YouTube has released its leaderboard of the most creative and engaging ads watched by Australians in 2019.
The ad rankings were determined by an algorithm that factored organic and paid views, watch time, and audience retention (how much of a video people watched) between January 1 and December 31, 2019.
1. Grubs Subs Collector - Chopper Parody Played By Merv Hughes
Company: Sportsbet
Creative Agency: In-house
2. Galaxy A | #SponsoredPost
Company: Samsung Australia
Creative Agency: Leo Burnett
3. Hyundai | Venue - Fits in anywhere, stands out everywhere
Company: Hyundai Australia
Creative Agency: Innocean
4. AirPods — Bounce — Apple
Company: Apple Australia
Creative Agency: MAL (Media Arts Labs)
5. S2 E1: Let Battle Commence! | The Great Travel Hack | #MakeTheFuture
Company: Shell
Creative Agency: JWT
6. New Australia-land | Share the Lamb
Company: Australian Lamb
Creative Agency: The Monkeys
7. Christmas is where we are | MYER
Company: Myer
Creative Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
8. Ed's Heinz Ad
Company: Heinz
Creative Agency: DAVID Miami
9. Dream Crazier | Nike
Company: Nike
Creative Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
10. It's The Most Wonderful Time For a Beer: By the Carlton Dry Christmas Orchestra
Company: Carlton Dry
Creative Agency: Special Group
Fiona Walford, head of creative development at Google Australia and New Zealand, says the ads highlight key trends, including that one size no longer fits all.
"There’s never been a more exciting time for marketers to experiment and serve viewers with new experiences," she says.
"Importantly, the average length of videos on the Ads Leaderboard is three minutes, proving that if your content is good, people will stay with you for as long as it takes you to tell your story.
She says the traditional narrative arc is being transformed, moving beyond the traditional "lead in, build a climax and big reveal" story arc.
Viewers are being engaged quickly with a barrage of intrigue and colour rather than long establishing shots.
"Hyundai did this very simply and effectively with their Venue ad - showing lots of curious but entertaining places you could park a Venue - because it ‘fits everywhere but stands out’," says Walford.
"Australian Lamb also nailed it again with a hilarious self deprecating work, driving intrigue and a sense of fun throughout the two-minute ad."
And the ads were highly customised for their audiences.
"The number one video from Sportsbet really leaned into this - within the first five seconds, their core sports loving audience saw a famous cricketer and knew they were in for something out of the ordinary," she says.
"The Carlton Dry ad has a fun time with an old Christmas classic, inserting the word beer in - and loads of tru-isms about the festive period generally."
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