What were the most popular adverts on YouTube throughout 2016? Here is a ranking of the most viewed TVC each month of last year as reported by Think with Google MENA’s monthly YouTube Ads Leaderboard, which showcases the most watched ads in the region based on a special algorithm that weighs in both organic and paid views in addition to audience retention.
- JANUARY
Jarir Bookstore | Flan w 3lan - 3.8M views
Jarir Bookstore is a prominent Saudi bookstore that used to deal in used books and art sold by expats living in Riyadh before growing to be the largest retailer of books and consumer electronics in the country. This ad is the fourth in a series of ads for the brand conceived by J Walter Thompson, featuring two main characters dubbed Flan and 3lan.
- FEBRUARY
Pepsi Arabia | Meal Made Exciting with Pepsi - 6M views
Watch a Pepsi can turn regular cafeteria food into the most succulent meals with this ad, put together by creative agency Impact BBDO and media agency OMD for Pepsi Arabia, that has been viewed over 6 million times on YouTube to date.
- MARCH
Souq.com | Your destination for fashion, and everything else! #ItsYours - 966k views
Short and simple, this ad celebrates freedom of choice, a feature that leading e-commerce platform Souq.com is committed to. Despite being the most viewed ad for the month of March, the ad spurred mixed reactions among YouTube users translating through an almost even number of likes and dislikes.
- APRIL
Vodafone Egypt | Our #1 Fans - 4.5M views
Produced under creative agency JWT MENA and media agency MEC, this ad for Vodafone Egypt features the country’s most beloved football players voicing their gratitude for support in song with an aim to promote the company’s campaign to print fans’ pictures on the back of the official jerseys of Egyptian football players.
- MAY
Evian | Evian Baby Bay - 15M views
This excellent ad conceived by creative agency BETC Paris and circulated under the umbrella of Mindshare MENA follows a lone surfer as he lands on an unconventional surf spot strictly inhabited by babies. From storyline to execution and from cast to art direction, this is a winner on all fronts.
- JUNE
Vodafone Egypt | Big Ramadan Families - 8M views
Another appearance for Vodafone Egypt, this time with a Leo Burnett-signed musical-like colorful ad featuring a panoply of celebrities portraying how family members, friends and neighbors get together to celebrate Ramadan.
- JULY
Zain Group | Zain’s Eid Ad 2016 - Let’s Sing - 18.7M views
This ad by Joy Advertising aims to celebrate the spirit of Eid through song and dance in a colorful setting and has managed to remain at the top of the YouTube Ads Leaderboard for three consecutive months, starting July 2016.
- AUGUST
Zain Group | Zain - Theater Show - 5.7M views
Still at the top of the most popular with its Eid Ad, Zain also managed to secure a deserved second spot on the August leaderboard with its theater show ad which features prominent young Bahraini singer Hala El Turk in a jungle filled with waterfalls and singing animals.
- SEPTEMBER
Jarir Bookstore | Go for What’s New - 1.5M views
After earning the top spot in January 2016 with its character-based ad, Jarir Bookstore secure a spot behind Zain’s Eid ad during the month of September with its funny spoof about laptop weight and battery life, in a modern world obsessed with all things sleek and lightweight when it comes to tech products.
- OCTOBER
Ganna | With Ganna, Nobody Can Beat You - 1.2M views
This funny ad depicts a heated baking rivalry between two women neighbors as they deploy their best efforts to make the best cake using Ganna vegetable ghee, trying hard to score points against each other.
- NOVEMBER
Trident | You’ll Get Used to Such Freshness - 733k views
Created under Publicis Media, this musical ad shows how band members getting ready to perform were able to unleash their wildest creative impulses once they’ve tried Trident gum.
- DECEMBER
Vodafone Egypt | Generation After Generation - 2.8M views
A star-studded ad for Vodafone Egypt’s 4G Campaign that showcases a series of moving moments in sports and on stage tailored around the transfer of power and inspiration from one generation to the other to the delightful sound of beautiful music.
