An Android ad called “Friends Furever” became not only the most shared ad of 2015, but also of all time. The ad, which is a part of Android’s “Be together. Not the same” ad campaign, was shared more than 6.4 million times, according to video ad tech company Unruly.
The ad, which was uploaded in February, features unlikely animal pals goofing around with Roger Miller’s song Oo-De-Lally from Disney’s Robin Hood playing in the background. And who wouldn’t share a video of a dog and an elephant, an orangutan and a dog, and even a baby rhinoceros and sheep all playing together?
A variety of companies used the power of cute with animals to create viral ads, such as Buzzfeed’s video for Purina pet food, which tells a short story of a dog and his pup.
“From the joy you feel when your pup welcomes you home to nostalgic memories of your childhood pet, animals can tap into a wide range of emotions that have broad appeal,” Unruly’s EMEA MD Oliver Smith said. “By placing the focus on friendship and shared experiences, advertisers in 2015 have successfully used dogs, cats and other furry friends to provoke strong feelings of warmth and well-being.”
But Google can’t shine in all of the limelight. Microsoft made it into the top 10 as well, coming in at number 9 for its ad, “Robert Downey Jr. Delivers a Real Bionic Arm.”
The video features actor Robert Downey Jr. delivering a 3D-printed bionic arm to 7-year-old Alex Pring. This ad, published in March, has a total of 2.1 million shares and comes from Microsoft’s Collective Project, which spotlights innovative student collaborations.
Data from Unruly shows that 2015 brought a significant increase in social media shares over last year, with this year’s top 20 receiving a total of 40.2 million shares, a 38.5-percent increase from last year’s 29 million shares. It seems that advertisers are getting better at creating shareable, viral ads.
