Nike, Alibaba, Manchester United: The top 10 YouTube ads in February

1. Nike: Nothing beats a Londoner

Nike’s ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’ unsurprisingly topped the list of most viewed ads on YouTube last month. The ad aims to celebrate the diversity of the UK’s capital city, and features a host of music and sports starts as well as more than 200 young Londoners and the hurdles they have to beat to play the sport they love.

The campaign fits into Nike’s city-focused strategy as it looks to target consumers in some of the world’s biggest cities, as well as updating its ‘Just Do It’ strapline for a new generation. But while the ad was widely praised on social media, our columnist Mark Ritson questioned if that focus on London might be to the detriment of its customers in the rest of the country?

READ MORE: Mark Ritson – Nike’s Londoner ad is great creative, but is the city-focused strategy right?

Creative agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Media agency: Mindshare

2. Alibaba’s Olympic Ad: To the Greatness of Small

Alibaba looked to raise awareness of its new sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee with its first global ad, ‘To the greatness of small’. The campaign, which featured three videos, aimed to put the spotlight on small businesses by showcasing how one person can make a big different and become an Olympic champion.

“Since our founding 19 years ago, Alibaba Group has believed in and embraced the greatness of small in everything we do,” said Alibaba Group Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tung. “Through this campaign we can share the story of what Alibaba has stood for from day one, which is to support the small guy and leverage our technology to help the underdog succeed in the global marketplace. We believe that technology can level the playing field, and that even small companies have the opportunity to be global companies.”

Creative agency: BBDO
Media Agency: Alibaba Group Media Team

3. Beat x Beat: J Hus ‘Did You See’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1obZ2dpoCDw

Singer and rapper J Hus, who was nominated for three BRIT Award this year, teamed up with Beats by Dre for the latest video in the brand’s Beat x Beat series. The video explores the inspiration behind his Platinum-selling single ‘Did You See’, with J Hus joined by his producer JAE5 to talk about the track, his approach to making music and plans for his next album.

Creative agency: AKQA
Media agency: PMG

4. Manchester United: Now playing on YouTube

Manchester United might be one of the last Premier League football clubs to get an official presence on YouTube, but that didn’t stop it making a video to announce its arrival. The ad features players including Juan Mata and manager Jose Mourinho welcoming viewers behind the scenes at the club.

All part of the club’s vision to be the “largest and most engaged sports club in the world”, Manchester United hopes YouTube will help bring a new audience to the club. The plan is to produce exclusive content for the platform that will complement its work across digital and social platforms.

Creative agency: In-house
Media agency: In-house

5. Apple: iPhone X – Animoji: Panda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFKs9hT9MmU

The most exciting aspect of the iPhone X? Not the size. Or the price. Or the specs. But the fact that Apple also launched Animoji, which uses the device’s camera to analyse more than 50 different muscle movements to mirror the user’s expressions in 12 Animoji, including panda, pigs or robots. This ad focuses on the panda.

Creative agency: Media Arts Lab
Media agency: OMD

6. Apple: iPhone Selfies on iPhone X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5e_jmuZXVY

Creative agency: Media Arts Lab
Media agency: OMD

7. Specsavers: Meet Jason Shutter, celebrity photographer

Creative agency: In-house
Media agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD

8. Calvin Klein: Our family – Kardashian/Jenner

Creative agency: In-house
Media agency: Vizeum

9. River Island: Labels are for clothes – Express Yourself

Creative agency: Studio Blvd
Media agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD

10. BBC Sport – The fearless are here

Creative agency: Y&R London
Media agency: Havas People