Google today released its first YouTube Ads Leaderboard for Pakistan in the platform’s first full year of operation after returning to the country in 2016. This list represents the top 10 ads and branded content people chose to watch on YouTube through a combination of popularity and promotion.
| Brand | Title | Media / Creative Agency | |
| 1. | Coca-Cola | Sahir Ali Bagga & Aima Baig, Baazi, Coke Studio Season 10, Episode 3 (7:26) | Starcom / Digitz |
| 2. | Surf Excel | Surf Excel Ramazan 2017 | #NekiEkIbadat (2:20) | Mindshare / Mullen & Lowe |
| 3. | Sunsilk | Sunsilk Wedding Diaries (1:05) | Mindshare / JWT |
| 4. | Paddle Pop | The New Adventures of Paddle Pop Full Movie (45:43) | Mindshare |
| 5. | Cornetto | Yeh Kya hua by Komal Rizvi #CornettoPopRock2 (3.58) | Mindshare / Body Beat Pakistan |
| 6. | Telenor | Telenor 4G – Jo Har Pakistani Chahay (1:00) | OMD / Ogilvy |
| 7. | Lifebuoy | Dr. Lifebuoy vs Jaraseem Full Song (1:03) | Mindshare / Mullen & Lowe |
| 8. | Sprite | Mirchi Ko Sprite Kar – TVC (0:55) | Starcom / Ogilvy |
| 9. | djuice | Oye Kuch Kar Guzar: Episode 1 – The Journey Begins (9:46) | OMD / Adcom |
| 10. | Pepsi | Launch Song | #PepsiBattleOfTheBands (2:30) | Mindshare / Saatchi |
Trends from the annual leaderboard:
- Ads and branded content that entertain and take their time. Long-form ads dominate the list, with all ten running well beyond the traditional 30 second TV spot. The ads on the list are all videos that viewers in Pakistan chose to watch, so holding an audience’s attention for an extended period, in Paddle Pop’s or djuice’s cases is quite a feat. The beauty of YouTube’s flexible ads is that it allows brands to focus telling compelling stories running however long (or short) the story requires.
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- Lights, camera, music! People in Pakistan love their music, and brands like Coke, Cornetto Lifebuoy and Pepsi have realised that and incorporated catchy tunes into their ads. But music is only impactful if it can be heard—the good news is that 95% of ads on YouTube are played with the sound on.
- Seizing aspirational and seasonal moments. Ramadan (Surf Excel), important life events (Sunsilk) and staying positive are also themes that cut across ads that got the most engagement from the YouTube viewing public.
Globally, 1.5 billion people log into YouTube every single month, and users spend over an hour each day watching YouTube on their mobile screens. These winning ads and branded content are a reminder of the amazing creativity alive today in the Pakistani ads industry. While sometimes digital can seem to be all about technology, digital video ads and branded content on YouTube frees up brands and agencies to spend more time doing what they do best — getting creative and communicating brand values that resonate with consumers.
