Have you ever noticed the hosting YouTube ads that play before videos? Most likely, it is due to your visiting that host’s website or similar recently. Google does this with all of its ads; they target what advertisements they show you by matching it with your recent search history. This is great in two ways: one, they get to show you products you are more likely to buy, as you have already been browsing, and two, you won’t mind the ads as much, since you are already at least partially interested in the product. For those who own websites, hosting is one such product. Even if you don’t love web hosting, it is a necessary evil to be a webmaster!
Without further ado, here is our list of the top ten web hosting YouTube ads (really in no particular order):
10. Childhood (Bluehost)
This one is pretty funny, as it hits home for many people with web hosting. It all can seem very confusing to get a website up and going, especially if you are a beginner. The kid in this ad grows up to be a BIG BOY….
9. Technology at Bluehost (Bluehost)
This ad has almost 7 million views and I think I represent about 2 million of them! Everytime I watch a video, I feel like this ad plays. I am a Bluehost affiliate and visit their site often, so maybe this is why it shows so much. I know the first 10-15 seconds by heart… “Uh, what we decided to do.. was that we were very picky about the actual components”… ok, skip video already.
8. Made on (mt) (Media Temple)
I really enjoy this video, as this isn’t really about hosting… not another listing of the specs of servers or talk about unlimited bandwidth. This video is also surprisingly inspirational. It is a trailer for the Made on (mt) series, showing businesses and movements that use Media Temple web hosting. It is a fun watch and doesn’t feel like an ad.
7. InterServer Los Angeles VPS.wmv (Interserver)
Ok, this is nowhere close to the BEST web hosting ad… it is actually downright sad. But it is kind of funny, too. I’m not sure who made this ad or if it is an official Interserver ad… But if it is, I would deny it Interserver. It made this list because it is funny (hell, it is even categorized in YouTube as ‘funny’). Interserver is big enough now to make a real ad. You’re on notice, guys.
6. Hostgator.com Website Hosting (Hostgator)
Ok, Hostgator, we need to talk. I know you are super popular and all, but is it really necessary for you to disallow embedding of your ads? Wouldn’t you want people to share your ADVERTISEMENT as much as possible? I’m not going to even comment on the video itself, other than to say, you really messed up this post’s flow. I wanted ten embedded videos on this page. Problem solved.
5. Optimize Your Site with A2 Hosting’s SSDs! (A2 Hosting)
This is a short ad, less than a minute. I like it because the narrator has plenty of personality and they made a browser window into a rocket shooting through space. I know, I’m too easily entertained. Anyway, it is short and sweet. Enjoy.
4. The Florist (featuring Van Damme) (GoDaddy)
For this post, I limited our list to two advertisements from GoDaddy. There were many to choose from, but this one featuring my childhood hero was an easy choice. For those who don’t know, Google “Van Damme” and you will discover the legendary Jean-Claude. I guess he isn’t making movies much anymore, so why not pick up some dough doing ads for GoDaddy? Still doing those splits… we applaud you Jean.
3. Rise and Shine (Media Temple)
This video is one of my favorites. Media Temple sells itself as a premium web hosting company. This really shows in this video, as it is clearly professionally made. It shows off the employees at Media Temple while they take support calls, work on servers, and answer support tickets. What comes through in this video is the diversity at Media Temple. What makes an ad great is when you don’t mind watching it; this is once such video. Have a look.
2. Manifesto of Kick Ass (GoDaddy)
We love that this ad does not worry about being politically correct. It is from GoDaddy and is trying to appeal to every entrepreneur, selling them the idea that GoDaddy will make them a marketing ‘kick ass’. There is a weird black and white thing going on, but overall we are very happy with the ad.. it is.. kick ass?
1. Movember at MyHosting (MyHosting)
Ok, this is a great video. It is a slideshow of pictures of MyHosting employees doing the 2010 Movember month, where men grow mustaches for the month of November. It is a video to benefit charity, not generate more business. For that (and for the legendary pictures throughout the video), it takes the number one spot in a no particular order list. Also, nice modified MyHosting logo at the end. Simple video, but entertaining. Good job!
So I hope you have enjoyed the list of the top ten web hosting YouTube ads. There may be better ones out there, but to be honest, I had watched enough hosting ads for one day. Have one you think is worthy of the list? Leave us a comment with a link to the video.
