Ever since YouTube became a place where anyone could realistically become a celebrity, brands have been trying to figure out how and what makes a viral video.
What's significant about this year's top-viewed ads is the fact that they have more of a web presence on YouTube than on TV. It's not surprising, since YouTube allows for instant sharing. Even if you saw a funny ad on TV and wanted to share it, you'd have to go through the web to do so.
Whether Volkswagen's online debut of its Super Bowl TV ad, or smartwater's incorporation of Internet pop culture, advertisers have proven there is equal importance between content and strategy.
Here are YouTube's most-viewed advertisements of 2011. Which of these were your favorite, and did you see them on TV or the web first? Let us know in the comments.