LONDON, NEW YORK, PARIS, BERLIN — December 3, 2012 — While Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, P&G, Nike and Volkswagen all feature prominently in the 2012 Unruly Global Viral Video Ads Chart — the annual ranking of the year’s most shared video ads, released today by Unruly — it is a little-known non-profit that is the year’s overall winner.
Kony 2012, created and released by the not-for-profit Invisible Children, was by far the most shared ad of 2012, generating 10.1 million shares since it launched on March 5.
The incredible success of this 30-minute video demonstrates how a relatively unknown entity can make a global impact in social media with powerful content and a comprehensive distribution strategy.
The social video rankings are derived from the Unruly Viral Video Chart, since 2006 the definitive source of video sharing behavior across the social web (Twitter, Facebook, blogs). Since Unruly measures shares rather than views it is a truer metric of an ad’s “virality” and the strength of the emotion it triggers in viewers.
Other brands in the top 20 include TNT, A&F, Volkswagen and GoPro. Only three brands appear in both the 2011 and 2012 rankings: Volkswagen, Red Bull and DC Shoes.
Overall, the number of video shares of branded content increased in 2012. The top 500 ads of the year attracted a total of 113 million shares in 2012, a 21% increase over 2011 (93.34M).
Shares of the top 10 ads rose from 16.8 million in 2011 to 28.0 million in 2012 – an increase of 67% and a clear sign that media consumption habits are continuing to evolve rapidly.
“Emotive content and bottom-up sharing stole the show this year,” remarked Unruly Co-Founder and COO Sarah Wood. “The world’s biggest brands can learn from Invisible Children: it’s not about a 30-second commercial anymore when a 30-minute video gets 10 million global shares.”
The full rankings* are as follows:
2012 | 2011 |
1. Invisible Children: Kony 2012 – 10,068,928 shares | 1. Volkswagen: The Force – 4,713,179 shares |
2. TNT: A Dramatic Surprise On A Quiet Square – 4,352,283 shares | 2. DC Shoes: Ken Block’s Gymkhana Four; The Hollywood Megamercial – 2,028,238 shares |
3. Abercrombie & Fitch: Call Me Maybe – 2,435,774 shares | 3. T-Mobile: Angry Birds Live – 1,783,607 shares |
4. DC Shoes: Gymkhana 5 – 2,292,354 shares | 4. T-Mobile: Royal Wedding – 1,733,419 shares |
5. P&G: Best Job – 2,227,528 shares | 5. Kia: Party Rock Anthem-Kia Soul Hamster Commercial – 1,424,110 shares |
6. Dancesport Studio: Two-Year-Old Dancing The Jive – 2,094,766 shares | 6. 20th Century Fox: Ape With AK-47 – 1,132,201 shares |
7. Melbourne Metro: Dumb Ways To Die – 1,217,751 shares | 7. David Cornfield Melanoma Fund: Dear 16-Year-Old Med – 1,072,004 shares |
8. Chevrolet: OK Go, Needing/ Getting – 1,140,769 shares | 8. Activision: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer – 1,062,829 shares |
9. Volkswagen: The Bark Side – 1,127,479 shares | 9. Nissan: Poneis Malditos – 956,661 shares |
10. PBS Studios: Mister Rogers Remixed, Garden Of You Mind – 1,045,039 shares | 10. Nestle: Contrex – Ma Contrexperience -97s– 950,988 shares |
11. Google: One Day, Project Glass – 1,025,854 shares | 11. Activision: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – The Vet Vs The Noob – 922,218 shares |
12. Go Pro: Black Edition, Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful – 989,904 shares | 12. Carlsberg: Stunt with Bikers in Cinema – 899,550 shares |
13. Coke: Unlock The 007 In You. You Have 70 Seconds – 933,601 shares | 13. Ojai Valley Taxidermy: Chuck Testa – 830,036 shares |
14. Nike: Mercurial Vapor VIII: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Rafa Nadal – 921,039 | 14. Red Bull: The Art of FLIGHT – Snowboarding film trailer featuring Travis Rice – 810,453 shares |
15. Nike: My Time Is Now – 902,609 shares | 15. McDonald’s Philippines New Commercial 2011 “BFGF” – 756,141 shares |
16. Sesame Street Workshop: Share It Maybe – 863,969 shares | 16. Channel 4: Danny MacAskill – Industrial Revolutions – 696,190 shares |
17. Red Bull: Athlete Machine (Red Bull Kluge) – 804,418 shares | 17. Trace Urban: The most amazing beat box video ever! – 687,528 shares |
18. Banco Som Sabadell: Som Sabadell FlashMob – 794,749 shares | 18. Pepsi: Unbelievable David Beckham – 543,812 shares |
19. Air New Zealand and WETA: An Unexpected Briefing – 753,200 shares | 19. Samsung: Unleash Your Fingers – 542,851 shares |
20. Febelfin: Amazing Mind Reader Reveals His ‘Gift’ – 695,896 shares | 20. Westfield Stratford City: 100 YEARS / STYLE / EAST LONDON – 529,832 shares |
* Charts based on data collected up to November 21, 2012 and November 21, 2011 respectively
(NOTE to Editors: Rankings do not include movie trailers or TV promos.)
