On average, YouTube receives a billion views a day from users all around the globe. With such a massive viewership, only time will tell when this online powerhouse will replace the boob tube.

With content creators uploading over 400 hours of video every minute and their advanced understanding of user preference through AI, YouTube’s become a video sharing platform unlike any other. These impressive stats and numbers tell us one thing – YouTube is one of the best online advertising platforms out there. Brands are quickly learning the advantages of running their ads on YouTube and we are seeing a lot of them step up their game.

There’s a burgeoning digital ad war that’s unfolding on YouTube and you can learn a lot from some of the brands that are killing it. Take inspiration from some of the best video ads, which we’ve listed below.

1. PuppyMonkeyBaby by Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew knows its audience (you and I included) have a habitual liking for all things peculiar. For one of their ads, Mountain Dew put out what the internet has come to know as the PuppyMonkeyBaby.

The ad featured a hybrid of all these animals serving some Mtn Dew Kickstart – a combination of juice, caffeine, and dew.

The video was short and mind-bogglingly eccentric but it worked! To date, the #PuppyMonkeyBaby video has received over 29 million views. The PuppyMonkeyBaby ad taught us that even the most brilliantly random things can be a big hit on the internet.

Let creativity define the course of your ad. Collaborate with as many of your team members as possible and see what hybrid of an ad you can come up with. Being very creative means you run more of a risk: more potential for big success, but also more potential for an embarrassing fail.

2. Put Your Advocacy at the Forefront by Microsoft

There’s no better place to showcase your brand’s advocacy than on the internet. Microsoft is a global tech brand who knows how to use their international presence to shine a light on some important issues.

Their #MakeWhatsNext campaign bent stereotypical gender norms and showed the world that girls can change the world the same way boys can.

Microsoft knows that there’s prevalent inequality in the workforce between men and women. In the video shown above, they provided pre-teen girls with all the tools they need in order to imagine how they can change the world.

The video is compelling enough to start an important conversation about equality. Advocating for social causes can set you a notch above all the other brands in your niche.

3. Declaration of Descendants by Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com welcomed the 4th of July with a riveting ad that mirrored the diversity of modern day America. Their no-fluff approach to a highly relevant matter is what makes this ad a total win.

The video featured a highly diverse group of people reciting the Declaration of Independence. Towards the end of the video, the audience is told that the people in the video are actually related to the delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence! Neat.

4. Big Finish by Nike Football

Despite the sudden rise in popularity of online influencers, people are still big suckers for celebrities and sports icons.

Nike Football teamed up with the ever-prominent Cristiano Ronaldo for a Freaky Friday-esque ad that has garnered over 58 million views on YouTube.

In the six-minute ad, you can see Ronaldo switch bodies with a teenage boy who aspires to become a professional football player. They live each other’s lives for a year but soon come face-to-face in a match to end all matches.

Despite the predictable ending, this ad was compelling for a variety of reasons and kept people engaged. The use of influential stars is one great way to draw people in. Combine that with an exciting storyline and you have yourself a successful ad.

5. Painful Truth by Audi

Emotive content can help you achieve virality, as long as you direct the right message to the right people. We’ve seen many brands break gender norms but Audi took it a notch higher by integrating familial elements into their ad “Daughter.”

What superficially seems like another underdog story actually tackles corporate inequality. While a father watches his daughter compete in a soapbox car he’s burdened by the thought of her daughter being robbed of equal pay when she grows up.

Taking a stance on a socially-relevant issue together with a highly emotional marketing message can get you noticed and hook your viewers.

6. Engage Your Viewers by Orabrush

Interactive videos have been around for a while now. Providing your viewers with a one-of-a-kind experience through interactive videos is one way to keep their mouse away from the skip button.

In this crazy video, Orabrush presents a dancing tongue who yells at you. It might not sound like a great idea for an ad, but according to the Orabrush CEO in 2010, this video raised sales by over a million dollars and resulted in a massive pharmacy chain wanting to get them in their stores.

Just click the on screen buttons or press the number keys, and you’ll see the dirty tongue busting all kinds of dance moves. It’s fun and entertaining, and you’ll no doubt remember Orabrush after playing with it for a little while.

7. Different Kind of Blind Date by Knorr

They say love is a universal language, which makes it the perfect angle for ads for almost every brand imaginable. Knorr staged a blind date among potential couples by matching them with one another based on their favorite flavor.

Pushing your product can push your viewers away. In order to get more people to tune into your ads, you should advertise your product or services without sounding like an annoying sales agent.

8. Relate to Your Audience by Maltesers

As a brand, you can use ads to relate to your viewers on this gargantuan platform. Maltesers teamed up with Buzzfeed and used the opportunity to brilliantly showcase how painfully awkward it is to live as a teenager.

Use your ads to connect with your ideal audience. The more specific you are about your target audience, the clearer your marketing message will be to the people you want to attract.

And did you know, pairing your well thought-out content with an impressive amount of YouTube views from a tried-and-tested provider can be a great way to improve your reputation on the platform quickly.

Buying views from a reputable provider will strengthen your social proof and help you attract more organic viewers – viewers that you can convert into paying customers

9. Make it Cinematic like Clash Royale

Paying attention to your video’s overall look can help you win over your audience. Clash Royale made a short yet head-turning video to promote their game. The video is fun and quirky but most importantly, it was beautifully produced.

You may have a unique marketing message that can trump everyone else in your niche but if your video fails to translate that visually, your audience might just turn the other cheek.

10. A Glimpse of the Future by Hyundai

To launch their latest model, the Ioniq, Hyundai tapped Buzzfeed’s most famous couple, Ned and Ariel, to live in a home built for the future.

In the video, we see them learn about – and miserably fail at – embracing a more sustainable life.

What made this video such a success is that Hyundai’s subtle marketing message was overshadowed by a greater, more relevant social message.

Because they’re marketing a hybrid, eco-friendly car, it made sense that they give people an idea of how they can live life and leave as little carbon footprint as possible. The result is that people think of Hyundai as more of a “green” brand than they did before.

Be Unskippable

What makes a successful YouTube ad campaign? It’s a video that’s so good it’s unskippable. Hatch a plan to come up with an ad that won’t be deemed as intrusive.

Remember, you’re up against a lot of stiff competition. People would rather watch a viral cat video than watch an ad on YouTube so you want to make sure your content is top notch.

You can take inspiration from some of the powerful videos we’ve discussed today so you can put those viral cats to shame with your killer ad.

Set yourself up for success by purchasing a few hundred thousand YouTube views for your ad and other videos. Buying views is an efficient way to build your credibility and generate interest among organic viewers. Once their interest is piqued, they’ll be less likely to hit that skip button.

Step up your game and start creating ads based on meaningful and valuable content TODAY.