Ah, YouTube ads and our love-hate relationship with them.
While some give you the option to skip them after 5 seconds, there are those which you need to sit through before you can watch the video you picked.
And sometimes, those 5 seconds can be excruciating enough.
But there are those which aren’t exactly half-bad, and showcase the creativity of the ad agencies and video teams behind them.
Google has just released its YouTube Ads Leaderboard for the first half of 2017, showcasing the top 10 “most creative ads that resonated with Singaporean viewers”.
Said Stephanie Davis, Country Director for Google Singapore:
“Singaporeans love their online videos more than ever.”
“With YouTube reaching more than 4 million people in Singapore every month, brands like Gillette, Singtel and DBS continue to use online video as a powerful medium to engage their audiences. The latest YouTube Ads Leaderboard demonstrates that Singaporeans are constantly looking to YouTube for music, entertainment and the best deals.”
Collectively, the 10 videos have more than 2.4 million views.
YouTube Singapore Ads Leaderboard (January - June 2017)
However, I also noticed that while all on the list have a high view count, not all of them are as well-‘Liked’.
Thus, to make the list more informative, I’ll be adding in the Likes/Dislikes next to the videos as well.
1. [Singapore] Gillette Salutes the NSman in You - Long Version
Brand/Agency:
Gillette
Engagement:
Views – 519,236
Likes – 1,324; Dislikes – 435
2. SPARKS mini-series – Episode 6: New Beginnings
Brand/Agency:
DBS
Engagement:
Views – 384,391
Likes – 584; Dislikes – 310
3. McDonald’s Seoul Spicy Burger (30s)
Brand/Agency:
McDonald’s
Engagement:
Views – 358,495
Likes – 686; Dislikes – 485
4. Deja Cashback Comparison
Brand/Agency:
Deja App
Engagement:
Views – 256,573
Likes – 46; Dislikes – 37
5. Together Apart: Beijing, Mumbai, Tampines
Brand/Agency:
Gov Singapore
Engagement:
Views – 213,881
Likes – 209; Dislikes – 119
6. Celebrate Togetherness
Brand/Agency:
Singtel
Engagement:
Views – 181,761
Likes – 91; Dislikes – 29
7. Our Everyday is Defending Yours (The Naval Diver)
Brand/Agency:
Ministry of Defence Singapore
Engagement:
Views – 158,268
Likes – 170; Dislikes – 8
8. BTS: Happy Can Already! with Chee Hong Tat
Brand/Agency:
Gov Singapore
Engagement:
Views – 103,465
Likes – 13; Dislikes – 7
9. Singaporeans Try: Reacting To Their Resumes | EP 98
Brand/Agency:
The Smart Local for Jobstreet
Engagement:
Views – 198,907
Likes – 1,721; Dislikes – 58
10. Shop as you are with RedMart
Brand/Agency:
RedMart
Engagement:
Views – 99,911
Likes – 3; Dislikes – 0
Capturing Our Attention Beyond The 30-Second Mark
While it’s evident that certain videos created a better impression on their viewers (seen from the ratio of likes to dislikes), it’s important to note that YouTube only records a view after 30 seconds, meaning that the ones on the list had a great retention rate – at the very least.
Advertisements simply need to be more clever to retain our goldfish-like attention spans, and agencies could very well take a leaf from these 10.
Which one was your favourite? Let us know!
