December has ended, and so has the year 2010. If you haven’t seen our top 10 videos for 2010, now’s the time!
In the mean time, you can also check out the top commercial virals for December 2010, as tracked by Unruly Media.
Yet again, sports dominate the chart, with commercials for DC shoes and Nike. Roller Babies, a tremendously successful ad, is again a viral hit this month.
According to a study from TubeMogul, approximately 80% of marketers that are using online video on their sites, do so to increase visitor engagement, or time spent on the site. About 60% use online video to strengthen their brand, and almost 60% use video to increase the amount of overall visitors.
All in all, 2010 wasn’t a very strong year when it came to viral videos, or any kind of videos. It was easier to point out memorable, funny and good viral videos in the years before, but this year I really had to work hard in order to compile a top-ten list.
This is list is comprised of the best 10 videos of the year, in my opinion. Some of the videos are in the list because they were major hits, and got millions of views on YouTube. One of them is a great example of how social media SHOULD be utilized and most of them are just fun, funny or interesting video clips I enjoyed this year. Oh, and there’s a cat, too. There always has to be a cat. So, here they are…
Shark Lady’s Top 10 Videos of 2010
#10
Greyson Chance Singing Paparazzi
A major YouTube hit, for some weird reason. I mean, we have seen better young talents before. But hey – it has over 35 million views, so it must have SOMETHING. Actually, I find the girls in the audience rather hilarious.
#9
Pixels
Retro gaming, presented in a clever and creative way. I protest the absence of Galaga, but other than that, it’s a lovely video.
#8
Cats VS Treadmill
As I said, cats are a mandatory part of every top-ten list. These two are trying to figure out this weird contraption, called a treadmill. Double the cats, double the fun. And hold that thought, because Double rules this year.
#7
Trololo
This is just a perfect example of cultural differences. I am pretty sure that in its originating country, this song is a masterpiece, and so is its performer. In any other place (ie, the interwebs), it’s just a hilarious video, with an annoying song (?) that sticks to your brain.
#6
Single Lady Devastation
Poor kid. All he ever wanted was to sing. And be a Single Lady.
#5
Gandalf Goes to the World Cup
Anyone who has watched the World Cup in 2010, cursed the mightily annoying piece of plastic, called the Vuvuzela. Now, what would have happened if the darn thing had been part of the Lord of the Rings?
#4
Angry Birds Peace Treaty
Angry Birds is probably the most successful mobile game today. It has produced a lot of internet memes and content, but I love this one the most. This sketch has been created by the cast of an Israeli satire TV show, and after the Hebrew version became a huge hit, they released it in English. It actually works better in Hebrew, IMHO, but apparently it takes an English translation to create a YouTube hit.
#3
The Cutest Place on Earth
A sloths’ orphanage. Nuff said.
#2
Old Spice Guy
I usually don’t like commercial videos or ads, even when they become viral and very popular. The Old Spice campaign is a different story. First of all, it has the ever-amazing, destructively handsome, super-ultra manly Isaiah Mustafa in it, which justifies a place in my top ten list every year Second of all, the Old Spice Responses campaign was a brilliant example of how social media should REALLY be used when it comes to commercial applications. I’m sure this campaign will be well remembered and discussed a an original, imaginative and successful breakthrough. Oh, and by the way – have you noticed how HOT Isaiah is?
#1
Double Rainbow
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Ahhh, the everlasting question, that goes unanswered and leaves us empty inside. But, don’t despair! There’s always a rainbow at the end of the darkness. Sometimes, it’s even a double rainbow!!!
This video easily takes the #1 spot on my top videos list for 2010. It’s authentic, original, honest and made me shed hilarious tears of laughter. This is a pure and real viral hit, a true experience for all those involved. DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY!!!
If you own an iPhone or an Android-based mobile phone, you probably know Angry Birds. Over 10 million copies of the game have been sold on the iPhone platform alone, and Angry Birds is by far the most popular cellular game of the year.
The game is talked about all over the net, people write about their Angry Birds games and the time it had stolen from them, buy merchandise that’s based on the game, and now – there’s a comedy sketch on TV about it. This sketch comes all the way from Israel. It was originally posted on the program’s website, in Hebrew. The success of the clip urged the creators to make an English version, and here it is – what happens when the birds and the pigs try to sign a peace treaty?
The sketch has many underlining political insinuations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and about rude Israeli behavior. I must admit it’s a hell of a lot funnier in Hebrew, but it seems the global crowd likes it – the clip is high on the viral videos chart, gets mentioned all over the net and at the moment has over 300K views on YouTube.
This month’s top viral videos show a few celebrities. Gillette conquered the first place with Roger Federer performing an impressive tennis shot, which might be staged. The number two video from California non-profit Heal the Bay, is narrated the amazing Jeremy Irons. The 10th video, an ad by Orbit, features TV/movie star Jason Bateman performing a funny dance routine.
Throughout the year, sports and sport stars have dominated the viral video chart, and August is no different. In addition to the Federer video, there are also clips from Puma and VEnergy that feature athletic activity.
Anyone who is involved in social media, or just uses the internet, shouldn’t be surprised that Old Spice took the viral videos chart by storm. The Old Spice campaign was absolutely brilliant, and will no doubt be the target of much more analyzing and adoration.
A spoof of the Old Spice campaign is ranked #9 in July’s viral videos chart.
Humor dominates the month’s chart, but there aren’t many sports-related videos – seems like the World Cup effect has finally faded.
Second of all, the 
