If you’ve seen the recent Volvo Trucks video featuring Jean-Claude van Damme pulling off “the most epic of splits”, you will know that a great ad can be as watchable as a film. And shorter to boot. YouTube is transforming the way people watch ads and engage with the brands behind them. Online, people don’t just watch ads: they like them, comment on them, share them with friends. In some cases, they even remake them (check out Channing Tatum having a crack at the Volvo/Van Damme ad here.) Online ads create a level of brand engagement that is not possible through TV alone. Australia’s most viewed YouTube ad in 2013 was a powerful three minute piece for Dove's Real Beauty campaign with almost 60 million global views. It shows that content doesn’t have to be funny to be shared: if an ad triggers an emotional response, people are more likely to watch it, and share it. The great news from the 2013 YouTube Ads Leaderboard is that Australian advertisers are catching on fast, with Australian ads accounting for nearly half of the top ten. If an ad is interesting, thought provoking or helpful (like K-Mart’s summer outfit ideas), it can really take off. Here’s to an Australian winner in 2014! 1. Real Beauty Sketches (Dove / Ogilvy & Mather)
2. Baby & me (Evian / BETC) 3. Dinner Party (Samsung / Leo Burnett) 4. Cute Baby vs Motion Sync Vacuum Cleaner (Samsung / The Viral Factory) 5. Safety Old School (Air New Zealand / TRUE) 6. Chrome: Now Everywhere (Google Creative Labs) 7. Qantas Frequent Flyer: For Every Journey (QANTAS / Droga5) 8. Jeff Gordon Test Drive (Pepsi / TBWA\Chiat\Day)
9. Summer Outfit Ideas (K-Mart / Mustard) 10. Make Time for Living (IKEA Australia / The Monkeys) We calculated the leaderboard using an algorithm that factors in paid views, organic views and view rate (how much of a video people chose to watch). The 2013 YouTube Ads Leaderboard is featured in AdNews (29 November issue). View count as of 26 November 2013. Posted by Olly Grundy, Head of YouTube Solutions
9. Summer Outfit Ideas (K-Mart / Mustard) 10. Make Time for Living (IKEA Australia / The Monkeys) We calculated the leaderboard using an algorithm that factors in paid views, organic views and view rate (how much of a video people chose to watch). The 2013 YouTube Ads Leaderboard is featured in AdNews (29 November issue). View count as of 26 November 2013. Posted by Olly Grundy, Head of YouTube Solutions