YouTube Announces Its Ad Of The Decade – And You Will Be Surprised By The Winner

What is your favourite online video ad? VW’s “The Force“? Volvo’s “Epic Split”? Dumb Ways to Die? Well, to mark its 10th anniversary, YouTube recently polled its users to identify their favourite ad of the decade – and the result is a little surprising.

The online video platform announced the top 5 earlier today and at the top of the pile is Turkish Airlines’ “Kobe v Messi: The Selfie Shootout”. The ad, starring arguably the two biggest sports stars on the planet, ran away the public vote, despite attracting fewer shares by some way than the rest of ads in the top 5 (it managed a share rate of less than 0.5%). In fact, it does not even make it into the top 100 most shared ads of all time.

Even VW’s Super Bowl 2011 winner “The Force” – which held the the most shared ad of all time for four years – was not strong enough, finishing in runners-up spot behind the 2013 ad , which racked up an impressive 140 million views on YouTube.

Always’ “Like A Girl”, Volvo Trucks’ Epic Split, featuring Jean Claude Van Damme, and Unruly campaign, Dove Real Beauty Sketches – in the Guinness Book of Records as the most viewed ad of all time – completed the top 5, finishing 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

Below is the top 5, as voted for by YouTube users.

Do you agree? Was there a better ad from YouTube’s shortlist of 20? Or did they miss one out?

For the record, my personal top 3 are: 1. Dumb Ways To Die, 2. Nike’s Write The Future, 3. Volvo’s Epic Split.

1. Turkish Airlines: “Selfie Shootout”

Shares: 696,165

2. VW: “The Force”

Shares: 5.29 million

3. Always: “Like A Girl”

Shares: 1.9 million

4. Volvo Trucks: “The Epic Split”

Shares: 3.25 million

5. Dove: “Real Beauty Sketches”