John Lewis has once again taken the top spot as YouTube’s Christmas advert of the year, beating runner-up Sainsbury’s by more than six million views.
The department store’s much-hyped advert, which stars Elton John, was YouTube’s Christmas ad of the year after it garnered more than 11.7 million views.
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Sainsbury’s The Big Night advert, which enlisted the help of The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, came in at second with just 4.5 million views.
However, YouTube said its rankings (full list below) were not just determined on how many people have viewed the adverts.
Instead, it used an algorithm that factored in organic and paid views, watch time and audience retention.
This is why Argos’ The Christmas Fool advert was placed third, as its view count of 3.7 million is far less Iceland, whose controversial Rang-tan advert amassed 5.6 million views and was placed fourth.
Supermarkets dominate YouTube’s top 10 for 2018, while online retailers such as Amazon and Very also feature, as well as tech retailer Apple.
Meanwhile, Debenhams was bumped off the list, and Marks & Spencer plummeted from runner-up to eighth place year-on-year.
| Rank | Title | Brand | View count | Link |
| 1 | #EltonJohnLewis 🎹 | John Lewis | 11,717,690 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw |
| 2 | The Big Night | Sainsbury’s | 4,463,476 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvXBbsRU83Q |
| 3 | The Christmas Fool | Argos | 3,739,799 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GYCmwuWBp0 |
| 4 | Say hello to Rang-tan. #NoPalmOilChristmas | Iceland | 5,604,042 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdpspllWI2o |
| 5 | Find the gift that helps them find their gift | Very | 3,643,632 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3I39nu2N5M |
| 6 | Cadbury Secret Santa | Cadbury | 3,682,251 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxVxPLFtoNA |
| 7 | Kevin the Carrot and the Wicked Parsnip | Aldi | 2,997,851 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Cg_ez7d1U |
| 8 | Must-Haves | M&S | 1,257,234 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N5289TlEps |
| 9 | Share Your Gifts | Apple | 1,097,892 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftaJiGAt-IE |
| 10 | Can You Feel It | Amazon | 1,121,841 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUNLBv63WmM |
The 2017 list:
| Rank | Title | Brand | Link |
| 1 | #MozTheMonster | John Lewis | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1Y-zhQURU |
| 2 | Paddington & The Christmas Visitor #LoveTheBear | M&S | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfaSxIkLslE |
| 3 | #everybitofChristmas | Sainsbury’s | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU50dLLy7Cw |
| 4 | Get More Out of Giving | Very | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcEy-wYFMec |
| 5 | #ReadyForTakeOff | Argos | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNqm-sgz86Y |
| 6 | Kevin The Carrot | Aldi | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJGpOYKXcSE |
| 7 | #ChristmasTogether | Waitrose | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJZbo5ohVGs |
| 8 | #YouShall Find Your Fairytale Christmas (pt II) | Debenhams | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyNhzFYP3ts |
| 9 | #ShowThemYouKnowThem | Boots | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cAhAqgLiIA |
| 10 | Sway | Apple | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIaNP4_0eBo |
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