Digital marketers can learn a few useful lessons from the most viewed ads on YouTube in 2016. In this post, we will highlight the efforts undertaken by the best YouTube advertisers that have helped them go the extra mile to reach the top of the Year-end YouTube Ads Leaderboard which recognises the top 10 most-engaged with, most-loved, and most-viewed Google ads of 2016.
Here are few important lessons that you can learn from YouTube ads in 2016 to stay ahead of the curve in 2017.
1. Replicate YouTube’s Cultural Trend on Your YouTube Ad:
The most successful YouTube ads imitate the most powerful cultural trends prevailing on the video-sharing website. For example, BBDO New York launched the Puppymonkeybaby ad in February 2016 for promoting Mountain Dew’s Kickstart, a blend of the carbonated soft drink with juice, and caffeine. Just like Mountain Dew’s Kickstart is a combination of three things, similarly, Puppymonkeybaby also amalgamates three cute things—puppies, monkeys, and babies.
Just like the Puppymonkeybaby creature, the top ads on Year-End YouTube Ads Leaderboard are also a combination of things loved by people.
2. Focus on Empowerment Ads:
YouTube audiences prefer ads that empower the viewers rather than objectifying. Moreover, empowering ads are rarely skipped and 80 percent more likely to be shared. Brands like Pokémon and Always has made it to Year-End YouTube Ads Leaderboard by winning the heart of YouTube audiences through their empowerment ads. For example, ‘Like A Girl’ commercial by Procter & Gamble’s feminine hygiene product brand ‘Always’ motivates girls to “Keep Playing”, whereas Pokémon commercial has been motivating kids across the globe with the commercial tagline—“ I can do that.”
3. Spend More Time on Mobile:
Digital marketers always aim to grab the attention of their target audiences. According to experts, attention to paid ads on YouTube is 84 percent higher than paid ads aired on TV. On analysing the Year-End YouTube Ads Leaderboard, it was found that mobile phones generated almost two-thirds of the total YouTube ad views. Moreover, the percentage of watch time generated from mobile devices for five Super Bowl ads on the YouTube Ads Leaderboard is more than 80 percent. Thus, even Super Bowl ad race is shifting to four-inch screens to keep up with the trend.
4. Use Online Metrics to Measure How Attentive Your Audience Is:
Retention, like watch time is a great way to gauge attention irrespective of the length of the video ad. By scoring the longest watch time, your YouTube ad can raise brand metrics such as consideration and brand-awareness. For example, Mountain Dew scored a retention rate of more than 100 percent on YouTube by adding Puppymonkeybaby to the Super Bowl commercial. This has helped the brand significantly to retain viewers besides persuading viewers to watch their favourite parts of the 32-second ad time and again.
5. Cover the Wide Range of Demographics:
Though most advertisers are taking all possible measures to reach out to the millennial audiences through online videos, it is highly imperative to focus on the wide range of demographics that prefer spending maximum time on YouTube. Young people no doubt, spend a considerable time on YouTube, but from 2015 to 2016, time spent on YouTube grew even faster among the older age groups. According to a research conducted by Nielsen, time spent on YouTube grew 80 percent faster among adults who are above 55 years of age than among adults overall.
So these are the lessons you can learn from the trends reflected in the Year-end YouTube Ads Leaderboard. These lessons can serve as your video marketing resolutions for the forthcoming year. If you have set any other resolution to rank high in YouTube, do share your ideas with us.
