WHAT’S CHANGING ABOUT VIEWERS IN 2024

Content consumption has evolved over the past five years and viewers are spending more time watching everything from live sports and music videos to behind-the-scenes NFL content and science explainers on the biggest screen in the house.

As announced by Nielsen, YouTube has spent 12 consecutive months as the #1 streaming platform by watch time, with viewers globally now watching more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content on their TVs daily.* This becomes even more interesting when you consider that 65% of that watch time is on content that is 21 minutes or longer, about the average length of a classic sitcom.**?

We’re also seeing traditional content verticals get fresh new takes: college football standout Donald “Deestroying” De La Haye’s one-on-one challenges offer sports fans a chance to check out some of the best upcoming players in action, while Michelle Khare’s Challenge Accepted series offers a modern take on the classic reality TV format. And when it comes to celebrity interviews, YouTube viewers are spoiled for choice, whether they want to check out Sean Evans’ exhaustively researched questions on Hot Ones or enjoy Amelia Dimoldenberg’s deadpan humor in Chicken Shop Date.

Meanwhile, the number of top creators who receive the majority of their watch time on TVs has increased by more than 400% — and creators are responding accordingly,*** using living-room watch time as permission to make longer content.

They’re also benefiting from a more modern, streamlined ad experience, with fewer, longer ad breaks on long-form content, and in-feed ads that can appear as they browse recommendations. And though creators of all sizes are using living-room watch time as permission to make longer content, big screen viewing doesn’t necessarily demand high production values — many audiences still value the authenticity of lo-fi content.

So what can marketers do to succeed on the platform that’s a leader in streaming??

3 rules for modern marketers

In a recent Think with Google piece, Google Media Lab’s Team Adrenaline and Google Creative Works shared three key pieces of advice for advertisers:

1. Make it relevant

Creators understand that viewers are coming to YouTube to enjoy content that’s personally relevant, no matter the screen they’re tuning in from. Marketers shouldn’t only think about reach and volume when creating content — relevance is also a crucial aspect when it comes to creating connection. With viewers watching on both big and small screens, creative teams should always review video specs and build for safe zones. Marketers can also get a clear picture of how their ads are performing with real-time reporting and Brand Lift surveys, whose results can inform future campaigns.?

Test, learn, and adapt

It’s crucial to consider that different creative assets may work best for different parts of the funnel across a single campaign. With media consumption becoming more fragmented and ongoing privacy changes, marketing mix models (MMMs) are undergoing a renaissance as a comprehensive and privacy-durable measurement solution. Sixty percent of U.S. advertisers are currently using MMMs, and C-level leaders who place higher importance on MMMs are over twice as likely to exceed revenue goals by 10% or more.**** Google’s first step forward in this new world is Meridian, an open-source MMM that is built to help users iterate and make informed decisions.?

3. Partner strategically

Creators are already experts in speaking to their audiences and have built deep connections with them over time — making them the ideal partners to tell your brand’s story. In a recent campaign for the Google Pixel 7a, watch time of the skippable creator-led ads was 49% higher and consideration was 128% higher than the control after four weeks, lowering their cost per lifted user by 56%.***** Once you’ve done your research and found a creator who meshes well with your values, one of the best things you can do is to trust them.?So what lesson can you take away from the stories this month? Audience behaviors and marketing tools will change, but relevant content always cuts through. This means you need to consider what screen people are watching on, where it is, and who’s behind it. It’s worth taking a tip from our YouTube creators in general, and Mark Rober in particular — be prepared to experiment.

Here are the biggest takeaways from this month’s Re:View edition:?

• Research from IAB and Talk Shoppe showed the emergence of a new status quo: marketers agree that creator-driven content can be considered “premium.”
• Confidence in creators is high, so brands that embrace creator-driven platforms experience a halo effect of relevance and authenticity that compresses the purchase journey.
• It’s a common misperception that creator content only impacts brand metrics, but research shows that it's also a powerful tool for achieving lower-funnel goals.

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Sources:?

* Google/YouTube Internal Data.

** YouTube Internal Data, U.S., Dec. 2022.

*** Google/YouTube Internal Data.

**** Kantar, U.S., Measurement Solutions Research, , n=300 brand, full-funnel, and performance marketers, Feb. 22, 2023– March 24, 2023.

***** Google Internal Data.