Watching popular videos from major brands can be a good way for small businesses to find out what works and generate their own campaign ideas.
Here is a list of popular videos from big brands. View counts include organic and paid. The spots use a variety of elements to deliver messages. Some of the videos present stunning visuals; others focus on funny scenes or relatable moments. All of the videos tell a story.
Hershey’s #SmoresSeason
This short making-of-a-smores video promotes Hershey’s #SmoresSeason on Facebook. The video is an excellent demonstration of what works on social media — universal moments with rich visuals. 10 million views.
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YouTube Music: Open the world of music. It’s all here.
Promoting YouTube’s new music app, this video explores our universal love of music with iconic performances (set to a beloved Beatles song), and then explores the new app’s features to access the music we love. 38.8 million views.
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Apple HomePod
“HomePod” is a video by acclaimed film director Spike Jonze to promote Apple’s HomePod. It follows a tired young woman as she makes her way through a crowded gray city to her small apartment. Once home, as Siri plays music, the apartment expands, and the woman dances to life. The spot is filled with colorful in-camera visuals as it moves from hard reality to creative abstraction. 15.2 million views.
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Nike: Dream Crazy
This ad, narrated by Colin Kaepernick, poses the question, Are your dreams crazy enough? The video is filled with inspirational stories of athletes who defied all obstacles and shattered expectations. As this video demonstrates, the best stories are emotional stories. 26.6 million views.
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Jockey: Show ‘Em What’s Underneath: Michaela DePrince
This shot for Jockey features ballerina Michaela DePrince, telling of her amazing journey overcoming tragic obstacles while we watch her beautiful dance. It’s another good example of the power of an inspirational story. 14.6 million views.
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JOY by Dior — The New Fragrance
“JOY” is an ad to promote a new fragrance by Dior. The video features provocative and stunning visuals, lavish settings, couture clothing, and Jennifer Lawrence as the celebrity spokesperson. 50.7 million views.
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Fiat New 500X: A Taste of Tomorrow. Today
To promote Fiat’s new 500X car, this video features a young couple from the ‘60s traveling to their future in the new Fiat, in an homage to the film Back to the Future with a cameo by actor Christopher Lloyd. The film reference also lends a story to the ad. 28.8 million views.
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Hulu: ‘Never Get Hulu’
Part of Hulu’s #BetterRuinsEverything campaign that ran during the Emmys, this comedic spot features celebrities warning viewers not to indulge in the finer things, as they tend to ruin the mediocre — “Never get Hulu, it’s so much better than TV.” 11.2 million views.
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Google Assistant: Now on Smart Displays
This spot is to promote Google Assistant. It shows a montage of people using Google Assistant to help them complete their daily tasks, cooking, crafting, turning on lights, monitoring their home, and getting directions. 10.4 million views.
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Grammarly: Write the Future
Promoting Grammarly’s editing app, this video follows a student through the experience of writing a paper to turning it in and getting an A+. There’s no dialogue, just a few lines of narrative text, and plenty of tense universal moments for viewers. 83.9 million views.
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T-Mobile: Rainn Wilson Calls Customer Service
Promoting T-Mobile’s team of experts and its “real help for real people,” this video features Rainn Wilson as he suffers through a call with an automated service bot. This spot reminds us of the power that negative universal experiences have, especially when performed by a very funny actor. 8 million views.
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Adidas Football: Unleash Speed feat. Gabriel Jesus | X18 Team Mode
Promoting the new X18 shoe from Adidas, this spots features Gabriel Jesus, bursting with incredible speed through a slow-placed grocery store and ripping onto a field of cutting-edge soccer. 21.6 million views.
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T-Mobile: Super Dad
“Super Dad” is an ad from T-Mobile that shows how it will help us in our times of need. Following a dad as he works to transforms his son’s art into the ultimate costume, T-Mobile plays on the eternally universal theme of family. 18.7 million views.
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Wish: Tim Howard’s Insane Pool Party
Promoting shopping app Wish with its #TimeOnYourHands campaign, this ad features soccer star Tim Howard easily prepping an insane pool party with all the merchandise he’s acquired. 50.7 million views.
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Google Project Fi: Don’t Ask for the Wi-Fi When You Don’t Have To
Promoting Google’s Project Fi, which intelligently shifts among mobile networks and Wi-Fi, this spot shows an uncomfortable cafe customer having to get a password for wi-fi. It’s a familiar scene and a memorable problem. 27.6 million views.