Tag Archives: Video Ads

What’s next for YouTube, from Advertising Week New York

The pandemic accelerated two changes already underway — the move to streaming, and the move to ecommerce. As the number one streaming platform for ad-supported reach, YouTube is the place where hard-to-reach audiences come to be entertained and connect with creators and content they love. It’s also where audiences come to shop.

Today at Advertising Week New York, we’re sharing new ways to help marketers get ready for what’s coming next in streaming and commerce. We're also hosting a week-long live shopping event on YouTube starting November 15, featuring must-have holiday gifts from Samsung, Verizon and Walmart.

Inspire customers in real time with live shopping

The line between in-store and digital commerce has blurred, and shoppers are looking for inspiration and advice in new places. YouTube creators are at the forefront of this shift, sharing helpful, honest and entertaining shopping content that cuts through the noise. According to a study we ran in partnership with Publicis and TalkShoppe, 89% of viewers agree that YouTube creators give recommendations they can trust. As a result, people who shop on YouTube make faster, more confident purchase decisions — a win-win for both shoppers and brands.

Earlier this year, we started testing an integrated shopping experience that allows viewers to tap into the credibility and knowledge of trusted creators to make informed purchases on YouTube. We initially experimented with shoppable on-demand videos, and now we’re testing shoppable livestreams, too.

A shoppable livestream hosted by Simply Nailogical on a mobile phone

We recently partnered with several top YouTube creators to test our new live shopping features, including Simply Nailogical, who launchedher new nail polish collection to 2.8 million fans on herSimply Not Logical channel, andHyram, who droppedhis new ‘Selfless’ skincare line to 4.5 million fans.

We’ve also tested shoppable livestreams with leading retailers on their channels. Raven Elyse went live to sell her favorite home workout gear and morning routine essentials from Walmart, Sephora beauty directors hosted a live Q&A about makeup foundations, and Target performed a live style haul celebrating fall style.

“We think about YouTube as a connector to our customers — reaching people through inspiration, entertainment, and creativity," says William White, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart. "At Walmart, we continue to innovate on behalf of the customer, and we are excited about our work together. Through our partnership with YouTube, we will continue to evolve how we link inspiration and commerce.”

Building on the success of these pilots, the YouTube Holiday Stream and Shop will kick off on November 15 with a week of shoppable livestreams. Fans tuning in will be able to score new products, unlock limited time offers, and get their product questions answered through live Q&A and polls with creators and other viewers. To start the week, the Merrell Twins will share their holiday wish list featuring products from Walmart, Samsung and Verizon. Stay tuned for more details as the holidays approach!

Reach more shoppers with connected TV

Last year, streaming households outnumbered cable TV households in the United States for the first time. And according to Comscore, 40% of all ad-supported streaming watch time is happening on YouTube.1

With 60% of YouTube CTV viewers watching with others2, people are connecting more deeply with each other by sharing YouTube content they love on the big screen. This means brands can easily extend the overall reach and impact of their campaigns. And as of this month, U.S. advertisers are able to fully measure their YouTube CTV video investments across YouTube and YouTube TV for an accurate view of true incremental reach and frequency in Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR). Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) CTV measurement is available for YouTube TV and will also be available soon for YouTube CTV in the U.S.

To make YouTube CTV ads more helpful for viewers and drive more online sales or leads for brands, we also recently upgraded Video action campaigns to automatically include CTV inventory. Learn more about how Video action campaigns on TV screens can help grow your business.

A lot has changed in the past year, but our commitment remains the same: we’re here to help your business grow and get ready for what comes next. To learn more about YouTube’s latest viewer insights and product innovations, watch our Advertising Week keynote.

1. Comscore, OTT Intelligence, Dec. 2020, U.S. (According to Comscore, YouTube represents 40% of watch time of all ad-supported streaming services analyzed)
2. Google/Talk Shoppe, United States, whyVideo 2021 study, n=2,000 A18-64 GenPop video users, Survey in field March 26th to April 4th, 2021. (According to Talk Shoppe, 60% of YouTube CTV viewers watch with other people)

What’s next for YouTube, from Advertising Week New York

The pandemic accelerated two changes already underway — the move to streaming, and the move to ecommerce. As the number one streaming platform for ad-supported reach, YouTube is the place where hard-to-reach audiences come to be entertained and connect with creators and content they love. It’s also where audiences come to shop.

Today at Advertising Week New York, we’re sharing new ways to help marketers get ready for what’s coming next in streaming and commerce. We're also hosting a week-long live shopping event on YouTube starting November 15, featuring must-have holiday gifts from Samsung, Verizon and Walmart.

Inspire customers in real time with live shopping

The line between in-store and digital commerce has blurred, and shoppers are looking for inspiration and advice in new places. YouTube creators are at the forefront of this shift, sharing helpful, honest and entertaining shopping content that cuts through the noise. According to a study we ran in partnership with Publicis and TalkShoppe, 89% of viewers agree that YouTube creators give recommendations they can trust. As a result, people who shop on YouTube make faster, more confident purchase decisions — a win-win for both shoppers and brands.

Earlier this year, we started testing an integrated shopping experience that allows viewers to tap into the credibility and knowledge of trusted creators to make informed purchases on YouTube. We initially experimented with shoppable on-demand videos, and now we’re testing shoppable livestreams, too.

A shoppable livestream hosted by Simply Nailogical on a mobile phone

We recently partnered with several top YouTube creators to test our new live shopping features, including Simply Nailogical, who launchedher new nail polish collection to 2.8 million fans on herSimply Not Logical channel, andHyram, who droppedhis new ‘Selfless’ skincare line to 4.5 million fans.

We’ve also tested shoppable livestreams with leading retailers on their channels. Raven Elyse went live to sell her favorite home workout gear and morning routine essentials from Walmart, Sephora beauty directors hosted a live Q&A about makeup foundations, and Target performed a live style haul celebrating fall style.

“We think about YouTube as a connector to our customers — reaching people through inspiration, entertainment, and creativity," says William White, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart. "At Walmart, we continue to innovate on behalf of the customer, and we are excited about our work together. Through our partnership with YouTube, we will continue to evolve how we link inspiration and commerce.”

Building on the success of these pilots, the YouTube Holiday Stream and Shop will kick off on November 15 with a week of shoppable livestreams. Fans tuning in will be able to score new products, unlock limited time offers, and get their product questions answered through live Q&A and polls with creators and other viewers. To start the week, the Merrell Twins will share their holiday wish list featuring products from Walmart, Samsung and Verizon. Stay tuned for more details as the holidays approach!

Reach more shoppers with connected TV

Last year, streaming households outnumbered cable TV households in the United States for the first time. And according to Comscore, 40% of all ad-supported streaming watch time is happening on YouTube.1

With 60% of YouTube CTV viewers watching with others2, people are connecting more deeply with each other by sharing YouTube content they love on the big screen. This means brands can easily extend the overall reach and impact of their campaigns. And as of this month, U.S. advertisers are able to fully measure their YouTube CTV video investments across YouTube and YouTube TV for an accurate view of true incremental reach and frequency in Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR). Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) CTV measurement is available for YouTube TV and will also be available soon for YouTube CTV in the U.S.

To make YouTube CTV ads more helpful for viewers and drive more online sales or leads for brands, we also recently upgraded Video action campaigns to automatically include CTV inventory. Learn more about how Video action campaigns on TV screens can help grow your business.

A lot has changed in the past year, but our commitment remains the same: we’re here to help your business grow and get ready for what comes next. To learn more about YouTube’s latest viewer insights and product innovations, watch our Advertising Week keynote.

1. Comscore, OTT Intelligence, Dec. 2020, U.S. (According to Comscore, YouTube represents 40% of watch time of all ad-supported streaming services analyzed)
2. Google/Talk Shoppe, United States, whyVideo 2021 study, n=2,000 A18-64 GenPop video users, Survey in field March 26th to April 4th, 2021. (According to Talk Shoppe, 60% of YouTube CTV viewers watch with other people)

A shoppable TV screen with YouTube

Whether kicking back with a movie or kicking their fitness routine into gear, more people are choosing to experience YouTube on the big screen. When they do, they can watch longer, enjoy multiple shows back to back, and experience it all from the comfort of their couch with friends and family. Many even build a routine around it. In the U.S., over 120 million people streamed YouTube or YouTube TV on their TV screens in December 2020.1

To help consumers more easily learn about the products and services they’re interested in, we’re making YouTube ads on connected TVs more shoppable. Today, we’re expanding Video action campaigns to CTVs to help advertisers drive more online sales or generate leads, and grow their business. 

With a quarter of logged-in YouTube CTV viewers watching primarily on TVs,2 the living room is becoming an essential place for brands to drive incremental conversions with new audiences. In early experiments for Video action campaigns on TV screens, over 90% of conversions coming from CTV would not have been reachable on mobile and desktop devices.3

Drive online sales and leads on the TV screen with Video action campaigns 

If your goal is to drive online sales or generate leads, we recommend using Video action campaigns. Video action campaigns make it easy to find new customers efficiently in a single campaign by combining inventory from across YouTube and Google video partners — and now YouTube CTV. For the first time, performance advertisers can take advantage of YouTube on CTV to drive and measure conversions.


When a viewer sees a Video action campaign on their TV, they are invited through a URL at the bottom of their screen to continue shopping on the brand’s website from their desktop or mobile device — without interrupting their viewing session. 

Advertisers can also take advantage of the Conversion Lift beta on TV screens to get actionable results in real time. Conversion Lift measures the impact of YouTube ads on driving user actions, such as website visits, sign ups, purchases and other types of conversions.

Video action campaigns on TV screens are now globally available through Google Ads. Reach out to your Google team or visit the Help Center to learn more.

1. YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020. 
2. YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020. (In December 2020, over 25% of logged-in US YouTube CTV viewers watched content almost exclusively (>=90%) on the TV screen.)
3. Google data, Global, Jun 2020.

A shoppable TV screen with YouTube

Whether kicking back with a movie or kicking their fitness routine into gear, more people are choosing to experience YouTube on the big screen. When they do, they can watch longer, enjoy multiple shows back to back, and experience it all from the comfort of their couch with friends and family. Many even build a routine around it. In the U.S., over 120 million people streamed YouTube or YouTube TV on their TV screens in December 2020.1

To help consumers more easily learn about the products and services they’re interested in, we’re making YouTube ads on connected TVs more shoppable. Today, we’re expanding Video action campaigns to CTVs to help advertisers drive more online sales or generate leads, and grow their business. 

With a quarter of logged-in YouTube CTV viewers watching primarily on TVs,2 the living room is becoming an essential place for brands to drive incremental conversions with new audiences. In early experiments for Video action campaigns on TV screens, over 90% of conversions coming from CTV would not have been reachable on mobile and desktop devices.3

Drive online sales and leads on the TV screen with Video action campaigns 

If your goal is to drive online sales or generate leads, we recommend using Video action campaigns. Video action campaigns make it easy to find new customers efficiently in a single campaign by combining inventory from across YouTube and Google video partners — and now YouTube CTV. For the first time, performance advertisers can take advantage of YouTube on CTV to drive and measure conversions.


When a viewer sees a Video action campaign on their TV, they are invited through a URL at the bottom of their screen to continue shopping on the brand’s website from their desktop or mobile device — without interrupting their viewing session. 

Advertisers can also take advantage of the Conversion Lift beta on TV screens to get actionable results in real time. Conversion Lift measures the impact of YouTube ads on driving user actions, such as website visits, sign ups, purchases and other types of conversions.

Video action campaigns on TV screens are now globally available through Google Ads. Reach out to your Google team or visit the Help Center to learn more.

1. YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020. 
2. YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020. (In December 2020, over 25% of logged-in US YouTube CTV viewers watched content almost exclusively (>=90%) on the TV screen.)
3. Google data, Global, Jun 2020.

Building for the future to help you prepare for what’s next

The COVID-19 recovery process will vary by country, region and business sector, but the transformation will have an impact on all of us. Google is committed to providing economic relief and supporting the pandemic recovery efforts, which is why we’re working to provide accurate vaccine information and increasing vaccine access to people around the world, with a particular focus on countries that are continuing to experience the pandemic most intensely.

We’ve also been focused on how our products can help make things easier for people during this difficult time. Last year, we revamped our roadmap with simple, helpful solutions like curbside pickup for Local Inventory Ads and booking services directly in Search results through Local Services Ads. In 2021 we’re continuing to fine-tune our products to help advertisers connect with consumers even as the world around us keeps changing.

Join us today at Google Marketing Livestream 2021 at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET to learn more — including a deep dive into our latest innovations across privacy, measurement and automation.

Developing privacy-safe advertising technology

Time spent with digital media increased 15% last year, according to eMarketer, as people turned to devices like smartphones, connected TVs and computers. As they use digital tools to manage more aspects of their lives, people want to know that their privacy is protected and we expect these concerns will only increase in the future.

A healthy ads ecosystem is critical to keeping the internet open and accessible for everyone, but we must also ensure that people feel safe when they are online. Now is the time for our industry to rethink our practices and take bold action to regain people’s trust. That’s a key reason why we announced earlier this year that we won’t build alternate identifiers once third-party cookies are phased out. 

The good news is that it’s possible to improve privacy while still delivering business results. We’re collaborating with the web community to build solutions like those in the Privacy Sandbox. It’s an open-source initiative to develop new technologies centered on privacy techniques like anonymization, aggregation and on-device processing designed to support key advertising use cases such as interest-based ads, measurement and more.

Navigating new measurement and
audience strategies

Accurate measurement of your marketing is especially critical so that you know where to invest to drive the most impact. But the tools advertisers have historically relied on to measure results — such as cookies and other identifiers — are rapidly changing. We're focused on ensuring privacy-safe measurement is accessible to businesses and brands of all sizes. 

We're investing across our products to help unlock insights into consumer behavior and purchasing decisions using machine learning. For example, we’ll soon be including Display and YouTube, as well as in-app conversions, in all Google Ads attribution models, including data-driven attribution powered by Google’s machine learning. These changes will help you properly value the impact of all your Google Ads campaigns.

We recently shared how we're making it possible for you to use your consented first-party data to preserve accurate measurement, even when fewer cookies are available. First-party data can also help you connect with more of the right people for your business. We're now expanding the availability of Customer Match to nearly all advertisers to reach and re-engage customers across ad types. As we look to the future, you can expect to see more innovations like these to help with your transition to a privacy-first world.

Improving automation with better performance

As the recovery continues, advertisers can automatically tap new pockets of growth by using products that dynamically respond to the market conditions most relevant to their business. Today, advertisers are applying automation to more aspects of their campaigns than ever before — from automatically assembling and selecting the best-performing creatives with responsive search ads, to finding more search queries that perform using broad match keywords, and setting the right bid for every auction by factoring in a wide range of signals that predict performance using Smart Bidding. In fact, we’ve seen that automation products are even better together. For example, companies that switch from phrase match keywords to broad match keywords in campaigns that use Target CPA bidding see 25% more conversions.

Text says: Broad match finds new, high-performing queries and emerging trends. Smart Bidding delivers the right creative for each query at the right price. Responsive search ads automatically assembles the most relevant creative

Combining our automated products creates a multiplicative effect for driving growth — starting with keywords, bidding, and creative

Since automation is delivering strong results for advertisers, we want to help you use it in more places. Today more than 80% of advertisers use automated bidding to take the guesswork out of setting bids and to achieve their performance goals. For example, advertisers who want to optimize their campaigns based on return on ad spend use Target Return on Ad Spend (Target ROAS) Smart Bidding strategies to automatically optimize bids and maximize revenue. Now we’re expanding Target ROAS to work across even more of Google’s channels, including Discovery ads and Video action campaigns.

Just like with automation, you get more efficiency and better results when our advertising tools work together. So we've made it easy for retailers to connect your Google Merchant Center feed to Discovery ads and Video action campaigns. This will help you use images and video to drive product discovery and purchases for your full product catalog. In March, when we compared more than 900 Video action campaigns, we found advertisers that added product feeds drove 60% more conversions at a lower cost, compared to advertisers that didn't add product feeds.

Demonstration of a product feed added to Video action campaigns

 Product feed added to Video action campaigns

Bringing the full value of automation to more advertisers 

Last year we shared that we were testing a new type of campaign called Performance Max. It brings together the best of Google’s automation to help advertisers drive better results across all of Google’s channels: YouTube, Display, Search, Discover and more. Starting today, Performance Max campaigns are expanding to thousands of additional advertisers, with general availability coming later this year (visit the Google Ads Help Center for more details and complete this interest form if you’d like to join the beta).

We’re also adding support for Performance Max campaigns on the Insights page. We heard beta testers tell us they wanted more transparency into how automation is working and what’s driving performance changes. With this update, you’ll be able to see things like which audiences are converting, top-performing creatives, auction insights and trending search categories. You can also preview how your best ads are showing up on each channel.

Screenshot of Insights Page in Google Ads

Insights page showing “Top assets” for Performance Max campaigns

vodafone logo

We’ve seen great results during early beta testing. Vodafone Turkey, part of the Vodafone Group, a leading telecommunications company in Europe and Africa, adopted Performance Max with the goal of scaling lead generation for its phone plans across all of Google’s channels to reach more potential customers. During testing, Performance Max campaigns drove an 18% increase in leads at a 70% lower cost per acquisition compared to their Search campaigns. As a result, Vodafone Turkey adopted Performance Max campaigns as its main lead generation campaign on top of its standard keyword-based Search campaigns. Visit the Advertising Solutions Center to see more Performance Max success stories from companies like Neo4j and MoneyMe.

“We're always keen on adopting new advertising technologies that create sales growth with lower costs. Performance Max aligns with our business objectives and helps us acquire new customers without cannibalizing sales between campaigns.”
Ayda Yorukoglu - Digital Marketing Product Owner, Vodafone Turkey

Grab a (virtual) front row seat at Google Marketing Livestream

We’re continuing to learn from you to understand how we can make Google’s products better for the future. Tune in to Google Marketing Livestream today at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET to hear about these innovations and much more.

Thank you for your partnership, and we look forward to seeing you soon at Google Marketing Livestream.

Register for Google Marketing Livestream

Did you know searches for corsages and boutonnières are one of the top trending categories this month in the U.S.? Meanwhile in Italy, one of the top growing categories of searches this month is charms and pendants. And in Japan, searches in the drawing and painting kits category have grown over 100% in the past month.1 

People around the world turn to Google to be inspired, discover new brands and find what they need. Consumer behavior is changing rapidly, so we’ve been busy building products to help you be ready for what’s next. 

Register now for Google Marketing Livestream on Thursday, May 27 at 8 a.m. PT. You’ll be the first to learn about Google’s new products, the latest trends, and actionable best practices. You’ll also hear from many industry leaders, including:

Speaker bios: Jim Farley (President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company), Kory Marchisotto (Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty and President, Keys Soulcare), Alicia Keys (Founder, Key's Soulcare), Emmanuel Acho (NYT Bestselling Author and Host, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man), Harley Finkelstein (President, Shopify), William White (SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart U.S.)

1. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/category-trends/us/year/en as of May 10, 2021

Tap into fan power with new YouTube Select sponsorships

Fromrecord-breaking music video releases tonever-before-seen conversations with celebrities, YouTube has become the virtual stage for the world's biggest cultural moments.The top 10 videos from 2020 — reaching a total of 356 million collective views — brought the world together to game, to laugh, to share some good news and so much more. 

As home to the content people need and the creators they love, YouTube is where personal meets popular — with fan favorite channels like Naomi Campbell (500,000+ subscribers) and Zach King (10 million+ subscribers). In the U.S., YouTube is the #1 video content provider viewers would miss the most if it was no longer available.1  

To help brands engage peak audiences, build association and stay relevant when it matters most, today we’re announcing a bigger, better sponsorship program under YouTube Select in the U.S.

Expanding our YouTube Select sponsorship offering 

In addition to longstanding sponsorships available exclusively in the upfront like NFL Game Day All Access, new this year, we’re offering a rolling set of seasonal sponsorships available on a quarterly basis.

Our seasonal sponsorship offering focuses specifically on what’s prominent in culture during that time of year, like Mother’s Day, Summer Wellness or Women in Music during Women’s History Month. And most importantly, the breadth of the seasonal slate means advertisers have a much wider variety of opportunities to celebrate diverse communities and topics, and reach their audiences where they are watching. 

See below for a glimpse into some of the most exciting sponsorships coming up, available either upfront or through our new seasonal offering.

The Upfront Slate

Reaching over 30 million views in the 2020 season,NFL Game Day All Access will be returning to YouTube for a third season this fall.2 Streaming exclusively on the NFL YouTube channel, it gives fans an intimate look at the full game day experience, with wired sound from players and coaches. Advertisers will have the opportunity to sponsor the show for multiple episodes during the regular season and postseason.

2020 was the biggest year yet for gaming on YouTube, with 100 billion watch time hours and 40 million+ active gaming channels. Building on this momentum, we’re adding a brand new upfront opportunity with Summer Game Fest — the industry’s first fully digital and global gaming event. We’re also excited to bring back the upfront sponsorship for The Game Awards — one of the biggest nights in the gaming industry that celebrates the biggest achievements of the year, including high share of voice, in-show integration and more.

Additionally, brands will have the opportunity to put on their studio executive hats with YouTube Greenlight. YouTube Greenlight brings a group of emerging YouTube creators together to pitch an original series ideas based on specific advertisers goals. The sponsorship includes a custom creator pitch session, a fully funded creator original series with integrations and paid promotion across YouTube.

The Seasonal Slate 

Today, YouTube announced a continued focus on sustainability with new original programming coming later this year. A subset of these shows will be available for sponsorship as part of our Q4 sustainability seasonal package, alongside other opportunities with YouTube creators and content focused on sustainable impact. The sponsorship will be available for companies with strong commitments to building a better planet for everyone.

Additionally, the seasonal state offers new ways to connect with your audience during holidays like Mother’s Day. For Mother’s Day specifically, we’ve seen surges in interest for things like that special gift, the perfect song for mom and more. To help brands align with this moment on YouTube, we’re offering a variety of packages including ownership of top moms’ channel WhatsUpMoms and the ability to build your own high share of voice packages across top mom creator and celebrity channels.

Image of a bar of soap being shaped into a rose. Text says "Mom Hacks"

We’re celebrating Black Music Appreciation Month with three different Black Music Month packages in June. Each sponsorship includes high share of voice across relevant playlists like R&B Wave or Essential 00’s Hip Hop, added value components and ownership of top channels like Joe Budden TV.

How advertisers are tapping into moments that matter most on YouTube

Mediacom partnered with their client and YouTube to honor women's history through the lens of music. The partnership included development ofcustom creative assets to celebrate women’s history, plus 100% share of voice of contextual environments like Women’s History Month music playlists and theGRAMMY’s channel, which featured aWomen in the Mix special.

Angelina Kim, Senior Partner & Group Director, Mediacom, said “This was an important opportunity to help our client connect with their audience, and drive engagement with the brand in the moments that matter most — all creatives drove significant increases in awareness and message association."

The sponsorships shared today are just a sampling of what’s available. Reach out to your Google sales team to learn more about YouTube Select sponsorships available in the upfront, and throughout the year.

1.  Google/Talkshoppe, US, whyVideo study, n=2003 A18-64 Genpop video users, June 2020.
2. YouTube Data, Sep 2020 - Mar 2021

Tap into fan power with new YouTube Select sponsorships

Fromrecord-breaking music video releases tonever-before-seen conversations with celebrities, YouTube has become the virtual stage for the world's biggest cultural moments.The top 10 videos from 2020 — reaching a total of 356 million collective views — brought the world together to game, to laugh, to share some good news and so much more. 

As home to the content people need and the creators they love, YouTube is where personal meets popular — with fan favorite channels like Naomi Campbell (500,000+ subscribers) and Zach King (10 million+ subscribers). In the U.S., YouTube is the #1 video content provider viewers would miss the most if it was no longer available.1  

To help brands engage peak audiences, build association and stay relevant when it matters most, today we’re announcing a bigger, better sponsorship program under YouTube Select in the U.S.

Expanding our YouTube Select sponsorship offering 

In addition to longstanding sponsorships available exclusively in the upfront like NFL Game Day All Access, new this year, we’re offering a rolling set of seasonal sponsorships available on a quarterly basis.

Our seasonal sponsorship offering focuses specifically on what’s prominent in culture during that time of year, like Mother’s Day, Summer Wellness or Women in Music during Women’s History Month. And most importantly, the breadth of the seasonal slate means advertisers have a much wider variety of opportunities to celebrate diverse communities and topics, and reach their audiences where they are watching. 

See below for a glimpse into some of the most exciting sponsorships coming up, available either upfront or through our new seasonal offering.

The Upfront Slate

Reaching over 30 million views in the 2020 season,NFL Game Day All Access will be returning to YouTube for a third season this fall.2 Streaming exclusively on the NFL YouTube channel, it gives fans an intimate look at the full game day experience, with wired sound from players and coaches. Advertisers will have the opportunity to sponsor the show for multiple episodes during the regular season and postseason.

2020 was the biggest year yet for gaming on YouTube, with 100 billion watch time hours and 40 million+ active gaming channels. Building on this momentum, we’re adding a brand new upfront opportunity with Summer Game Fest — the industry’s first fully digital and global gaming event. We’re also excited to bring back the upfront sponsorship for The Game Awards — one of the biggest nights in the gaming industry that celebrates the biggest achievements of the year, including high share of voice, in-show integration and more.

Additionally, brands will have the opportunity to put on their studio executive hats with YouTube Greenlight. YouTube Greenlight brings a group of emerging YouTube creators together to pitch an original series ideas based on specific advertisers goals. The sponsorship includes a custom creator pitch session, a fully funded creator original series with integrations and paid promotion across YouTube.

The Seasonal Slate 

Today, YouTube announced a continued focus on sustainability with new original programming coming later this year. A subset of these shows will be available for sponsorship as part of our Q4 sustainability seasonal package, alongside other opportunities with YouTube creators and content focused on sustainable impact. The sponsorship will be available for companies with strong commitments to building a better planet for everyone.

Additionally, the seasonal state offers new ways to connect with your audience during holidays like Mother’s Day. For Mother’s Day specifically, we’ve seen surges in interest for things like that special gift, the perfect song for mom and more. To help brands align with this moment on YouTube, we’re offering a variety of packages including ownership of top moms’ channel WhatsUpMoms and the ability to build your own high share of voice packages across top mom creator and celebrity channels.

Image of a bar of soap being shaped into a rose. Text says "Mom Hacks"

We’re celebrating Black Music Appreciation Month with three different Black Music Month packages in June. Each sponsorship includes high share of voice across relevant playlists like R&B Wave or Essential 00’s Hip Hop, added value components and ownership of top channels like Joe Budden TV.

How advertisers are tapping into moments that matter most on YouTube

Mediacom partnered with their client and YouTube to honor women's history through the lens of music. The partnership included development ofcustom creative assets to celebrate women’s history, plus 100% share of voice of contextual environments like Women’s History Month music playlists and theGRAMMY’s channel, which featured aWomen in the Mix special.

Angelina Kim, Senior Partner & Group Director, Mediacom, said “This was an important opportunity to help our client connect with their audience, and drive engagement with the brand in the moments that matter most — all creatives drove significant increases in awareness and message association."

The sponsorships shared today are just a sampling of what’s available. Reach out to your Google sales team to learn more about YouTube Select sponsorships available in the upfront, and throughout the year.

1.  Google/Talkshoppe, US, whyVideo study, n=2003 A18-64 Genpop video users, June 2020.
2. YouTube Data, Sep 2020 - Mar 2021

Video experiments boost creative performance on YouTube

Experimentation should be a critical part of any successful marketing strategy. Relying on proven results is how leading marketers stay agile in dynamic markets, craft more effective campaigns at scale and identify the true impact of their efforts on business results. 

Knowing the outsized impact of creative on driving sales, we’re launching video experiments globally in Google Ads over the next several weeks. These experiments are easy to set up and quick to deliver results you can act on. So whether you’re looking to understand the impact of different video ads on Brand Lift, conversions or CPAs, you too can make more informed decisions that improve your results on YouTube.

Keep up with the pace of change

Given how rapidly our environment and consumer behaviors are evolving, it can be challenging for marketers to stay on top of how their brands can connect with consumers. But it shouldn’t be a challenge to get results and insights to help guide you. Running an experiment on YouTube means starting with a question or a hypothesis and, often in a matter of weeks or even days, understanding approaches that work and, equally importantly, ones that don’t. 

Take Decathlon, for example. The sporting goods retailer was interested in seeing if video creatives customized for key audience segments would be more effective than using a single standard creative. Thanks to video experiments, they were able to learn that the customized approach resonated much more with audiences and drove business impact: they saw 175% more incremental online conversions at a 64% lower cost-per-conversion and boosted return on ad spend (ROAS) by 51%. 

Improve creative and business results

In global studies we ran in 2019 and 2020, advertisers who successfully used video experiments to optimize for lower funnel performance on YouTube saw a 30% lower median cost-per-acquisition from the better performing creative. And those who used video experiments to optimize for upper funnel impact saw a 60% higher ad recall from the better performing creative. (Successful experiments were those with a significant difference in Brand Lift between experiment arms.)

A creative test entails showing two distinctly different video ads to the same audience. You may choose to experiment with different visual language elements like framing, pacing, brightness or text. That’s what India-based life insurance company Aegon Life did. By experimenting with different text overlays, they were able to drive 139% more conversions and 23% lower CPA. 

No matter what you decide to test, you’ll be on your way to consistently improving your video ads through data, not just gut feelings. The ultimate goal of experimenting is not only about boosting a single campaign’s performance, but also about knowing what works for your brand and audience on YouTube more broadly. That’s why insights from experiments are so essential to helping you make video ads that consistently drive better outcomes for your business. 

Here are three easy experiments, all of which borrow from our best practices for video ads, that can help you find your creative sweet spot on YouTube: 

  1. Supersize text. Does making text elements (including logos) bigger drive more brand awareness?

  2. Tighten framing. Does zooming in on important subjects, whether they’re people or products, drive higher consideration?

  3. Make it easy to buy. Does placing the call to action at the beginning of the video drive more conversions than placing it at the end?  

To learn how to set up a successful video experiment, visit the Help Center.

As CTV viewership surges, YouTube is people’s Main Stream

The last year marks a massive paradigm shift on the TV screen, as more people than ever turn to YouTube on connected TVs (CTV) not only to find happiness and be entertained, but to feel connected and fulfill their needs. Whether it’s leaning back with a good movie, dancing along to the hottest music video with roommates or finding their zen with a guided meditation, YouTube is people’s Main Stream — with over 120 million people streaming YouTube and YouTube TV on their TV screens in December 2020 in the US.1

Today we’re sharing new consumer trends and insights, and spotlighting new measurement solutions to help brands tap into the streaming boom on YouTube.


YouTube CTV watch time continues to grow fast

People are choosing to watch YouTube on connected TVs more than any other ad-supported platform because it has the content that is relevant to their lives and passions. According to Comscore, YouTube is #1 in reach and watch time among ad-supported streaming services, and is #1 in growth by watch hours over the past two years.2  

This is driven in part by a new wave of viewers who choose to watch YouTube primarily on the TV screen. In December 2020, a quarter of logged-in YouTube CTV viewers watched content almost exclusively (more than 90%) on the TV screen.3 For brands, this underscores the importance of connected TV campaigns to reach larger and incremental audiences across YouTube, and engage audiences with bigger creative formats.

Image shows a TV screen with a pilates instructor. Image has text that says "In December 2020, over a quarter of logged-in US YouTube CTV viewers watched content almost exclusively (>90%) on the TV screen.

People are choosing to experience their favorite YouTube content on TV more and more because they are spending more time at home and want to enjoy a big screen viewing experience, or more importantly, they want to experience the content with others. In a recent custom Nielsen study commissioned by Google, we found that 26% of the time, multiple 18+ viewers are watching YouTube together on the TV screen, compared to 22% on linear TV.4 

Over the last year, we've seen huge surges in viewership for content that people like to watch together including music, cooking shows and comedy or humor. Additionally, we’ve seen people transport themselves at home to faraway places with an increase in travel content watch time, and further their education in the living rooms with education-related videos.

Image has thumbnails from various YouTube videos. Image has text that says "What people are watching on TV screens in the US as of December 2020(footnote 5). Music +50% YOY. Travel +40% YOY. Education +50% YOY. Humor +60% YOY. Cooking +40% YOY.

Nielsen measurement soon available on CTV campaigns 

As YouTube CTV viewership continues to grow, we know it’s important for advertisers to be able to measure the impact holistically alongside other devices and platforms. As a result, for the first time ever advertisers will be able to measure their YouTube CTV campaigns in Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) and Total Ad Ratings (TAR). This includes all ways to buy on the YouTube main app, including YouTube Select CTV, and YouTube TV. 

The first phase of measurement in Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings starts with YouTube TV.  Measurement for YouTube main is estimated to be added ahead of the 2021-2022 Upfront season.


Brands find new audiences and
efficiencies with YouTube CTV Ads

Early studies have shown that YouTube CTV campaigns are driving incrementality across linear TV and YouTube desktop and mobile campaigns. Christina Seidner, Senior Brand Manager, Kimberly-Clark, turned to YouTube for their Pull-Ups campaign as an efficient way to reach new audiences.

“We believed YouTube CTV would boost our Pull-Ups campaign in a cost-effective way as our customers continue to shift attention from traditional TV to streaming platforms. What we found is that what's true about YouTube overall is true about YouTube CTV - it delivers unique reach to TV,” says Ms. Seidner. 

But, the real learning for us was in the incrementality CTV provides to our other YouTube cross-device buys - our CTV only campaign delivered an incremental reach of 36% to our core cross-device campaign. Christina Seidner
Senior Brand Manager, Kimberly-Clark

While viewers turn to YouTube on the TV screen for what they need and want in the moment, it’s also helping brands reach new audiences and achieve better results. Reach out to your Google sales team to learn more about YouTube CTV Ads, and the new features shared today to support your campaigns.

Read more on the latest streaming trends on the YouTube blog.

1. In the US, over 120M people streamed YouTube or YouTube TV on their TV screens in December 2020. (YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020)
2. Comscore, OTT Intelligence, Sep. 2018, Sep. 2019, Sept. 2020, U.S.
3. YouTube Internal Data, US, December 2020
4. Custom Nielsen study commissioned by Google. Custom YouTube cTV match to Cross-Platform Homes Panel. Coviewing percentage is calculated as the percentage of minutes when a P18+ is watching with another P18+ in the same household. YouTube commercial viewership identified by matching served time of the cTV ping with Cross-Platform Homes Panel viewership during that minute. Linear TV is based on Live Total Day viewing of commercial minutes across all broadcast and cable networks. One minute qualifier. 11/5/2019-11/28/2019; 2/14/2020-2/29/2020. Results among US TV Households
5. 1) Watch time of music content on TV screens has grown over 50% year over year in the US as of December 2020. 2) Watch time of travel content on TV screens has grown over 40% year over year in the US as of December 2020. 3) Watch time of education related videos on TV screens has grown over 50% year over year in the US as of December 2020. 4) Watch time of humor content on TV screens has grown over 60% year over year in the US as of December 2020. 5) Watch time of cooking content on TV screens has grown over 40% year over year in the US as of December 2020. (YouTube Internal Data, US, Dec 2020 vs. Dec 2019)