By Dyana Najdi, Managing Director for Google Advertising UKI
Since joining Google over 16 years ago, I have had the opportunity to partner with brand marketers from around the world to deliver results on YouTube and across Google’s platforms, driving significant value and growth for their businesses.
During this time, I’ve witnessed YouTube’s incredible impact in democratizing content creation, empowering a diverse generation of talented creators to connect with passionate communities worldwide – from niche interests to global movements. These creators are not only building businesses and media empires but also fueling economic growth by creating employment opportunities across the country.
Today, YouTube’s vast reach of over 1 billion hours of daily content consumption embodies modern day viewing, with our creators and latest innovations flipping the script on how we think about what we watch. Short snackable clips co-exist seamlessly with long-form immersive experiences. 46m adults are now watching YouTube across all types of screens, switching between TVs, laptops and phones. YouTube is where the content we love can be made by anyone, anywhere – putting creators at the center of viewers’ lives, the creative industries and the economy.
Of course, we have always known audiences value quality production, but increasingly the value of deep, meaningful emotional connections with their preferred creators – is becoming incomparable.
At this month’s YouTube Festival, we unveiled compelling new insights from our ‘Why We Watch 2.0’ report, which explores the evolving landscape of viewer preferences and perceptions of quality on YouTube. The report reveals a fascinating shift in audience expectations: emotional resonance is now a crucial factor in defining quality content, alongside traditional metrics like production value and visual aesthetics.
The report also reveals the deepening connection between audiences and creators. In the UK, 95% of video viewers agree that high-quality content must exhibit emotional markers such as relatability and authenticity. This connection is further strengthened by the finding that 71% of UK viewers believe their content choices directly influence the content creators produce.
In an age where misinformation and disinformation can spread rapidly, it was encouraging to see YouTube play a key role as a trusted source for viewers; with two thirds (67%) of viewers agreeing that video content on YouTube is trustworthy and provides accurate information – surpassing SVOD, broadcast and social media. Furthermore, nearly 60% of viewers expressed a willingness to watch ads to support the creators they connect with, demonstrating a strong sense of community and shared values.
As marketers, we always want to put our brands in front of consumers when they are most receptive so partnering with creators whose content encourages such trusting sentiment from their audiences is an undeniable opportunity for marketers – and YouTube is making sure to provide AI innovations to make this as easy as possible for brands to lean in. Our latest solution ‘Brand Connect’ makes it even easier for brands to discover, connect with, and brief a huge range of creators to bring right into the heart of their campaigns.
For brands who are collaborating with creators and AI tools, and feel that they are doing everything right, we understand how challenging it is to measure the true impact of investments in today’s complex media landscape. That’s why Google also continues to collaborate and partner across a range of third parties, including Nielsen, UKOM and Audience Project, and are proud supporters of ISBA’s Origin project, offering brands high quality first and third party cross-media measurement tools using industry standards.
But the creator opportunity isn’t one for brands alone – with viewers in the UK telling us that if they could only watch one service for an entire year, the number one platform they’d choose is YouTube – the platform’s value for businesses and audiences, and by extension, the UK’s potential for economic growth is beyond question.
That’s why YouTube has launched a nationwide creator consultation, designed to gather crucial feedback and recommendations from creators to deliver directly to government and industry leaders to ensure that the voices of creators are heard and acted upon by those with the power to shape the future of the creative landscape.
On Youtube, you’re not just advertising, you’re investing in the next generation of creators making waves around the world.
