It's almost the end of the year and looking back, it's been a great year for advertising. The Superbowl, Euro 2012, the arrival of the Olympics and many other events have led to some brilliant ads over the last twelve months. The power of social media in making and breaking videos became more apparent this year with each new release relying more on it for success.
Our friends at Unruly Media have compiled the twenty most shared social videos ads of the year. You might be amazed to hear that not one of them is PSY's Gangnam style.
20. Feblefin: Amazing Mind Reader Reveals His 'Gift'
Company: Felbefin
Agency: Duval Guillaume
Number Of Views: 6,896,802
Number of Shares: 704,881
Why It Worked: By playing upon the idea that all of your personal and private information is easily available online, Duval Guillaume created a campaign that was powerful in its message about how easily it is for your information to fall into the wrong hands.
19. Air New Zealand and WETA: An Unexpected Briefing
Company: Air New Zealand
Agency: WETA Digital, WETA Workshop & Toybox
Number Of Views: 9,828,710
Number of Shares: 820,192
Why It Worked: Really, who doesn't like the Lord of the Rings series? Considering that the films were shot in the country, Air New Zealand takes the necessary, but boring process of air safety and makes it fun and memorable through its numerous references to JR Tolken's classic.
18. Banco Som Sabadell: Som Sabadell Flashmob
Company: Banco Som Sabadell
Agency: Remake
Number Of Views: 7,963,471
Number of Shares: 862,092
Why It Worked: A flash mob with a difference. Instead of dancing to the latest hit, Som Savadell created a classy flash mob which featured a symphony orchestra playing part of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. The more people that joined the performance, the more momentum the performance acquired which led to a stunning finale.
17. Red Bull: Athlete Machine (Red Bull Kluge)
Company: Red Bull
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 11,800,742
Number of Shares: 954,960
Why It Worked: Red Bull, as always, is famous for its elaborate stunts and videos and this one is probably one of its most ambitious. Creating one of the largest Rube Goldberg machine featuring numerous famous athletes, the video left you watching to see who else would appear and what other contraptions would make up the machine.
16. Sesame Street Workshop: Share It Maybe
Company: Sesame Street
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 12,003,830
Number of Shares: 864,338
Why It Worked: Creating a parody of a catchy song such as Call Me Maybe isn't an original idea. However, the characters of Sesame Street have become masters at putting their own unique spin on them that appeal to both kids and adults. This one, which has the Cookie Monster looking for cookies, is no exception and is fun to watch.
15. Nike: My Time Is Now
Company: Nike
Agency: W=K London
Number Of Views: 22,101,963
Number of Shares: 902,729
Why It Worked: Nike's ads focus on being inspirational and including the message that anyone can achieve their dreams. This video where the whole world gets involved in a professional football match is chaotic and brilliantly put together. It formed part of a larger campaign which asked viewers to find numerous hidden easter eggs in the video.
14. Nike: Mercurial Vapor Vill: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Rafa Nadal
Company: Nike
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 10,217,010
Number of Shares: 921,716
Why It Worked: Another Nike ad, this time featuring the biggest stars of football and tennis. Seeing both athletes pull off trick shots with both a tennis and football is a lot of fun and would appeal massively to sports fans.
13. Coke: Unlock The 007 In You, You Have 70 Seconds
Company: Coke Zero
Agency: Duval Guillaume Modem
Number Of Views: 9,465,361
Number of Shares: 935,098
Why It Worked: This campaign has 'cool' written all over it. Plunging unsuspecting commuters into a scenario befitting of a James Bond flick was an inspired idea, and seeing how everything came together so perfectly as each person rushed to platform 6 was exhilarating and made you wish you got to take part.
12. Go Pro: Black Edition, Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful
Company: Go Pro
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 12,536,864
Number of Shares: 1,069,216
Why It Worked: Showing off breathtaking scenery and at the same time, showing off the quality of images from your product makes this a hit in so many ways. A video that begs to be viewed in HD so you can appreciate it.
11. Google: One Day, Project Glass
Company: Google
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 18,469,295
Number of Shares: 1,026,307
Why It Worked: Google's tech demo for its new glasses product was a fascinating glimpse into Google's vision for the future. The product itself isn't commercially available yet, but this video piqued interest and has people wondering what new devices the future will bring.
10. PBS Studios: Mister Rogers Remixed, Garden Of Your Mind
Company: PBS Studios
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 7,696,395
Number of Shares: 1,057,810
Why It Worked: Before he passed away in 2003, Fred Rogers was famous for his show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which educated children of America between 1968 to 2001. Leaving a lasting impression, this auto tune remix of his show was a fitting tribute to the man and the nostalgia meant it got more than one million shares.
9. Volkswagen: The Bark Side
Company: Volkswagen
Agency: Deutsch Inc.
Number Of Views: 18,085,011
Number of Shares: 1,127,505
Why It Worked: Dogs dressed up as Star Wars characters barking Darth Vader's theme tune in sync. Even though it was broadcast during the Superbowl, the combination of two popular memes meant that it was always going to see massive sharing figures.
8. Chevrolet OK Go, Needing/Getting
Company: Chevrolet
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 23,729,428
Number of Shares: 1,140,793
Why It Worked: A band famous for its cooky and intriguing videos, OK Go teamed up with Chevrolet to perform their (at the time) latest song using their instruments, the car and a number of other props as the band drives through a giant obstacle course.
7. Melbourne Metro: Dumb Ways To Die
Company: Melbourne Metro
Agency: McCann Australia
Number Of Views: 31,582,405
Number of Shares: 2,318,205
Why It Worked: Much like Air New Zealand, Melbourne Metro made a safety ad interesting by featuring cute characters dying in odd ways and a seriously catchy tune that will be stuck in your head for days on end made this a hit.
6. Dancesport Studio: Two-Year-Old Dancing The Jive
Company: Dancesport Studio
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 16,720,821
Number of Shares: 2,173,847
Why It Worked: One of the few unplanned videos featured on this list, Dancesport Studio's footage of a two year old child dancing jive and ran with it. Anyone who can resist the charm of a small child pulling off numerous dance moves should check their pulse to see if they're still alive.
5. P&G: Best Job
Company: P&G
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Number Of Views: 11,996,164
Number of Shares: 2,232,289
Why It Worked: Showing that every athlete has had to start somewhere, P&G's tribute to mothers all over the world is an emotional and touching video which highlights the hard work and the rewards that being a mother brings.
4. DC Shoes: Gymkhana 5
Company: DC Shoes
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 35,444,330
Number of Shares: 2,292,354
Why It Worked: At almost ten minutes, this is the second longest video on the list, but DC Shoes shot an amazing film which turned San Francisco into a giant playground for rally driver Ken Block. Seeing him weave through numerous obstacles and pull off numerous stunts from different angles will leave you watching until the very end.
3. Abercrombie & Fitch: Call Me Maybe
Company: Abercrombie & Fitch
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 17,266,303
Number of Shares: 2,480,663
Why It Worked: Do we really need to explain why this video was such a hit? Attractive male models + catchy pop song = viral hit. Simple math really!
2. TNT Benelux: A Dramatic Surprise On A Quiet Square
Company: TNT Benelux
Agency: Duval Guillaume
Number Of Views: 42,213,286
Number of Shares: 4,360,901
Why It Worked: There are so many factors which make this ad campaign work so well. The dramatic music, the idyllic location, oh and the ensuring drama and chaos that happens when you push a red button. A video that never gets old, no matter how many times you watch it.
1. Invisible Children: Kony 2012
Company: Invisible Children
Agency: N/A
Number Of Views: 94,262,284
Number of Shares: 10,068,988
Why It Worked: Lasting a whole 30 minutes, Kony 2012 shouldn't be a viral video because of the massive time commitment it requires. However, it takes something truly special to make something this long work.
There are so many factors that made this video so popular: An inspiring message, a call to action, showing how social media has inspired us, some brilliant shots, an emotional story and backdrop and an effective plan for getting the video shared. All of this meant that Invisible Children's video resonated with the global population, cementing its place as the most shared video of 2012.
comments powered by