Despite some persistent controversies, advertisers had another big year on YouTube in 2017. Out of all the videos that aired as pre-rolls in 2017, ten made the year-end edition of the YouTube Ads Leaderboard, which ranks top spots in terms of viewership.
As is the case every year, several of the top ads of 2017 were tied to the Super Bowl. Budweiser‘s “Born the Hard Way,” which tells the immigrant story of Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch, ended up as the fifth most-viewed YouTube ad of the year, while a Kia Super Bowl spot featuring Melissa McCarthy came in right behind it at number six. The tenth-ranked add on the Leaderboard, from Mr. Clean, also aired during the Big Game.
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At least one top YouTube channel was represented in the year-end Leaderboard as well. Dude Perfect, known for its trick shot videos, landed in the number-three position thanks to a partnership with Oreo that has rolled up 94 million views since its premiere in April.
To find the number -one spot, however, we must head to South Asia. A video from Samsung India has pulled in more than 150 million hits in 2017, allowing it to best all other ads.
The full year-end Ads Leaderboard can be found here. Its important to keep in mind the ranking’s parameters in mind while perusing it. Specifically, the Leaderboard only accounts for views received in 2017 and includes both paid and organic views. Nonetheless, the ultimate entrants on the list represent some of the year’s most notable pieces of commercial content.
