Best of 2011 - Viral Video Ads

Allison Howen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

There are quite a few online technologies and techniques that gained momentum in 2011, such as mobile optimization, cloud computing and Web video marketing. Many of them we can expect to see traveling at full-speed in 2012.

For example, according to the second annual Video State of the Industry survey from Adap.tv and Digiday, brand advertisers who bought online video ads in 2011 are expected to increase their 2012 budgets by 47 percent, while 84 percent of brands that didn’t purchase video ads in 2011 are expected to include digital video in their campaigns by early 2012.

For marketers who are planning to introduce or increase online video strategies in 2012, the ultimate goal is to go viral. This can be accomplished through various methods and with different types of video content, such as informative, funny or even slightly shocking. However, it is important not to lose one's focus - which is promoting your brand - when creating such a video.

To help spark an idea for your brand's next online video, let’s take a look at the most watched YouTube ads from 2011:

The Force: Volkswagen Commercial

More than 45 million views

The T-Mobile Royal Wedding

More than 25 million views

Chrysler Eminem Super Bowl Commercial – Imported From Detroit

More than 13 million views

DC Shoes - Ken Block’s Gymkhana Four; The Hollywood Megamercial

More than 13 million views

Jennifer Aniston goes viral for Smartwater

More than 10 million views

Team Hot Wheels – The Yellow Driver’s World Record Jump