The Top 10 Most Watched Indian Ads on YouTube in May 2018

LG gets the highest audience engagement.

From the advertiser's point of view, May 2018 was the most important month for advertising in this quarter. The month started with Johnson & Johnson saluting the spirit of Mother's Day by utilizing the gargantuan viewership generated through India's biggest sporting event - the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, the top three ads in our list were published after the first half of May as the brands were patiently waiting for the IPL Finals which is also known as the Super-Bowl of India. LG celebrated 21 years of having a global presence in the tech innovation space while leading smartphone brands like One Plus and Samsung launched their most awaited mobile phone variants.

Here are the advertisements that generate the most viewership for the month for May 2018.

NOTE:

All stats provided here are updated on May 31, 2018.

• Only advertisements launched in May of 2018 are considered.

• The list does not include ads (about the video content) by another content provider platform like Netflix India and Hotstar.

• The overall audience sentiment that is mentioned below each advertisement is based on - the number of views, likes, dislikes, watch time, and comments.

1. LG Innovation Story - Brand Film, 21 Years Celebrations

This month LG celebrates 21 years in India. Therefore, there was a special treat for its customers with its latest brand TVC - LG Innovation Story; a delightful message that touched the heart of millions. Over the years, LG has focused on making every possible effort in touching lives with their wide range of products and innovations. This advertisement touches an emotional chord as it shows the importance of a family bond. A daughter urges her father to improve in mathematics so that the rift between him and his own father is finally mended.

Throughout the advertisement, as the story unfolds, we see various LG products being used. This long-form advertising by LG has garnered more than 46 million views so far putting it at the premier position of this month's top advertisements from India.

2. The OnePlus 6 Is Here!

OnePlus has always been one leading the smartphone market in India and continues to launch its new products with a bang. With their new OnePlus 6 smartphone, they created a simple yet powerful advertisement. The advertisement showcases each feature of the smartphone in a graphically appealing manner with a power-packed soundtrack to support it.

The tagline "The Speed You Need" is the underlying mood of the entire advertisement. With more than 25 million views till date, the OnePlus 6 ad sits at the second spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

3. Samsung Galaxy J6 TVC | #ToInfinityAndMore

Samsung has launched its new Galaxy J6 smartphone with innovative features like Infinity Display, Samsung Mall, Chat Over Video and more, all of which are bound to make your life reach #ToInfinityAndMore. In this advertisement, Samsung took the creative approach by showcasing the new product features while people from various walks of like are experiencing thrilling activities.

With a peppy soundtrack in the background, this crisp Samsung advertisement is a treat to watch. The ad has garnered more than 22 million views so far and thus stands on the third spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

4. New Ford EcoSport with Fun Roof

The New Ford EcoSport S and Ford EcoSport Signature now come with a new feature which is a Fun Roof that's designed to make your rides more 'fun' and exciting. In order to promote this product feature, Ford came up with a crisp advertisement that only showcases the Fun Roof feature. It simply shows how a mundane family ride can be made 'fun' by opening up the Fun Roof.

This simple advertisement from Ford has managed to gain more than 18 million views so far and garners the fourth spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

5. Veet Nikhaar

After sustaining on the initially launched variants over the years, Veet has now launched a new variant of its product called Veet Nikhaar. In order to promote this new product, they used their brand ambassador, Shraddha Kapoor, for their latest ad. The advertisement is just like any other hair removal ad which showcases the concern of a young girl about her body hair when asked to wear revealing clothes.

The unique selling point of the product is highlighted in the advertisement which is the fact that this Veet product is created by natural turmeric extracts and is thus, appropriate for use for every girl. With more than 17 million views, the new Veet advertisement stands on the fifth spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

6. Mums aren't Born, They are Made of...| Happy Mother's Day from Johnson's

Mother's Day is an important tentpole event for brands to jump on and create campaigns for. One brand which resonates the most with mothers is Johnson's. Therefore, for this year's mother's day, they created a campaign that talks about what mothers are made of.

The advertisement is a cute animated video, with a voiceover, that talks about the various struggles and joys of being a mother. The campaign is pushed by using the hashtag #mumsaremadeof which urges people to share their thoughts on the same. With more than 10 million views, this Johnson's ad stands on the sixth spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

7. Presenting Akshay Kumar as Money Singh -- Paisabazaar.com

India's leading loans and cards marketplace - Paisabazaar.com - introduces Akshay Kumar as its new brand ambassador. For their new ad campaign, they first created a teaser that introduces Akshay Kumar as Money Singh. It is a very crisp teaser which simply shows Akshay Kumar clad in bling and constantly grooving to the chant that says "Money Singh".

This is bound to be followed up with an advertisement soon, but the teaser itself has created a lot of intrigue. With more than 9 million views, this teaser ad positions itself at the seventh spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

8. Dominar Presents Breakfast With Champions - Sachin Tendulkar

Dominar is a Bajaj product and for their campaigns, they not only create direct advertisements but also series content that in turn, act as advertisements. Bajaj Dominar has recently roped in Gaurav Kapur to participate in candid conversations with the Hyper Performers of the cricketing world on the show called Breakfast with Champions.

This advertisement brings you up-close with the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, the man who ignited a billion dreams and took India on its greatest adventure. In this teaser ad you see Sachin joking around about Vada Pav and more. With more than 8 million views, this teaser advertisement sits on the eight spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

9. Chonkpur Cheetahs vs. Shahar Ke Kharche - Amazon

Amazon advertisements have always been interesting to watch and for this IPL season, they came up with a new campaign that features a team called Chonkpur Cheetahs who have recently moved to the city and are struggling with the expenses that come with buying amenities.

Through the course of this short ad you see that Amazon comes to the rescue and lets them handle their expenses. This is termed - 'Shahar Ke Kharche'. With more than 7.8 million views, this Amazon advertisement stands on the ninth spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

10. Get Alia's side-swept curls with Sunsilk

With the wedding season in full swing, Sunsilk came up with an advertisement campaign that is also a tutorial. They teamed up with the new age media company iDiva to create a tutorial video which helps young girls replicate Alia Bhatt's side-swept curls in six simple steps. It is a quick and useful tutorial ad which is supported by background music instead of a voice-over explaining the steps.

With more than 7.2 million views, the new Sunsilk tutorial advertisement sits at the last spot of this month's top advertisements from India.

(The author is co-founder and CEO at Vidooly, a YouTube audience development and analytics firm.)