Whether out of choice, or lethargy when it comes to hitting the ‘skip’ button, public sector ads find many takers according to Google’s YouTube Ads Leaderboard for the second half of 2018.

The ads on the leaderboard have over 3.8 million views and six of the 10 came from public sector agencies. The list included the National Council of Social Service, Health Promotion Board, Smart Nation Singapore, Gov.Sg, Economic Development Board and the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Commenting on the performance of the film that topped the Leaderboard, National Council of Social Service director of corporate communications Pearlyn Tseng said: “Mental health stigma is a sensitive and difficult topic to broach, and awareness of one’s bias is the first step to addressing the issue.

“We are heartened that Beyond the Label’s social experiment video resonated with viewers and started conversations to reduce stigma and promote acceptance.”

Speaking about an ad that made it to the top five, Health Promotion Board director of corporate marketing Dawn Lee said: “We wanted to approach the prevalent misconception about antibiotics in a simple manner so that the message will be clearly understood. This success has encouraged us to continue to formulate new approaches to engage our audiences meaningfully, while ensuring important health messages are relatable.”

Commenting on the leaderboard, Google Singapore’s country director Stephanie Davis said: “With audiences’ viewing habits on YouTube constantly changing, there is a huge opportunity for marketers to stay relevant to capture the attention of their consumers.

“It’s particularly impressive to see public sector agencies making up six of the top 10 ads, demonstrating their incredible creativity and deep insights into their audiences.

“The ads in this edition of the Leaderboard are great examples of how today’s video ads can use captivating narratives to build personal connections to brands and leading to great marketing results.”