Recently, YouTube has come under fire from some big brands and businesses because their ads have been linked to some really disturbing and offensive content.
While the site’s parent company, Google, claims they’re working on the problem, some major companies have pulled their advertising from Google after being associated with this scandal. Still, this hasn’t seemed to deter most companies, who haven’t removed their ads.
The future of advertising on major platforms like YouTube is a bit unclear, but there’s no doubt that awesome ads will always be relevant and powerful. In the meantime, check out these 6 amazing video ads to get some inspiration for your own work.
1. Turkish Airlines – Kobe vs. Messi: The Selfie Shootout
Released back in 2013, the ad has racked up an astonishing 146 million views (as of writing). The minds behind this success include the agencies Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Starcom and it was the sequel of another hit ad starring the same sports stars (and still for Turkish Airlines).
In fact, this advertisement became so popular that YouTube included it in its list of 20 iconic ads, and even named it ad of the decade after a round of votes. It’s pretty charming and has a style all its own.
There are three main reasons behind its success. For starters, the ad starred two of the most popular people in sports today. It certainly helped that their fans enjoyed seeing this lighter side to their idols.
But star power isn’t enough to make ads go viral. The story of the two outdoing each other while travelling all around the globe provided plenty of comic relief.
Lastly, the timeliness of its release also propelled the ad’s popularity. In that year, the selfie phenomenon had really gained traction and become a cultural phenomenon. In fact, it was also in that year that the word “selfie” was included in the Oxford Dictionary.
2. “Like a Girl” for Always
This empowering ad currently has 64 million views on YouTube. It also broke ground as the first feminine care product advertisement that aired prominently during the Super Bowl. Sure, lots of women have appeared in Super Bowl ads before, but this was the first commercial that specifically aimed to empower women.
But Fama Franciso, the Vice President of Global Always, revealed that the inspiration for the ad was from analyzing customer research. In the results, they discovered that some girls tend to start losing their self-confidence once they reach puberty. After discovering that, it became apparent to the agency that creating an ad that empowers young women would provide a powerful message and resonate well.
3. “The Epic Split” for Volvo Trucks (starring Jean Claude Van Damme)
Here’s another video starring a big name. But what’s interesting about this video is the incongruity of it all. From Van Damme performing a precarious split on the side mirrors of two trucks to Enya playing in the background, it’s pretty surreal.
This kind of style might be what you’d expect from Japanese commercials. But the creator of this ad is Forsman & Bodenfors, a Swedish advertising agency. Björn Engström, one of the creative executives of the company, revealed that making the ad had its own set of challenges. However, they prevailed by believing in their vision.
And it seems the viewers agreed with them, considering the ad has generated over 87 million views. It also made a big impression on the advertising industry, skyrocketing Volvo and everyone associated with the ad to fame. Back in 2014, Forsman & Bodenfors won “Agency of the Year” for their work.
If you want to make an epic video by other means, considering buying some YouTube Views for your videos. These bought Views, even though they don’t represent real people, will draw in organic Views when people see how popular your videos are.
4. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” for Old Spice
Whoever thought “I’m on a horse” could become such an iconic line? This ad definitely put Old Spice men’s body spray on everyone’s radar, no matter how you smell.
But aside from the success of this weird ad and the many others like it, another surprising effect was that it was women who mostly bought men’s body spray (presumably for the men in their lives).
But if you look deeper, the reasons for its success are really quite simple. First of all, they were able to catch people’s attention extremely well, which is crucial considering there are thousands if not millions of ads on YouTube. The second is after posting the video, the brand successfully encouraged engagement among their target consumers.
The way they engaged with customers was just as fun as the commercial. They recorded over 180 responses and posted them on their own YouTube channel, with Isaiah Mustafa in full (or lack thereof) costume. No wonder the ladies responded the way they did.
5. Knorr #LoveAtFirstTaste
With 60 million views and counting, this ad is a testament to how millennials are fascinated with food. In fact, a study reveals that 63% of them admit they are foodies. Even further than that, the average millennial spends 14 times as much as the average family on food.
But there’s another reason why this ad became so popular, and it’s people’s fascination with social experiments. The commercial’s director was Tatia Pilieva, the same director of another viral hit, “First Kiss,” which generated over 123 million views.
While there has been some flak regarding the authenticity of these experiments, that still doesn’t negate the fact that viewers find them fascinating and thought-provoking. This winning formula of catering to millennials’ fascination with food and social experiments led to the commercial’s overall success.
6. Dove Real Beauty Sketches | You’re more beautiful than you think
Here’s another social experiment that went viral, with almost 68 million views. The majority of its success can be attributed to the emotional response that viewers got from the commercial.
This is the second viral ad Dove had released, the first of which was “Evolution,” which revealed how a model is prepped for a photo shoot and how her picture is edited.
Another important factor for the ad’s success was its shareability. An enormous number of people shared, posted, and retweeted this video on social media, which attributed to much of its traffic. According to Campaign, the video was shared over 4 million times!
How the video was released also played a part in its success, specifically in where and who helped circulate it online. The video was first released to the US, Canada, Brazil, and Australia in participation with YouTube and Unruly.
So to all the digital video marketers out there, the lesson here is to expose your ads to your target demographic as soon as possible, and get them sharing.
The Takeaway — What Can You Learn?
These ads are unique in their own way, but what they all had in common was that they resonated among millions and millions of viewers. Whatever ads you come up with, make sure they reach as vast an audience as soon as possible.
So don’t be afraid to purchase a large set of initial YouTube Views to draw more attention to your videos. Those Views will make your videos look more popular, and people will feel compelled to come watch them. That just might be the push you need to get a video to go viral.
These ads were funny, clever, interesting, and thought-provoking. Some of them challenge cultural stereotypes and take progressive attitudes. Figure out how you can adapt these strategies to your own ads, and watch as they take off!
Date: November 3, 2017 / Categories: Tips, / Author: Alex
