Why try for viral status? Most of the time, well-established brands want to grab a larger audience and increase awareness of a new product, reinforce brand preference or defend market share. Specific objectives vary from campaign to campaign . . . but sometimes brands get an extra jolt of publicity simply by garnering the most online views in a given time period.
- At the end of 2012, when YouTube issued a list of the year's 20 most-viewed advert videos, Nike's ode to the world's best footballers topped the list. (Watch it here.) To date, this Nike advert has been viewed more than 20 million times.
- YouTube's 2012 list of the most-viewed adverts in the UK put the Honda Civic's 'Spark TV' ad at the top. (Watch it here.) Compare the 2012 top UK views with the 2011 top views, when T-Mobile's royal wedding advert was the leader.
- The Viral Video Chart maintained by Unruly Media presents a snapshot of the most popular adverts viewed during the previous 24 hours, the previous week, the previous month, the previous year and since the chart started tracking views. (This chart also shows advert views via Facebook and blogs.)
