Revealed: 2016’s most popular ads on YouTube India

Google has released the YouTube Ads Leaderboard, a list of ads and promoted videos that resonated the most with Indian audiences during the first six months of 2016. Showcasing the most engaging ads that people chose to watch, the 10 ads clocked 4 lakh hours of watchtime, with over 60 per cent happening on mobile devices.

In a release issued, Google stated, “Storytelling emerged as the winning ingredient for Indian viewers, with six of the 10 ads running far longer than the typical 60-second television commercial. Further, based on the average watchtime per ad, it is clear that customers are willing to invest their time and attention on advertising that is narrative-driven and takes audiences along on a journey.”

Bajaj, Hitachi, Royal Challenge Sports Drink and Ariel have taken this approach, and captured people’s attention. Testament to this is that two of the ads on the YouTube Leaderboard have been recognised at Cannes this year. These are the Bajaj V film, which won its creative agency Leo Burnett a Bronze Lion in the Promo & Activation category under Cars & Automotive Product & Services category, and the Ariel ad for which BBDO India was awarded a Bronze Lion in the Creative Effectiveness category.

Talking about the campaign, Soumya Das, DGM (Marketing), Bajaj Auto, said, “The genesis of Bajaj V came from our passion to keep alive the legacy of the invincible INS Vikrant in the form of a bike that lakhs of Indians can ride with pride. We are extremely happy to know that the entire nation appreciates what we did. YouTube as a platform, with its targeting capabilities has helped us to connect with our TG more efficiently and made this campaign a bigger success.”

The YouTube Ads Leaderboard showcases the most creative ads and promoted videos that people choose to watch. The list is determined by an algorithm that factors in paid views, organic views, and audience retention (how much of a video people watched).

The Top 10 ads on YouTube in first six months of 2016: 

The full list can be viewed here:
https://apac.thinkwithgoogle.com/ads-leaderboards/youtube-leaderboard-india-H1-2016.html