The Year's Most-Watched Viral Ads on YouTube

The end of the year is fast approaching...and that means lots of lists like "the year's most watched ads on YouTube."

Adweek teamed with Google to post a most-watched list of ads for 2014, headed by:

• Nike World Cup Soccer ("Winner Stays" and "The Last Game") which were viewed on YouTube an amazing 171.7 million times
• Budweiser ("Puppy Love") attracted 53.4 million views

In Canada, the top ad on YouTube was from TD Bank ("Sometimes you just want to say thank you").

What makes these lists interesting is that people actually clicked, voluntarily, to watch advertising messages. Yes, the ads are quite entertaining and even inspirational or at least emotional.

But in the end, they're paid messages on behalf of a corporate sponsor. The very kind of marketing material that consumers often skip past when watching recorded TV programming.

Yet through word of mouth, these YouTube-leading ads went viral and attracted much higher viewership than could have been achieved via regular advertising channels. Food for thought at a time when marketers are trying to cut through clutter and engage customers and prospects digitally.

Ron Burgundy Sells Durangos--Really

Ron Burgundy--the dim-witted 1970s anchorman from the 2004 movie Anchorman--is coming back to movie theaters just before Christmas.
And what better way to get publicity for his unique personal style than to have Ron endorse the Dodge Durango? Above, Ron delivers a pitch for the redesigned Durango's roomy glove box, a 1970s guy impressed by a 21st century vehicle.

Will Ferrell, appearing as Ron Burgundy, filmed dozens of such commercials as part of the publicity for his new Anchorman 2 movie. Check the YouTube channel to see more in the series.

The target market is Millennials--and this offbeat campaign, launched early in October, is making a real difference in awareness, brand preference, and sales. Within a few days, the Ron Burgundy videos were viral, viewed nearly 3 million times as they became a social media phenom.

Edmunds.com, the car shopping site, says searches for the Durango increased dramatically after Ron's commercials began airing. Dodge's online numbers are way up as well: "We've seen almost an 80 percent increase in Web traffic alone since the campaign launched," confirms the head of the Dodge brand. Dodge's Facebook page is drawing more attention, too.

Ron's lame attempts to sell are actually boosting Durango where it counts the most: Vehicle sales are up by 50% this year, in part because of the new commercials.

Although Chrysler didn't pay Ferrell, it did pay to air the commercials on TV. Everybody wins: Ferrell builds anticipation for his next film, Chrysler builds sales for Durango, and consumers laugh out loud at Ron's clueless commentary.

Viral ad/brand videos

One day before the Super Bowl, Unruly Media's listing of non-Super Bowl viral ad/brand videos includes iPad, Adidas' Star Wars, and the Wal-Mart Clown commercial.

What will the Super Bowl offer to pop culture this year? Previews abound. Many ads have been released virally to build buzz well before the Saints and Colts play (you did know those are the teams in this year's game, right?). Above is Danica Patrick, who will star in GoDaddy.com advertising, posted on the company's site in advance so fans know what to look for.

Last year, CIO mag released its list of "Top 10 Most Viral Super Bowl Ads" a day after the 2009 game. Careerbuilder.com came out on top. Who will be on top in 2010? Tune in tomorrow. Really.

Or watch Twitter, where (as Mashable notes) you can see comments on the trending ads right away.