YouTube Ads Rewind 2014: Proof that Choice Is Redefining Advertising

We live in a world dominated by shortened attention spans. We want instant gratification. There are more things than ever competing for our attention. Marketers should be worried! Right?

I’m not so sure. In this world of choice, great ads, attract people. These ads are not just loved and remembered, they are shared. That’s what we’re seeing on YouTube—more and more people seeking out ads to watch. In fact, views of the top 10 ads on YouTube in 2014 are more than twice what they were in 2012 and people watched nearly 1 billion minutes of those videos this year.

What’s the secret sauce? To see what’s resonating, we looked at our 2014 YouTube Ads Rewind, a celebration of top ads on YouTube. A few common themes emerged:

1. From 30 seconds to 3 minutes
This year, the top ten ads on YouTube averaged about 3 minutes in length, which is significantly longer than the 30- and 60-second spots we see on TV. The #1 video on the 2014 YouTube Ads Leaderboard, Nike Football’s “Winner Stays” video, was over 4 minutes and it got nearly 100 million views. When consumers are interested and engaged, they’re willing to give brands more of their time.

2. From one moment to many
Big cultural events, such as the Super Bowl and World Cup, are being broken up into hundreds of digital moments. It’s no longer just about the actual game or match. Interest is season-long and beyond. A remarkable 14 million hours were spent watching this year’s top ten Super Bowl and World Cup ads. And the majority of those hours happened before and after the actual events. This is good news for brands, as it extends the opportunity for them to engage fans.

3. From reflecting social norms to defining them
Several of the top ads don’t just reflect the social norm they often challenge it. Take the Always #LikeAGirl campaign. The brand wanted to turn what has been a negative phrase into something much more positive. YouTubers responded: The video earned 300,000 likes, shares and comments in 30 days, and its view count surpassed 42 million in that time. If your content speaks to them, they’ll amplify it.

4. From storytelling to story-building
If something is successful, consider building on a theme or story. That’s exactly what Evian did with “Baby & Me.” The ad, which launched in 2013, was a top trending video for almost a year. With this year’s follow-up, “The Amazing Baby & Me,” Evian saw a 4x week over week increase in views of the original spot. Fans watched, connected and shared.

5. And brands don’t have to do it alone
YouTubers—creators and watchers—are a passionate community. Brands like Friskies are tapping into this enthusiasm, partnering with creators to develop content that resonates with fans. Working with BuzzFeed, the brand created arguably the best cat food ad of all time, “Dear Kitten.” The result: It’s the most watched video on the BuzzFeed channel, which has 9.6 million subscribers.

We live in a world of choice, and 2014’s most successful brands respect that. The YouTube Ads Leaderboard is a great reminder that advertising is a craft, and the goal of both the Leaderboard and the YouTube Ads Rewind video is to celebrate those at the top of their craft. I predict that in 2015, the best brands will continue to rise to the top not from market muscle, but because consumers chose to put them there.

Read more in AdWeek here.