Keeping up with the current trend, smartphone ads engaged the maximum viewers on YouTube. Also, some of the highest viewed ads were focused on Women's Day, the ongoing IPL fever and personal care during the scorching summer.

This month, it's a short commercial by Asian Paints that grabbed north of 45 million views. An interesting fact: March's Top 10 comprises of ads that are all less than a minute long.

Note:

• All the stats here were updated on April 2nd, 2019.

• Only advertisements launched on YouTube in March 2019 are considered.

• The list does not include ads (about the video content) by other content provider platforms like Netflix India, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar.

• The overall audience sentiment that is mentioned below each advertisement is based on - number of views, likes, dislikes, watch time, and comments.

Here are the top 10 ads by Indian brands on YouTube for the month of March 2019.

1. Asian Paints Royale Health Shield: The Anti-Bacterial Paint

The ad featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone was created to showcase Anti-Bacterial technology (a revolutionary step) in the paints industry. The first-of-its-kind, Royal Health Shield boasts of Silver Ion Technology that is recommended by the Indian Medical Association. Asian Paints has successfully amalgamated its luxurious finish with germ-free walls through this ad. Set with a playful tone, a couple of India's favourite celebrities and an apt hashtag - #PaintThatCares, this ad is the most viewed in March 2019.

2. Samsung Galaxy A: Triple Camera for 123-degree Ultra Wide Videos

According to Samsung, it's an action-packed phone with a triple camera set up that gives users a 123-degree Ultra Wide Angle for videos. It comes with a SUPER AMOLED Infinity-U Display and a 4000mAh battery. In the ad, when Sam is asked to take a picture, he says "action" and that's when the fun begins. It is an attempt by Samsung to regain its lost share in the budget smartphone segment. Showing the #ReadyAction in a youth robotics competition, Samsung gathered more than 41 million views and 52K likes on YouTube, making it the second highest viewed ad in March.

3. Samsung Galaxy S10 TV Commercial: The Next Generation Galaxy



Starting from the screen, security, the display, and the camera, everything is next-gen in the latest Galaxy S10 TVC by Samsung. Not only does it feature an Ultra Wide camera but it also offers a Wireless PowerShare technology. Samsung has begun a new era of its Galaxy smartphone range with the S10. With more than 30 million views, it is the third most viewed advertisement for the month of March.

4. The best fashion advice is here - Max Kehta Hai, "Behen, Kuch Bhi Pehen!"

MaxFashion, known for their wide range of fashion apparel ranging from designer garb to easy-breezy clothing, is back with their best fashion advice that says #BehenKuchBhiPehen. This advertisement was released right before women's day as a part of their campaign #MaxWomensFest and sends out a social message for all women - the best way to feel good is to be yourself and to wear whatever you want. This ad has managed to capture more than 29 million views and stands as the fourth most viewed ad of March 2019.

5. The New 2019 Edition Pulsar Neon

Bajaj has come up with the latest addition to its iconic Pulsar 150 bike range. Being the numero uno sports bike of the country for the past 17 years, the 2019 edition is inspired by the bright neon TRAIls of the highways. It dons a matte black finish with three colour designs: Neon Red, Neon Yellow and Neon Silver. Mechanically, it is still the Pulsar classic 150. The ad was successful in generating above 28 million views and sits at the fifth spot.

6. Garnier Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water

Meet the new Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water from Garnier that claims to remove 96 per cent of your stubborn make-up in one go. The advertisement is aesthetic, short and with over 24 million views is the sixth most viewed ad for March. It shows a lot of vibrant colours vanish like magic. It comes in two variants and at very reasonable prices.

7. All-New Galaxy A Series | Ultra-wide Videos

In this ad, Samsung highlights its latest Galaxy A series devices: A10, A30 and A50. All these cool action phones feature 123-degree Ultra-Wide Lens to capture Ultra-Wide videos. A50 has this distinct feature of an in-display fingerprint sensor. This is the shortest ad among the lot and has garnered over 21.4 million views in March.

8. OPPO F11 Pro | Brilliant PorTRAIt in Low Light | Available Now

Get ready for the all-new OPPO F11 Pro with a 48 MP dual rear camera set up and panoramic screen to capture brilliant porTRAIts in low lights. Humorously showcasing the downsides and issues faced while taking photographs in low light, this advertisement shows how the OPPO F11 Pro comes to the rescue in such situations. This advertisement is quirky and specifies its advantages over counterparts, in the most amusing and entertaining way.

9. Goibibo Travel Cash Fest is Here! Earn Travel Cash During Every RCB & KKR Cricket Match!

The biggest travel cash fest is back on Goibibo. This collaborative Ad by Goibibo is released strategically for the IPL cricket season. It stars Deepika Padukone guiding Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli and other cricketers on how to score big during the KKR and RCB matches. On every big hit by KKR and RCB players, Goibibo users can win Travel Cash on the Goibibo app which can be used to book hotels, flights, bus tickets, cabs, experiences etc. Other offers include big wins on predicting scores, getting scratch cards and more.

10. 5 Star Amazon Pay Promo - Shopkeeper Film

Think of Cadbury 5 Star and it immediately rings a bell of the very amusing and iconic duo Ramesh and Suresh. This collaborative ad between 5 Star and Amazon Pay with the hashtag - #5StarPeAmazonPay - shows the pair lost in munching away 5 Star bars worth Rs.10 and then getting full cash back from #AmazonPay after entering the codes inside the wrappers of their respective chocolates. Garnering over 18 million viewers, this ad is the tenth most-viewed ad for March 2019.

(The author is co-founder and CEO at Vidooly, a YouTube audience development and analytics firm.)

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