Netflix, Apple, Max Among Best Ads, According to YouTube

Netflix Ad YouTube
Netflix’s ad for original series ‘Wednesday.’ (Image credit: Netflix)

Two of the most popular video ads running in the last 12 months are for U.S. streaming services, according to YouTube.

With the ad world headed to Cannes for the big annual advertising conference, YouTube released its annual leaderboard, which included five ads from the U.S.

The top ad was for Netflix’s series Wednesday, showing The Addams Family’s Thing roaming around New York City.

The No. 2 ad is for Telecom Egypt, while No 3 introduces the iPhone 14 Pro from Apple, a competitor of YouTube parent Alphabet.

The No. 5 ad is for Qatar Airlines, followed by a Korean ad for Samsung, a World Cup-themed ad for Orange Egypt and an Italian ad for Bulgari.

U.S. ads for Peacock and Burger King round out the top 10.

“This year’s Cannes Ads Leaderboard is packed with a range of creative that exemplifies how the YouTube canvas doesn’t box brands in with formats,“ Sunny Kwok, creative director, U.S. Creative Works, at Google said. “There’s incredible diversity in terms of cultural and generational representation as well as production styles and approaches to storytelling. Collectively, they make for a great celebration, and the viewership numbers are testament to how great creative can connect with people.”  

The YouTube Cannes Ads Leaderboard is a list of the top 10 most popular video ads globally from June 2022-May 2023. The ad ranking is determined using some of YouTube’s strongest signals of viewer choice — including factors like organic and paid views, watch time and audience retention (or how much of a video people watched). 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.