Controversy-hit Rubber Boy tops YouTube charts in Malaysia

• Controversial Rubber Boy ad gets top spot
• Google plans YouTube awards in December

GOOGLE Malaysia has released its YouTube ads leaderboard for the months of January till June 2016. This list represents the ads on YouTube that resonated most with audiences across the country over the first six months of this year.

Out of these, the top viewed Rubber Boy ad had been recently embroiled in a controversy over claims of plagiarism. Filmmaker Tan Chui Mui had accused the ad agency Leo Burnett Malaysia of copying the Petronas Rubber Boy commercial in a series of postings on social media. Leo Burnett has now retaliated by filing a lawsuit against Tan Chui Mui and Da Huang Pictures. The Rubber Boy advertisement shows a Chinese boy who learns lessons about sacrifice and family values after complaining about their poor lifestyle to his rubber tapper mother.

It is quite possible that quite a few Malaysians decided to view the advertisement just because of the controversy. You can see the Top 5 ads below.
 
1) Petronas

2) Watsons Malaysia

3) McDonalds Malaysia

4) Old Town White Coffee

5) BSN Malaysia

According to Google, the top trends this year are:

Seizing the seasonal moment

Chinese New Year ads make up half of the list, reiterating how important the annual festive occasion is for brands. By turns inspiring, comedic or heart wrenching these mostly long form ads did really well to engage viewers festive mood.

Collectables and movie tie-ins

Angry Birds and Boboiboy fans do not mind grabbing meals at specific outlets especially when it comes with limited-time collectables in the middle of their respective blockbuster movie tie-ins.

In December, Google Malaysia will be holding its first ever YouTube Week Malaysia to celebrate the brands, local and international content, as well as many of the creators that make the platform a daily destination for entertainment, information and education. The company will also host the YouTube Malaysia Ads Awards 2016, where it will award the top ads of the year across 10 categories.

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