The top 10 most popular YouTube ads of 2014

However, this ad, like many others on the list, was made for online and repurposed for TV. Sainsbury’s full YouTube ad is 3 minutes 40 seconds long while the spots that aired on TV were typically between 30 and 60 seconds.

In the rest of the list, the John Lewis and Marks & Spencer’s Christmas ad debuted on YouTube with shorter versions airing on TV. Others, including Always #LikeAGirl, Pepsi’s Loop the Loop and Save the Children’s Most Shocking Second a Day Video were digital-only spots that were never shown on TV while Nike’s two World Cup spots that make the top 10 were created with YouTube and a social audience in mind, rather than TV.

Ads on TV are usually 30 seconds long and rarely longer than 60 seconds (the TV debut of Sainsbury’s and John Lewis’ Christmas ads aside). However the top ads on YouTube last year averaged 2.8 minutes in length, 57% more than the top 10 in 2013, suggesting that consumers online are happy to spend more time with branded content as long as it entertains them and is relevant.

The most popular ads also tap into a big event or story to get across their message – be that Christmas or the World Cup. The most successful brands know that to get reach they need to split up big events into interactions based around smaller moments – hence Nike managing two spots in the top 10.

The final takeaway – don’t be afraid to tug on consumers’ heartstrings. The top 10 is full of ads that aim to make an emotional connection rather than directly selling products. A little controversy doesn’t hurt either, with Sainsbury’s ad topping the list despite more than 700 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Graham Bednash, consumer marketing director at Google, says: “The most popular ideas are those where brands are thinking like publishers, not advertisers. They are mashing together the skills of documentary, music video and advertising to create amazing, shareable content.”

YouTube ranks ads based on how many paid and non-paid views they garner and how much of a video people typically watched. It also considers other factors such as likes, shares and total watch time.

The top 10 YouTube ads

1. Sainsbury’s Official Christmas 2014 Ad

Views: 16.58 million
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
Media Agency: PHD

2. John Lewis Christmas Advert 2014 – #MontyThePenguin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccscUFY860

Views: 22.13 million
Creative Agency: Adam & Eve DDB
Media Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD

3. Nike Football: Winner Stays. ft. Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Rooney, Ibrahimović, Iniesta & more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XviR7esUvo

Views: 101.87 million
Creative Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Media Agency: Mindshare

4. Nike Football: The Last Game ft. Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Rooney, Zlatan, Iniesta & more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1rumvo9xc

Views: 74.87 million
Creative Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Media Agency: Mindshare

5. Always #LikeAGirl

Views: 53.72 million
Creative Agency: Leo Burnett
Media Agency: Starcom Mediavest

6. Three – #SingItKitty

Views: 5.8 million
Creative Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Media Agency: Mindshare

7. Marks & Spencer Christmas Advert 2014 #FollowTheFairies

Views: 3.16 million
Creative Agency: RKCR/Y&R
Media Agency: Mindshare

8. Save the Children – Most Shocking Second a Day Video

Views: 43.83 million
Creative Agency: Don’t Panic
Media Agency: Steak

9. Sapeurs – New GUINNESS Advert (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-3sVWOxuXc

Views: 3.53 million
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
Media Agency: Carat

10. Human Loop the Loop with Damien Walters – Pepsi Max. Unbelievable #LiveForNow

Views: 10.56 million
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
Media Agency: OMD