Five most-viewed YouTube ads in India in 2015

Google India has revealed the top five commercials of 2015. Based purely on the number of views, the five ad campaigns spread across different brand categories, such as FMCG (Unilever and Godrej), e-commerce (Flipkart), telecom (MTS), and BFSI (Birla Sun Life Insurance).

After Gondappa and Tree of Life ads from Lifebuoy's much- talked about 'Help a child reach 5' initiative, the brand came up with a third addition to the series called Chamki that talks about neonatal care. Like its predecessors, the ad has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas.

The ad revolves around infant mortality. Of the children who die before the age of five, 44 per cent do not live past 28 days post birth. Chamki is the story of an expectant mother called Sangrahi, who discusses her hopes and dreams for the unborn child. To help her understand the importance of clean hands, she is shown a message from her daughter (from the future), who is now seven, thanking her mother for all that she had done for her, most importantly, wash her hands and help the child live past 28 days. Posted on YouTube on October 28, it has garnered 13 million views so far.

Building on its 'Born for the internet campaign (2014)', MTS India brought back the tech-savvy 'internet baby' from its previous campaign. In a World Cup spot crafted by Creativeland Asia and produced by Earlyman Films, MTS India made a point that digital natives require internet connectivity from the word go. The ad film scandalises viewers when the baby bump on a woman about to go into labour vanishes. That's when we're let in on an argument between the unborn child and a visibly occupied God - the baby is reluctant to enter the world through a home that is not equipped with WiFi. Posted on YouTube on February 20, it has garnered 8 million views so far.

Birla Sun Life Insurance narrated an extraordinary story of an ordinary man who refused to kneel before adversity and fate. The ad film, executed by Taproot, followed the life of a loving, tenacious, single father of an autistic boy. He decides to battle the odds and start a business of his own when he loses his job. The voice-over says, "Honi ko aap rokh nahin sakte. Par honi bhi aap ko kahan rokh sakegi" (You can't dodge the inevitable. But, fate can't stop you from moving ahead either). Posted on YouTube on January 12, it has garnered over 4.4 million views so far.

Flipkart executed a campaign highlighting how its app is a one-stop solution for shopping. Set in Delhi, the ad features a young woman in an autorickshaw making pit stops at various shops. Exhausted by his demanding customer, the auto driver notices a smartphone that the lady uses for directions. He asks her to install the Flipkart app suggesting that as an end to all her shopping woes. Posted on YouTube on April 24, it has garnered over 3.8 million views so far.

Titled #AliveIsOffline, an extension of the brand's two-year-old umbrella thought 'Alive is Awesome', the film urged today's perpetually logged-in consumers to get off the internet and live a little. Ironically, the campaign was a digital one. The campaign featured a lone male traveller exploring the scenic outdoors while making a conscious attempt to ignore incoming phone calls. Shot in Kerala, the ad has been crafted by Creativeland Asia and is produced by BWP Totem Productions. Posted on YouTube on March 3, it has garnered over 2.8 million views so far.