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

Samsung tops the chart.

In the Indian YouTube advertising space, the month of August was dominated by Samsung in the top three leaderboard positions, while the remaining were a mix of brands from various categories which included other big names like Dove, OPPO, Myntra, SKODA and more.

The top-viewed advertisement for the month was a Samsung advertisement for their new product - the Galaxy Note 9. It racked up 49 million views while the other two Samsung ads, in the second and third positions, were a part of their holistic brand advertisement series, garnering more than 40 million views each. The August Top Ads list showcases all short-form advertisements which are under one minute.

Subrat Kar

NOTE

• All the stats here were updated on August 31st, 2018.

• Only advertisements launched in August of 2018 are considered.

• The list does not include ads (about the video content) by other content provider platforms like Netflix India, Amazon Prime Video 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.

Here are the advertisements that generated the most viewership for the month for August 2018:

1. Introducing the super powerful Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung has always been a top player in the technology market when it comes to smartphone launch campaigns. In August, the brand launched a campaign for yet another smartphone the #GalaxyNote9. The smartphone comes with the all-new S Pen and has features like an all-day battery, expandable storage up to 1TB and much more. The ad is pretty straightforward as it gives you a closer look at the smartphone design along with its unique features.

The highlight of the advertisement is the background score which is a snippet from Sia's song - Thunderclouds. It definitely gives it a very upbeat vibe and makes the ad more appealing. With more than 49 million views, Samsung's advertisement stands on the top spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

2. Samsung Internet of Things (IoT) and Bixby | Rahul's Family | E02 - Say hello to connected living.

As a part of Samsung's holistic campaign series which aims at promoting all their connected devices, this advertisement focuses on their connected Washing Machine and Family Hub Refrigerator. It shows how you can start your washing machine simply by the refrigerator that comes with the connected ability of Samsung's assistant called Bixby.

It is a short advertisement and conveys the message across clearly with a cheeky family scene between a mother and a son. With more than 40.8 million views, this advertisement stands on the second spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

3. Samsung Internet of Things (IoT) & Bixby | Rahul's Family | E03 - Own Goal

This is yet another advertisement from Samsung's holistic campaign series which focuses on the connected Smart TV and the Family Hub Refrigerator. The refrigerator allows you to mirror what's playing on your Samsung Smart TV to the Family Hub refrigerator screen. It aims to highlight how with the Samsung Internet of Things and Bixby you can enjoy seamless entertainment even in your kitchen.

ALSO READ: The Top 10 Most Watched Indian Ads on YouTube in June 2018

It promotes the idea of connected living by showcasing a sweet family scene utilising Samsung connected devices. With more than 40.1 million views, this advertisement stands on the third spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

4. Dove | Is there only one kind of beautiful face?

Dove has often come up with ad campaigns which don't directly focus on their products, but instead, try to tackle a social issue. This time, Dove has come up with a powerful campaign yet again focusing on something much greater than their products, i.e. the rules of beauty in India. The advertisement is very short (just 11 seconds), but it gets the message across quite aptly by showcasing a quick time-lapse of women's faces which are not considered to be traditionally beautiful because they don't seem to possess sharp features.

ALSO READ: The Top 10 Most Watched Indian Ads on YouTube in July 2018

The advertisement urges you to think again and break the beauty norms by participating in the campaign - #LetsBreakTheRulesOfBeauty. With more than 27 million views, this ad stands on the fourth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

5. #OPPOF9Pro with #VOOC Flash Charge

OPPO is slowly and steadily upping its game in the Indian smartphone market with new product launches and essential features. For their #OPPOF9Pro ad campaign, they roped in Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Siddharth Malhotra as brand ambassadors. The smartphone comes with #VOOC Flash Charge Technology that allows for a 5-minute charge to provide 2-hour talk time.

The advertisement showcases the importance of these two essential features beautifully by putting forth an everyday scenario where you are running out of battery and may need to use your phone for long hours. With more than 21 million views, this ad stands on the fifth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

6. Indian Wear Shopping Fest

With so many e-commerce brands today, you are bound to come across massive sales or festivals all year round. While most brands come up with site-wide sales, Myntra has come up with a festival of minimum 50 per cent off only on their Indian wear products. The advertisement showcases women from different walks of life, donning Indian wear in their daily life routines. The campaign is very aptly taglined "Indian at heart Fest!"

Since this sale comes post-Independence Day, the campaign could be aimed at a patriotic theme where they want to include Indian wear in people's daily lives. With more than 20 million views, the ad stands on the sixth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

7. SKODA Peace of Mind

Instead of just focusing on a car's features and design, SKODA, with their new ad campaign, focuses on the maintenance and warranty prices. The brand knows that with a luxury car consumers may be concerned about the price of maintaining it over the course of time.

So, with this advertisement, the brand tries to ensure that SKODA is the best choice you can make even for celebrities like Boman Irani. With more than 18 million views, the ad stands on the seventh spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

8. ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 feat. Gal Gadot - Unleash Your Creative Power!

ASUS is all set to make a mark on the laptop industry with its new revolutionary product the ZenBook Pro 15. For its ad campaign, the brand roped in "Wonder Woman" actress Gal Gadot to give the product a superhero appeal. The product is aimed at unleashing your #CreativePower as there's never been a laptop like the all-powerful, all-conquering ZenBook Pro 15. It is powered by the latest 8th-Gen Intel Core i9 processor which makes it faster and more sophisticated than others.

The laptop comes with a first-of-its-kind, jaw-dropping new ScreenPad, adding magic to your creativity. So, with the ZenBook Pro 15, you don't have to wait for the future: you can touch it, right here and right now. With more than 17 million views, this ad stands on the eighth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

9. New TRESemmé ProCollection - Salon gorgeous hair at home everyday

The brand TRESemme is promoted as a preferred choice of professionals and with their new ad campaign, it gets a whole new look. The New TRESemmé ProCollection is now available in India and for its advertisement, it features Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandes, as usual.

The ad showcases some behind the scenes snippets of the product being used by professionals at the New York Fashion Week along with shots of Jacqueline and her gorgeous hair. With more than 12 million views, this ad stands on the ninth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

10. Honda Livo - Time to Livo (45 sec)

For their new motorbike, the Honda Livo, the brand used the product features and a storyline. Honda Livo comes with a unique combination of Sharp Aerodynamics Design, New Dynamic Graphics, New Digital Analogue Meter with Service Due Indicator, and Honda Patented Low Rolling Resistance Tubeless Tyres (HET Tyres). The advertisement showcases a man's swift journey from trying to be like someone else to making his own identity to the point that everyone else wants to be him.

The campaign is appropriately taglined "Time to Live. Time to Livo". With more than 10 million views, this ad stands on the tenth spot of the top advertisements on YouTube in India for the month of August.

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