Unruly’s UK Ads Chart Similar, But Different From Global Ads Chart

I'm in the United Kingdom this week to speak at SES London, which is being held again at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. I'll be speaking on Thursday, 23 February, about "Developing a Video Optimisation and Marketing Campaign.”

No, that's not a typo. On this side of the pond, the Brits spell "optimisation" with an "s" instead of a "z." In Old Blighty, soccer is called "football." And British beer is served warm.

So, it shouldn't come as a complete shock to see that Unruly's UK ads chart is markedly different from its global ads chart, which tends to be dominated by American videos. On the other hand, the two charts can also be markedly similar.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

The top UK ad over the past 7 days is "Collapsing Cooling Towers." It has more than 1.8 million views, but "Ecotricty" shouldn't translate into American and if you told a Yank to "dump the big six," he'd never imagine that you were talking about power companies. Nevertheless, it ranks #5 in the global ads chart over the past 7 days.

Another video that has been able to cross over to the other side is "The Dog Strikes Back: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial." With 11.9 million views, it ranks #2 in the UK ads chart and #7 in the global ads chart.

"Future Hipsters" was made in America, but it ranks #10 in the UK ads chart and #25 in the global ads chart. So, "see the future before it happens" also seems to resonate on both sides of the pond.

Another video that ranks well in both the UK and global ad charts is "OFFICIAL David Beckham Bodywear for H&M Super Bowl Ad." With 2.6 million views, it ranks #8 in the UK ads chart and #21 in the global ads chart.

Another example of cross-Atlantic success is "Alex Thomson attempts the keel walk." It ranks #13 in the UK ads chart and #30 in the global ads chart.

And who would have guessed that "Old Spice | Bounce" would be a cross-cultural hit. With more than 4 million views, it ranks #14 in the UK ads chart and #31 in the global ads chart.

And the "Resident Evil 6 reveal trailer" ranks #15 in the UK ads chart and #36 in the global ads chart.

And "Game Of Thrones Season 2: 'Shadow' Tease" ranks #16 in the UK ads chart and #38 in the global ads chart.

Finally, "Old Spice | Vending Machine" ranks #17 in the UK ads chart and #45 in the global ads chart, despite the fact that the new Old Spice guy uses the American term "potato chips" instead of the British term "crisps.”

So, what does this mean to marketers?

Yes, yes, we all know the quotation by George Bernard Shaw, "The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

But, maybe, just maybe, YouTube videos are re-connecting the two countries with slapstick, a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense. Hey, it's just a theory.

Besides, as H. Beam Piper observed, "English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to pick up Saxon barmaids and is no more legitimate than any of the other results.”

So, how could we let something as common as language separate us?