YouTube Festival 2021 – What I learned
YouTube Festival 2021 – What I learned
The YouTube festival was back for its second edition, once again in a virtual format. One of the most exciting parts was seeing what was delivered to the homes of attendees from partner YouTube channels. This year it included cookies from CupcakeJemma (2.28 million subscribers) as well crisps and a recipe book from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen (22.8k subscribers). Whilst enjoying these treats, we got to hear from leading creators such as Amelia Dimoldenburg (Chicken Shop Date) and Noami Campbell on what YouTube means to them, but also from brands like BT on the importance of YouTube to their marketing strategy.
There were two key takeaways from the festival:
YouTube is the new mainstream
We all know YouTube is a huge platform that is continuously growing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the above statement raised a few eyebrows. However, the numbers certainly back this up. According to Comscore, the average online adult in the UK watched 60 minutes of YouTube per day in June 2021. Now the idea of it being mainstream starts to make more sense.
YouTube is also able to bridge the gap between digital and traditional media. For example, 42% of YouTube campaigns are delivered on a connected TV set, and there is 12% incremental reach when adding YouTube to a TV advertising plan. The way we watch, where we watch and what we watch has changed, and YouTube is taking full advantage of this, with 25 million people in the UK streaming YouTube via their TVs every month.
YouTube is for everyone
Another key message from the festival was the diversity of YouTube content. With its democratic platform it gives voices from every background more opportunity to be heard. As a result, more people in the UK are likely to engage with YouTube because what they see is more representative of the modern and diverse Britain than other alternatives like traditional TV.
During the festival we learned that YouTube is the No.1 platform for personal, relevant and variety of content according to research agency Talk Shoppe, meaning YouTube is a powerful and authentic way to reach your audience.
It also has the ability to fill the demographic gap that TV can suffer from sometimes. For example, there is 25% incremental reach on harder to reach audiences by using YouTube campaigns. Showing YouTube has addressability, scalability and targetability, with half of YouTube users in the UK saying that YouTube helps them to decide what to purchase.
There you have it for another year. To summarise, YouTube is one of the biggest and most diverse content platforms, and it is essential that businesses consider utilising it and benefiting for its opportunities as part of their overall marketing strategy.
To understand more on how it may benefit your business, please reach out to one of our PPC experts who can assist you with any questions you may have.
We’ll see what YouTube comes up with for the next festival in 12 months’ time! Who knows, we may finally move away from a virtual setting and have to put our actual wellies on?