Last year 37% of the time spent watching Super Bowl commercials on YouTube was spent before game day and 300,000 hours of Big Game ads were watched while the game aired. That is double the number of hours the year prior (YouTube Trends Report, 2016).
According to research by World Wide Worx, in 2015, YouTube had active user base of 7.2-million South Africans. A World Wide Worx 2014 research report showed that only 46% of South African corporations made use of YouTube, meaning there is a large opportunity for brands that is mostly untapped.
In South Africa, the opportunities for businesses to capitalise on YouTube remain open. While creating and opening a channel is what most brands think of first when considering using YouTube as part of the marketing mix, it is not the only opportunity available. With audiences in the millions and engaged communities hungry for content, YouTube creators are attractive partners for brands.
The YouTube Partner Program lets YouTube creators monetise content in many ways, including advertisements, paid subscriptions, and merchandise. Partner revenue is up 50% year on year — and YouTube has seen this level of partner revenue growth for three straight years. The number of channels making six figures a year on YouTube is up over 50% year on year. Over the past seven years, YouTube has paid out over $1bn to partners who have chosen to monetise their claims using Content ID. While great for the creators, this has also been a success for brands.
Brands are seeing remarkable results with their investments on YouTube: Gillette’s Gillette BODY campaign delivered 500k clicks-to-buy and exceeded sales expectations four times and Rosetta Stone generated a tenfold increase in mobile traffic to its site.
YouTube has developed the following five tips to help brands engage successfully and collaborate with YouTube Creators to build their brands:
For YouTube creators, any content they produce has to be authentic and resonate with the themes and values that have made their channels successful. This means that if they are going to partner brands, the brand values need to be aligned with their values. For brands looking to partner creators, this means finding a creator with similar values is a critical first step.
YouTube creators do not just create content - they engage their audiences and create communities around the content they produce. Brands looking to leverage YouTube need to take the same approach – it is not about broadcasting information, it is about interacting and engaging with people on things that are important to and relevant to them.
While brands may be used to creating and developing content in a certain way, when it comes to collaborating with YouTube creators, brands need to take a step back and listen - the creators are successful because they have a recipe that works for their target market. If a brand wants to reach that audience, the brand owners need to listen to and learn from their creator partner to have the best chance of success.
YouTube stars made up the top five most popular celebrities in 2014. YouTube creators are rewriting the rules of celebrity, and stardom and they are doing it through having a personal connection to their fans, and a passion for what they do. Brands looking to partner creators needs to realise it is not just about choosing a creator, developing content and targeting a market - it is about developing a relationship with a creator that has meaning for their fans and the brand, beyond the strategic branding objective of the engagement.
