps the decision grounded.
Finally, check the practical details before you commit: licensing terms for commercial use, export formats and aspect ratios, and whether the pricing plan covers the number of videos you’d realistically produce each month.
1. Runway: For Visuals You Couldn’t Easily Film
Runway is built around generative video. You can describe a scene in text, start from a still image or extend and modify existing clips, and the tool produces short video segments. For campaigns that need atmospheric shots, abstract product backdrops or scenes that would be expensive to film, such as a product floating through a stylized environment, it can open up options that were previously out of reach for small teams.
The strength here is originality. Instead of relying on stock footage that competitors may also use, you can create visuals tailored to your concept. Editing features such as background removal and motion tools also help when you’re refining footage you already own.
It’s less suited to delivering a complete ad by itself. Generated clips are usually short, and getting consistent characters, accurate product details or readable text can take several attempts. Most teams use Runway to produce ingredients, then assemble them elsewhere.
Test to run: Generate three 5-second background shots for your campaign concept and drop them into an existing ad edit. If they lift the ad without looking out of place, Runway has earned a spot in your workflow.
2. Creatify: For Complete Ads at Testing Volume
Where Runway produces building blocks, Creatify focuses on turning a script into a finished ad, complete with visuals, voiceover, captions and formats sized for social feeds. You can also start from a product page, which suits e-commerce brands launching new products quickly.
This makes it particularly useful for performance campaigns that rely on constant iteration. Rather than perfecting one video, you can produce several versions of the same message with different openings, pacing or presenters and see which one audiences respond to. That volume matters on platforms where ads lose effectiveness quickly and fresh variations are needed every week.
The trade-off is creative control at the frame-by-frame level. Brands with a highly distinctive visual style may still want an editor to polish final versions or combine generated ads with original footage.
Test to run: Take your campaign script and produce five versions with different first lines. Launch them with a small budget for a few days and compare how many viewers keep watching past the first three seconds. If the tool helps you find a stronger opening than your current best ad, it’s paying for itself.
3. HeyGen: For Presenters and Multilingual Versions
HeyGen specializes in presenter-led video. It offers AI avatars that deliver scripts on camera, along with the option to create a custom avatar from a real person who has given consent. One of its most practical features for campaigns is video translation, which can convert an existing video into other languages with matched voice and lip movements.
That’s valuable for brands running campaigns across several markets. A single explainer or founder message can be adapted for different audiences without reshooting, and consistent presenters help build familiarity across a series of videos.
As with any AI presenter, context matters. Avatars work well for explanations, announcements and product walkthroughs, but they aren’t a substitute for real customer testimonials, and viewers can react poorly if a generated presenter feels too polished or unnatural. Clear disclosure where platforms require it also helps maintain trust.
Test to run: Translate one of your best-performing videos into a second language your audience uses and show it to a native speaker before launch. If the voice, timing and tone feel natural to them, you can expand into new markets with far less production effort.
Choosing What to Keep
After testing, compare your scores alongside the real performance data from any ads you launched. It’s common for teams to keep more than one tool, since each covers a different stage of production: Runway for original visuals, Creatify for fast ad variations and HeyGen for presenters and localization.
Avoid committing to annual plans until you’ve used a tool on at least one live campaign. A tool that looks impressive in a demo may slow you down in practice, while a simpler one might fit your workflow perfectly. Let a single campaign’s results decide which tools earn a permanent place in your process, then revisit that choice each quarter as the tools, and your needs, continue to change.