Dive Brief:
- YouTube released its first ever “top 100 brands” report and found total overall views for branded content tops 40 billion.
- Facebook is making a major push into video, but top YouTube creators are loyal and more successful on the video-specific platform.
- Out of the multi-billion branded content views, over 18 billion happened in the last year.
Dive Insight:
YouTube released its first report on branded content and had some big numbers to report, including monthly views of branded content is up 55% since 2014. Marketing stats include advertisers running video ads are up 40% year-over-year and the average spend for top 100 advertisers is up 60%.
While Facebook is carving its own place within video and video ads, YouTube’s top creators are staying focused the Google-owned platform according to research from Tubular Labs.
Andreas Goeldi, chief technology officer at Pixability, a YouTube partner, spoke on YouTube’s draw for marketers, telling ClickZ, "As brands have become more educated on the return on YouTube advertising, we've seen investment grow across industries. Industries that have traditionally lagged on YouTube - for example, luxury brands, financial services, and food - have become much more active. We’re seeing high growth rates; they’re catching up."
In May 68% of top YouTube creators posted video to Facebook, but none of them generated more views on the social media platform than on YouTube.
"Brands are realizing that YouTube moves the needle, positively impacting brand perception and brand lift. Smart brands understand that a mix of three elements - paid advertising, an active brand channel with a strong content strategy, and creator partnerships - are needed for optimum success, especially when trying to reach a younger audience," Goeldi told ClickZ.
