Advertisements featuring famous football stars and a New Zealand airline were among the most watched ads on YouTube in 2014.
According to data from Google Australia, sports giant Nike came out on top last year, with two World Cup Nike ads featuring football star Cristiano Ronaldo included in the top 10, in first and fourth spots respectively.
But not to be outdone by international advertising heavyweights, Qantas’ ‘Feels Like Home’ commercial was the second most watched ad by Australian YouTube users last year.
It seems Australians were also fond of Air New Zealand’s advertising strategy, with two commercials for the New Zealand carrier also making the top 10. Other popular ads include Snickers’ commercial featuring Australian builders and a raccoon dance party for electrical accessories brand Clipsal.
Chris Dodson, head of large advertiser and agency marketing for Google Australia, told SmartCompany this morning the results demonstrate Australians’ “love of sport, travel and cute animals”.
And while it seems Australians love complaining about ads, Dodson says many Australians do appreciate clever advertising.
“The list of Australia’s most viewed ads goes to show how popular an ad can be with Australians, provided it is entertaining, helpful or emotional,” he says.
“The average length of the top 10 ads in 2014 was three and half minutes, showing that if an ad is good enough, people will invest time watching it.”
The list of ads was calculated using an algorithm based on paid views, organic views and the view rate or how much of the commercial people chose to watch.
The 10 most watched ads on YouTube in Australia last year:
1. Nike Football: Winner Stays
2. Qantas: Feels Like Home
3. YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014
4. Nike Football: The Last Game
5. Snickers: Aussie builders surprise public with loud empowering statements
6. Air New Zealand: The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made #airnzhobbit
7. Air New Zealand: Safety in Paradise #airnzsafetyvideo
8. KLM: Lost & Found Service
9. Clipsal: Life is on – Raccoon dance party!
10. GoPro: HERO4 – The Adventure of Life in 4K
News Editor
Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on Twitter at @ellykeating.
