"What you call love was invented by guys like me -- to sell nylons."
Don Draper makes that classic declaration in the first episode of Mad Men. But if his character were working as an advertising executive today, he might amend that statement to: "to sell condoms" or "to sell State Farm insurance."
YouTube's list of the top-ten most-watched video ads is out, and it shows viewers embraced ads that celebrate difference.
The two most-watched branded videos on YouTube in March showed off romance with an emphasis on diversity and multiculturalism, according to the latest edition of the YouTube Ads Leaderboard list. These viral videos hint at the growing comfort and success marketers have in showcasing a more open-minded understanding of relationships.
The most-watched YouTube video in March featured couples who are gay, different races or different religions embracing behind an x-ray screen in public to show that love is more than skin deep. It's part of the Love Has No Labels campaign, which is backed by Coca-Cola, Pepsi, State Farm and others.
The spot, from the Ad Council, was viewed 46.7 million times on YouTube, according to Google.
The runner-up on the March list, with 36.7 million views, is a video from Durex, the condom and sex toy maker. It's an interview of a mix of couples from all ages, races and gender orientations about eliminating the distractions of technology from the bedroom and relationships as a whole.
A third advertisement from YouTube's top 10, with 2.7 million views, highlighted the struggles and pride of a transgender girl named Jazz. The video is part of the See The Real Me campaign from Clean & Clear, which sells skin cleansers.
Another ad, for Valspar Paints, drew 3.3 million viewers by celebrating a different kind of difference: colorblindness. Hashtagged #colorforall, the video features interviews with colorblind people who struggled with social exclusion. The ad, peppered with psychologists and scientists, provides its subjects with innovative glasses designed to allow them to see color -- from bright string art to sunsets, to a wall of (of course) paint swatches.