The Secrets Behind The 3 Most Viewed YouTube Ads

As marketers, we share a common goal: to persuade people to engage with our brands. Truth be told, it may take a lot of work to make it happen. That's why I'm always impressed by the YouTube Ads Leaderboard, an annual list of the most viewed video ads of the year. In a world with unlimited content, millions of people actually prefer to watch these ads. So it's worth considering what makes these ads so successful.

While there's no single formula for making a video ad go viral, we can make observations about what works to inspire our own media strategies. Here are 3 proven approaches from the latest Ads Leaderboard for you to try.

Anchor your campaign to YouTube viewing trends

HBO Max wanted to reach two different audiences for its "Harry Potter" 20th anniversary special; die-hard "Harry Potter" fans who are ready to fall under the spell of the series again, and a new generation of young viewers who have not yet fully embraced the series.
To appeal to both groups, HBO Max has embraced a strong trend: People like to watch content that makes them feel nostalgic. Keeping this trend in mind, the brand designed a video ad to offer viewers a heartwarming experience filled with "Harry Potter" memories. Beyond showcasing the cast's unforgettable moments, the ad drew fans in and authentically commemorated their journeys.

https://youtu.be/fFGS4zZWGoA

HBO Max leveraged YouTube to support the campaign. As JP Mallo, VP of Marketing at HBO Max Originals, explains: “When we release our first marketing creatives, YouTube is often our go-to indicator to understand how our audience is engaging, what sentiments we see, and what (if anything) they are responding to in terms of content themes.”

YouTube has proven to be an ideal platform for HBO Max's advertising, as people of all ages turn to the platform to access nostalgic content. According to the 2022 Ipsos survey, 80% of Generation Z stated that they watched YouTube to feel nostalgic.1 HBO Max, which ran a nostalgia-based campaign on YouTube, appealed to "Harry Potter" enthusiasts and also managed to attract the attention of a younger generation.

The campaign launched in mid-November with bumper ads, as well as non-skippable and skippable in-stream ads, to drive brand awareness and consideration. Then, in the days leading up to the holiday premiere, HBO Max used YouTube Select to serve ads alongside premium content. Finally, they leveraged the YouTube Masthead before and after the holiday premiere and concluded the campaign by embedding the video in YouTube's Home feed to increase mass awareness. Ultimately, this approach resulted in a 12.7% increase in brand awareness (a remarkable increase for a brand with already high brand awareness) and 49 million unique users.

Create creative that suits the different devices viewers use

WE, Egypt's primary telecommunications company, needed an advertising campaign that would stand out among the holiday crowd during the busy Ramadan period. To achieve this, he created videos to help viewers understand the changing trends during Ramadan.

Eslam Nassar, the brand's head of digital marketing, says the team decided "the campaign needed to incorporate a variety of ad formats" because WE's message needed to appeal to audiences across multiple generations. “So we turned to YouTube to tell a compelling, creative story with different ad formats across different devices.”

WE planned and implemented a full-funnel video strategy that leverages a unique mix of short and long-form ads. For audiences in the brand awareness stage, the team ran 6-second bumper ads that would introduce the campaign and provide a quick call to action.

WE then created a full-length in-stream video ad to further engage mid- and lower-funnel audiences. This ad is designed to be viewed on all devices, from connected TV to mobile. To ensure people were fully immersed in this long-form ad thanks to the brand's unique approach to storytelling, the team followed YouTube's four guiding principles for effective video ads on the platform, the ABCDs (which stands for attract, brand, connect and lead). based on letters).

To quickly grab viewers' attention and connect with them, the video started with a catchy musical track. WE used the purple color, which stands out in its logo, extensively in its video visuals to strengthen the company's brand. To better connect with multi-generational viewers, the video compared Ramadan traditions practiced throughout the ages. Finally, viewers were directed in the video to take action to sign up for WE's services to stay in touch with their families.

https://youtu.be/zJ7Q7bIVd_4

This multiformat strategy proved successful. Within the first 24 hours, this long video surpassed 1 million views. Moreover, the completion rate exceeded the brand's 2021 Ramadan video by 204% and the market average by 47%. Ultimately, the campaign reached 79% of Egypt's YouTube viewer population.

Ahmed Nageb, WE's digital advertising manager, sums it up as follows: "YouTube is one of the most important platforms that helps us effectively implement our digital strategies. Thanks to its large audience that can be targeted on different devices with various ad formats, we were able to achieve maximum reach while achieving our campaign goals."

Leave eager viewers wanting more

Last year, BMW launched the first all-electric BMW iX sports car in the United States. To promote this milestone during the Super Bowl, BMW created a 60-second hero video commercial showing Zeus, the mythological Greek god of sky and lightning, reclusive in Palm Springs, rediscovering his life force with a BMW iX gifted by his wife Hera.

https://youtu.be/nUC1QA5gRcU

BMW has made YouTube a key part of its Super Bowl strategy to expand advertising's reach during this peak moment. Albrecht Pagenstert, head of brand marketing at BMW, explains: "YouTube is a great content amplifier that not only increases audience size exponentially but also extends the duration of the ad spot. Our ad, which aired once during the Super Bowl, persists online and has received millions of additional views."

BMW's strategy; It relied on reaching a wide range of Super Bowl fans through YouTube AdBlitz, the ultimate hub for fans to watch Super Bowl commercials, featuring playlists of the funniest, dramatic, action-packed and inspiring spots. Through AdBlitz, BMW was able to target specific Super Bowl-related video inventory, such as NFL Highlights watched by sports fans and Big Game Music Lineups watched by audio enthusiasts.

After the campaign peaked viewer interest during YouTube AdBlitz, BMW developed a strategy to satisfy the hunger for more content. Hero released behind-the-scenes videos, including interviews with the ad's star-studded cast and director.

Viewers couldn't get enough of BMW's campaign. In fact, many YouTube commenters enthusiastically requested that the hero video be turned into a full movie. As a result, the video received 17 million unique views and 970 thousand clicks. In addition to being recognized on YouTube's US Ads Leaderboard, BMW ranked #7 in the USA Today Ad Meter.

HBO Max, WE, and BMW have seen tremendous success with video ads that entertain and engage key audiences. These brands have shown us how immersive storytelling can be successfully combined with the power of YouTube by aligning their ads with popular YouTube trends, creating creatives tailored for different platforms, and applying the ABCDs of video activity.