• by Brian Shin , Op-Ed Contributor, August 14, 2015

Two very different themes have been capturing consumers’ attention this summer so far: the heartwarming and the action-packed. Polar opposites, the extremely comforting and the extremely risky have been helping brands like Facebook, YouTube and Lexus dominate the summer branded video charts. And it’s not just these themes that are pushing brands to the top, but also brands' big push into social sharing and interaction.

As can be assumed, summer months typically show a decrease in viewership as consumers move away from their computer screens and mobile devices and head outside. However, we’ve been seeing brands making a big social push: a key tactical move to follow in a notoriously difficult time to push branded video.  

Facebook’s recent campaign, “What’s on Your Mind,” has so far generated top viewership and social interaction stats. The branded campaign, which features a Facebook user posting about having a long day while an accompanying “falling asleep” video plays, has generated over 129 million views and 1.1 million social interactions. This heartwarming video demonstrates how touching on a key theme can push those social interactions -- although it should come as no surprise that Facebook knows the importance of sharing socially.

Another social brand that capitalized on the importance of social this summer was YouTube. Its “#ProudToLove” campaign had the fourth most social interactions this summer, at just over 521,000 interactions, and over 6 million views. This campaign features a series of video segments from everyday people celebrating marriage equality and LGBT Pride Month. Another heartwarming video ad, this campaign rose to the top not only because of its touching messages but also its timeliness, given the recent Supreme Court ruling making gay marriage legal nationwide.

Other brands that made it the top in viewership and social interactions featured action-packed branded video campaigns. Lexus’ “The Lexus Hoverboard” focused on people trying out the automotive brand’s futuristic technology in a series of skateboarding scenes. The campaign topped the summer charts with over 29 million views and over 571,000 social interactions. Closely following Lexus with 527,000 social interactions, DC Shoes’ “Pipe Dream” featured motocross rider Robbie “Maddo” Maddison surfing his dirt bike across the powerful waves of Tahiti. Finally, Nike’s “Marvin the Martian” which debuted Nike’s new Jordan Super.Fly 4 sneaker and featured a dunk contest between Blake Griffin and Marvin the Martian, garnered 512,000 social interactions with its well-known actors and intense basketball tricks.

One notable mention for the summer was veteran viral brand Samsung, which had two campaigns -- “The Safety Truck” and “That New Phone Feeling” -- generate over 100,000 social interactions each to rank in the top 20 for the summer, but did not have the top viewership.

Brands like Facebook, Lexus and DC Shoes, ranking as the top three brands for social interactions this summer, have shown that marketers just need to adjust how they’re reaching their audience during the warmer months. All it takes is some action and a touching message.