For those doubting the power of social media video advertising, they need only look at PEX’s recent research.
The platform, which is a global video and music search engine used by all the major labels and dozens of publishers, compiled a list of the top videos of 2018 from the big four social media platforms.
Advertising dominates Twitter’s videos
Interestingly, Twitter’s top ten videos for last year were dominated by adverts from brands like Toyota, Downy, and LG.
Here is the full list:
| Name | Advertiser | Upload date | Duration | Number of views | Likes | Comments | Shares | |
| 1 | Big dreams start small. All you have to do is go for it…. | Toyota Motor Corp. | 3/8/2018 | 0:00:29 | 194,000,000 | 19,489 | 395 | 1,867 |
| 2 | Alcanzar tus sueños no es imposible, solo debes intentarlo…. | Toyota Motor Corp. | 3/9/2018 | 0:00:29 | 106,000,000 | 20,222 | 161 | 1,665 |
| 3 | Keep your clothes looking newer, longer with Downy Fabric… | Downy | 5/2/2018 | 0:00:06 | 93,400,000 | 22,279 | 1,465 | 1,484 |
| 4 | We want to help make movement better for everyone. Because… | Toyota Motor Corp. | 6/14/2018 | 0:00:06 | 80,500,000 | 5,743 | 253 | 1,043 |
| 5 | Hi Shiro. It’s me. Keira #shirosstory… | BlackBarbie Events | 9/19/2018 | 0:00:05 | 65,600,000 | 2,398 | 24 | 1,142 |
| 6 | The odds were against her. But Lauren Woolstencroft never… | Toyota Motor Corp. | 2/8/2018 | 0:00:30 | 62,900,000 | 9,424 | 89 | 1,226 |
| 7 | Todo grande sonho começa com o primeiro passo…. | Toyota Motor Corp. | 3/9/2018 | 0:00:30 | 58,500,000 | 15,294 | 301 | 780 |
| 8 | Ryan’s in, now it’s your turn. #WhatsItGonnaTake to get you… | LG USA Mobile | 6/12/2018 | 0:00:29 | 57,300,000 | 4,585 | 415 | 351 |
| 9 | Taking #NationalRollerCoasterDay to the next level…. | Universal Orlando Resort | 8/16/2018 | 0:01:53 | 56,400,000 | 4,452 | 116 | 1,191 |
| 10 | Can AI help protect these animals from extinction? The… | SAS Software | 5/31/2018 | 0:00:06 | 54,700,000 | 5,464 | 49 | 1,289 |
On Instagram
Instagrammer Lele Pons claimed four of the top ten spots on that social media platform’s most watched video list for 2018. Kylie Jenner managed to grab two spots on the list.
Music videos top YouTube
Follow on from 2017’s trend, YouTube’s top 10 videos were all music videos. Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Cardi B took top spot with Girls Like You. Here is the full list.
| Name | Channel | Upload date | Duration | Views | Likes | Dislikes | Comments | |
| 1 | Maroon 5 – Girls Like You ft. Cardi B | Maroon5VEVO | 5/31/2018 | 0:04:31 | 1,565,463,969 | 10,960,084 | 429,553 | 453,492 |
| 2 | Te Bote Remix – Casper, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, Ozuna | Video Oficial | Flow La Movie | 4/11/2018 | 0:07:03 | 1,533,084,421 | 6,768,867 | 693,191 | 458,257 |
| 3 | Nicky Jam x J. Balvin – X (EQUIS) | Video Oficial | Prod. Afro Bros & Jeon | NickyJamTV | 3/2/2018 | 0:03:12 | 1,451,091,993 | 6,816,894 | 488,508 | 237,476 |
| 4 | Daddy Yankee | Dura (Video Oficial) | Daddy Yankee | 1/18/2018 | 0:03:38 | 1,223,639,485 | 5,653,739 | 519,314 | 243,993 |
| 5 | Becky G, Natti Natasha – Sin Pijama (Video Oficial) | BeckyGVEVO | 4/20/2018 | 0:03:37 | 1,177,973,245 | 4,886,385 | 530,683 | 296,489 |
| 6 | Ozuna x Romeo Santos – El Farsante (Remix) (Video Oficial) | Ozuna | 1/30/2018 | 0:05:02 | 1,153,084,714 | 3,358,192 | 391,677 | 136,672 |
| 7 | El Chombo – Dame Tu Cosita feat. Cutty Ranks (Official Video) [Ultra Music] | Ultra Music | 4/5/2018 | 0:02:33 | 1,002,588,870 | 4,612,203 | 1,322,035 | 315,572 |
| 8 | Bath Song | Cocomelon (ABCkidTV) Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs | Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes | 5/2/2018 | 0:02:53 | 948,872,392 | 2,078,388 | 1,165,892 | 23,649 |
| 9 | Drake – God’s Plan | DrakeVEVO | 2/17/2018 | 0:05:57 | 912,802,404 | 9,145,242 | 346,089 | 529,499 |
| 10 | DJ Snake – Taki Taki ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna, Cardi B | DJSnakeVEVO | 10/10/2018 | 0:03:52 | 818,680,402 | 8,398,894 | 483,594 | 342,992 |
PEX uses a fingerprinting Shazam-like technology to identify and total the view count from more than 20 open streaming platforms, based on the numbers that they make public.
All data was provided by PEX.
