The YouTube Ads Leaderboard looks a little different this year.
Rather than simply showcasing a list of top ads ahead of Cannes Lions next week, YouTube used Google AI to analyze more than 8,000 top-performing spots, finding common themes that broke through.
In a blog post today, Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, vice president of YouTube ads marketing, explained that data scientists at YouTube built a custom large-language-model artificial intelligence tool to process text and video, extracting insights such as sentiment, themes and visual elements to learn about connections among top-performing ads. The company also used AI model Gemini 1.5 Pro to distill findings into key takeaways and understand how themes fit across the full gambit of creative.
The analysis confirmed that successful ads “open with a strong hook, lean into pop-culture references and trends, use popular or catchy music tracks, engage audiences with humor,” and more, according to Nelson-Bogle. However, the AI also noted more unexpected findings.
Here are the top ads and insights that stood out:
Putting a spotlight on underrepresented voices
Nelson-Bogle writes that ads “went beyond representation to actively challenge stereotypes” this year, with top performers including Google Pixel’s award-winning Super Bowl ad, “Javier in Frame.” The ad was directed by blind filmmaker Adam Morse, and ADWEEK contributor Brandy Shaul previously wrote that the ad follows a blind man named Javier who uses the Pixel’s AI-powered Guided Frame feature to record the big moments in his life.
Other top ads in this category include Apple’s “Personal Voice on iPhone,” Nubank’s “Mundo Nu,” Peloton’s “Yes. I. Can.” and Lidl France’s “Lidl Kids Team.”
Additionally, this year’s ads showcased voices that consumers don’t always see in major campaigns, including Maybelline’s new campaign with Brazilian singer Ludmilla, which has more than 10 million views in about one month.