YouTube Unveils List Of Year’s Top ‘Direct Response’ Ads As Format Continues To Flourish

YouTube has released today a brand new Ads Leaderboard to track the biggest direct response ads in the U.S. thus far this year.

The direct response format refers to ads that are designed to trigger an instant response from viewers. In YouTube parlance, the format is called TrueView For Action, and it first bowed on the platform in Sept. 2016.

YouTube is likely looking to highlight direct response ads because the format has been flourishing amid the coronavirus pandemic, especially as other types of ads falter.

In the past two consecutive earnings calls, for instance, Google CFO Ruth Porat has called out the growth of direct response ads on YouTube in comparison to ‘brand advertising’. The aim of the latter format is to establish broader connections with consumers over time. In both April and July, however, Porat noted that direct response ads were seeing substantial growth while brand advertising was facing headwinds — likely due to marketers pinching budgets amid the coronavirus pandemic and concentrating their spend on an action-oriented strategy, and to capitalize on a necessitated increase in online shopping.

YouTube says that

the number of marketers using direct response ads have tripled over the past year. And accordingly, the company continues to invest in new direct response features.

You can check out the list — which YouTube says was determined by an algorithm that factored in engagement, total reach, and clicks — right here:

1. Dr. Squatch — Save Your Skin With Dr. Squatch Soap (Creative Agency: Raindrop Branding & Advertising)
2. Honey — How much can you save with Honey? Let’s find out.
3. Sprint — Get the GS10+ (Creative Agency: YellowFan, Media Agency: Horizon Media)
4. Starz — Outlander Episodic Scene Clip (Creative Agency: In-house, Media Agency: In-house)
5. Quibi — The Stranger | Official Teaser | Quibi (Creative Agency: Mocean, Media Agency: In-house)
6. Grammarly — Are You Ready to Try Grammarly? (Creative Agency: Bokeh)
7. Hulu, FX — Dave – FX on Hulu – S1 Promo
8. Onewheel — Onewheel: Built to Destroy Boredom (Creative Agency: Bryght Young Things, Media Agency: Rainfactory)
9. 4Patriots — How to charge 2 devices in the woods on a cloudy day (Creative Agency: In-house, Media Agency: In-house)
10. ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital TrueView for Action Ad (Creative Agency: In-house, Media Agency: In-house)