Super Bowl spots and celebs lead YouTube’s top ads of 2019

Dive Brief:

• Amazon’s Super Bowl LIII commercial, “Not everything Makes the Cut,” ranks No. 1 on YouTube’s ad leaderboard for 2019, which was released on Dec. 17, based on global views through Dec. 1. The spot generated 39.5 million views, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The rest of the top 10 in order include Hyundai’s Super Bowl spot, “The Elevator;” Gillette’s “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be;” Apple’s “Introducing iPhone 11;” Bosch Global’s “The Internet of Things presents — #LikeaBosch;” Doritos’ Super Bowl spot, “Chance the Rapper x Backstreet Boys;” Audi’s “Science Fair;” Stella Artios’ “Change Up the Usual;” Nike’s “Dream Crazier” and the NFL’s Super Bowl ad “The 100-Year Game.”
• Total watch time for all 10 videos hit nearly 275 million minutes and 230 million views, with 1 million likes.

Dive Insight:

YouTube’s end-of-year leaderboard offers several insights into which tactics appealed to consumers in 2019. Along with the Amazon ad, six out of the top 10 most-viewed spots originally debuted during the Super Bowl in February. The solid viewership of these ads suggests that these highly produced — and expensive — commercials gained significant traction throughout the year, even beyond the big game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y-1h_C8ad8

Another takeaway is the value of celebrities in ads. Doritos’ Chance the Rapper and Backstreet Boys effort garnered more than 16 million views, while Stella Artois’ ad featuring Sarah Jessica Parker saw almost 14 million views. Nike also served up a winning recipe by featuring Serena Williams to score 11 million hits. This is somewhat of a shift from a recent trend where brands enlist influencers, employees, fans or other average people to star in ads, as consumers tend to perceive these lesser-known folks as more relatable than big-name celebrities.

Success of the Nike ad also suggests that celebrating women’s strength and achievements remains a popular theme that resonates with consumers. Gillette’s complementary message of showing that being a man can differ from traditional gender stereotypes also supports growing consumer demand for representation of more modern gender roles in ads.

Tech ads had the spotlight this year, the report suggests, as Amazon, Apple and Bosch Global made the top five ads of 2019, a hint that consumers are lured by new devices and advancements in technology.

While this year’s viewership numbers were not as high as 2018’s — Amazon’s first place spot last year racked up 50.1 million views, compared with this year’s 39.5 million — marketers continue to shift their budgets toward digital video platforms. Video ad spend was $91 billion in 2018 and is predicted to hit $103 billion by 2023, according to Forrester research.