The top 10 YouTube ads that made people stop, look and listen in 2020

The YouTube Ads Leaderboard is a fascinating collection. It only occasionally contains ads that have won awards judged by adpeople. It ranks ads based on how creative and how engaging they are according to viewer statistics. It calculates factors such as organic and paid views, watch time and audience retention.

Let’s call it a wake-up call for brands and agencies that think a Pencil or a Lion makes them great.

The top 10 YouTube ads for 2020 are:

1. McCann London: Did Somebody Say Menulog? campaign featuring Snoop Dogg – Menulog

Fiona Walford, Google Australia and New Zealand head of creative development, commented, “Who could forget the distinctive voice of Snoop Dogg and that tune? So catchy and memorable, and clearly a huge success for the brand. It picks up on some key YouTube creative principles; great music, a famous face, fast moving scene changes to maintain attention – and a great first five seconds to kick things off! The long form 60 second ad coincided with a change of logo and a Dogg’s Diner menu to enjoy. Brilliant stuff and a standout number one.”

Credits:

Company – Menulog
Creative Agency – McCann London
Media agency – Universal McCann

2. CHE Prxomity: Galaxy Z Fold2 – Samsung Australia

Credits:

Company – Samsung Australia
Creative Agency – Che Proximity
Media agency – Che Proximity

3. In-house: Sportsbet’s Elite Average Games – Sportsbet

Walford commented, “Also working with longer form – nearly 3 mins – and equally attention grabbing is this ad from Sportsbet. It’s a brilliant parody on the Olympics (sadly the only Olympics running in 2020!), and ‘laugh out loud’ funny, with many ‘average sports’ featuring Aussie world beaters. The branding is super clear throughout, and the Aussie-isms well entwined in the voiceover.”

Credits:

Company – Sportsbet
Creative Agency – Sportsbet’s Marketing Content Team
Media agency – Sportsbet’s Paid Social Team

4. Feel the Rhythm of Korea – Korean Tourism Organisation

Credits:

Company – Korean Tourism Organisation

5. Cyberpunk 2077 — Seize the Day

Walford commented, “Humorous and entertaining. Hollywood star Keanu Reeves appears from the beginning of the Cyberpunk 2077 ad, delivering immediate impact in a trailer-like ad for the action role-playing game. It also features a clear call to action, plus more about the game if you want it on their YouTube channel – always a winning formula when more content is available.”

Credits:

Company/brand – CD Projekt
Media agency – Bohemia Media Agency

6. Maximum Effort: Hugh Jackman gets Comfortable – R.M. Williams

Credits:

Company – R.M. Williams
Creative Agency – Maximum Effort
Media agency – Audience Precision & Resolution Media (Digital Performance Agency)

7. Wunderman Thompson: Sink A Sub – Subway

Credits:

Company – Subway
Creative Agency – Wunderman Thompson
Media agency – Ikon

8. BMF: Get Better at Bills – BPAY

Walford commented, “This long form tutorial type ad featured the fabulous drag artist Leasa Mann, who became the new face of electronic bill-payment system, BPAY, after she offered to pay the bills of struggling Australians in the pandemic using the service. That initial act of generosity has continued to grow, with Leasa fronting a new BPAY tutorial video that will also raise money for the First Nations Foundation. A really fun, fast paced and informative video, using large type supers effectively and including a donation at the end if the viewer completes the video – a very nice touch.”

Credits:

Company – BPAY
Creative Agency – BMF
Media agency – Ikon

9. In-House: Made in Affalterbach. The new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series – Mercedes-AMG

Walford commented, “Mercedes have created a mysterious, intriguing ad for the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. Fundamentally celebrating all things wonderful about a performance automobile, you can see why anyone and everyone would want to test drive this car. Quick scene changes delivering multiple peaks in the story line, tight framing, beautiful shots of the car, and the sound of the engine accelerating. This 60-second ad holds your attention right until the end, and ultimately brings a smile to your face with an unexpected shift. Great deliverables of YouTube Creative best practice.”

Credits: