Ads on YouTube are often a nuisance, so it’s a rare occasion that millions and millions of people actually sit through a company’s commercial. And then share that ad with all their friends.
As a part of YouTube‘s year-end roundups, the company tallied up the most watched ads of the year. The company found that the top 10 ads had a total of 425 million views, compared to 200 million in 2012 when the leaderboards were launched. And while ads were 50% longer this year, people watched 50% more of them; the ads were so popular that four even landed in the YouTube’s overall most watched videos of the year.
Budweiser landed on the list twice thanks to some smart canine casting. It came as no surprise that its Super Bowl ad performed well, considering the company is a fan favorite during the big game.
Other international sporting events, including the Sochi Winter Olympics and the World Cup, also helped elevate brands’ statuses. Nike dominated the top two spots on the list with ads that starred popular footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr., among others.
The only real outlier of the group was a devilish baby prankster who scared its way into YouTube history and our nightmares as guerrilla marketing for a film.
BONUS: 2014 YouTube Ads Rewind: A Global Look Back
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