YouTube – Editorial PR

04/May/2018

Data and analytics have often been cited as a key factor in delivering more relevant content to audiences, but that may not be the case on YouTube, where a new study by Zefr has found that more basic content targeting methods are actually better at driving engagement and favourability with viewers.

Zefr worked with Magna and IPG Media Lab for the study, which took in the responses of over 3,000 people who consume ads on Youtube through three primary methods of targeting: content, demo and channel. The results are somewhat surprising as the power of content targeting may have previously been underplayed.

Content targeting is defined as a method for placing ads alongside content at video level, which means that ads served up are generally more relevant to the content that is being viewed. In contrast, demo targeting leverages demographic signals such as age and gender to determine reach, while channel targeting merely focuses on channels that are the most popular on YouTube.

Content targeting was found to be the most effective overall as it did a better job of capturing the interest of end users. The study noted that the method was particularly good at keeping users engaged for the entire run time and cutting down on the number that skip or click away elsewhere after a few seconds. This is because the ads were more relevant.

In terms of raw statistics, content targeting for ads resulted in a 34% higher completion rate for viewers on smartphones when compared to demo targeting. It also provided much better user experiences as content targeting was also deemed to be 33% less intrusive than the other methods studied.

“Because YouTube is an intent-based platform, aligning video ads with relevant content is a key for consumer experience, without the broad strokes targeting of channels and demographics,” a Zefr representative said. A failure to align content correctly can also annoy audiences, which can have a detrimental impact on engagement and brand reputations.

“The way advertisers operate on platforms like Facebook and YouTube is under more scrutiny than ever before,” Zefr Co-Chief Executive Rich Raddon said in a statement. “We’ve long been big believers in the power of content targeting at the video level and how it can help brands effectively reach consumers without relying on audience data or violating their privacy, but this study takes our information to a whole new level.”

While analytics may not need to be the foundation for successful campaigns on YouTube, the 2018 CMO Pulse Study has found that data is crucial for connecting the success of content efforts to the wider business. More than a third said that data and analytics need to be improved to empower CMOs to deliver better return on investment.

“Today’s marketers have more data and analytics than ever before, so it would seem they should be able to tie their efforts directly to the success of the company,” Korn Ferry Global Marketing Officers Practice Managing Director Caren Fleit said. “Unfortunately, many measure the effectiveness of initiatives only in terms of marketing metrics and miss the opportunity to connect it to overall business performance as measured in terms of sales and profit, among other factors.”

Aimee

02/Jan/2018

The series of brand safety scandals on YouTube and other platforms during the last 12 months have taken their toll on brand trust, as more than a fifth are planning to spend less on programmatic advertising in 2018, according to a new report published by QueryClick.

Entitled “Programmatic Ad Fraud Transparency”, the report polled the opinions of 150 high-level marketers at major brands across the UK. A testing year for the biggest digital ad platforms is finally about to end, but the consequences are set to reverberate into 2018, as 41% of respondents said they had lost trust in the practice of automated decision making and buying for targeting audiences with ads.

The individuals surveyed work for brands with revenues exceeding £100m. There is a clear trend that a selection of the most notable players in respective industries will overhaul their ad strategies in the New Year as they attempt to provide more relevant experiences to end users that don’t threaten the status of their relationships with customers or brand reputation.

Whether the new data suggests more marketers will switch to organic content and campaigns is not known, but there is a clear frustration among leading executives in regard to the options available to them on the ad-buying side of the equation at the moment. Almost half said the lack of alternative tech options, such as ad buying platforms, was to blame for the cutback in investment.

A similar number also cited ongoing transparency concerns as a major factor, as many still struggle to determine exactly how much programmatic ads cost and the return on investment they deliver. Meanwhile, 39% claimed this transparency discrepancy extended to ad placement, which is no surprise considering the number of high-profile brand safety incidents in 2017.

All three factors have snowballed to create a programmatic landscape that is not capable of delivering the consistent value brands expect, especially when the consequences of getting it wrong are so high in terms of losing consumer confidence and the prospect of financial and reputational damage. Ad fraud is also a growing concern.

“Despite it being on the rise, programmatic advertising is wide open to abuse,” QueryClick executive Chris Liversidge said. “Recent studies have put the cost of digital advertising fraud as high as $31bn. That makes digital ad fraud not just more costly than any form of cybercrime, but more costly than offline crimes such as counterfeit goods and payment card fraud.”

He added: “Publishers are on the front line in the battle against advertising fraud. They have a duty to educate both brands and agencies on programmatic processes to ensure transparency. However, brands can take steps to protect themselves too.

First, where possible, they should separate their programmatic campaigns so they are given the consideration — and performance measures — their growing size warrants. Secondly, they should unbundle their agency relationship from the programmatic platform, to enable them to seek out independent providers that offer true transparency and protection from the risks of current programmatic campaigns.”

Aimee

18/Sep/2017

Facebook and YouTube both made a pitch to brands and advertisers during their conferences at the dmexco international expo last week. Brand safety has been a major challenge for the digital industry in 2017, and the tech giants claimed they were making moves to ensure ads are always placed against high-quality content on their respective platforms.

Facebook announced the biggest changes, as it will now implement new monetisation rules for content types. This policy means articles or videos with unsavoury topics and imagery, ranging from tragedy and conflict to violent, adult, explicit and inappropriate material, will be prohibited from ads within Instant Articles, Branded Content and mid-roll breaks.

There will also be a raft of new digital tools so brands can get a much clearer overview of the third parties that are monetising their content and create blacklists to exclude some publishers. The pre- and post-campaign reporting features will be a notable improvement, as it is currently difficult for marketers to determine exactly where their ads have featured.

Facebook’s vice president of global marketing solutions, Carolyn Everson, said the changes reflect a growing “uneasiness” in the digital industry following the high-profile cases of ad misplacement earlier in the year. She said that calls for improvements had been heard “loud and clear.”

“At Facebook, we take very seriously our responsibility to earn and maintain the trust of our advertiser partners – and give them the confidence they need to invest in us. That’s critical to their success and ours,” Everson said. “That is why we’re introducing new monetisation eligibility standards that will provide clearer guidance on the types of publishers and creators eligible to earn money on Facebook and the kind of content that can be monetised.”

Everson also touched on the growing desire for independent validation for ads and higher-quality metrics. Facebook is working with Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify to improve its brand safety controls and is set to join the Trustworthy Accountability Group to protect against fraud. Accreditation from the Media Ratings Council and reviews for first-party ad reporting will also follow shortly.

“These reviews and partnerships help with viewability verification,” Everson added. “They’ll also help us deliver the most accurate metrics possible to our partners. We know how important it is to provide the right insights to our clients so they can focus on business growth. We’re not perfect. But we are striving for accuracy, and these third-party verification efforts will help identify potential issues.”

YouTube didn’t announce new features and tools during its conference on Thursday, but it did release research showing that 95 per cent of its ads globally meet viewability standards. The platform’s chief business officer, Robert Kyncl said it is aware of its “serious responsibility” and is currently “working around the clock” to improve ad placement.

YouTube is also set to launch a new original content series backed by celebrities, including Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden, as another case study to show that brands can be trusted to be a platform where high-quality videos and ads thrive.

Eain

16/Mar/2017

If the saying ‘a picture can tell a thousand words’ is true, then the use of video, which is essentially a string of many pictures, should not be overlooked when it comes to content marketing. Each month, around six billion hours of video is watched on YouTube, showing just how popular this medium is. Therefore, it is vital that content marketing strategies realise video’s potential and include it in their campaigns.

Educate instead of entertain

A key aspect of video content is to remember that educating works better than entertaining. There are, of course, those viral videos of bizarre and humorous moments that gain millions of views in a short amount of time. However, this often occurs more by luck than judgement. It is, therefore, essential for marketing firms to focus on educating their customers as a priority, even if this education is wrapped up within a funny video.

Educating consumers is nothing new. For example, McDonald’s used a two-minute video in 2014 as a way to respond to negative rumours about their chicken nuggets. Not only did this help to battle bad press, but improved the brand identity of the fast food chain too.

Social media is important

It may sound obvious, but social media remains extremely important, and a modern firm must have an account on at least one popular platform. However, whilst many companies utilise places like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to share their content, a lot still regard video sharing sites as separate entities. This is not altogether true though, and firms would be wise to realise that uploading videos to platforms like YouTube and Snapchat gives consumers the chance to easily share and engage with content.

In addition, diversifying into more platforms gives companies the chance to reach a larger audience. This grows their social media footprint and can result in a bigger demand for services and products.

Vertical videos are on the rise

Vertical videos have always been avoided if possible. Consumers are accustomed to television’s horizontal frame, and there’s an ongoing debate about the perceived low quality of vertical videos. With the two black sidebars taking up the screen, vertical videos have, traditionally, been mocked.

However, though this video format is not the best for computers, they can find favour on mobile devices. And with the rise of mobile, it’s not hard to see how video formats might also change. The evolution of video means that content creators may well see the ways in which they create video change too. Vertical videos have a narrower format, and the areas at the top and bottom of the frame become more important as they are key focus points. It also promotes a more personal and in-your-face style.

Utilise video for ongoing success

Video is unlikely to go away and is, in fact, continuing to rise in popularity. Therefore, savvy and forward thinking firms would do well to embrace this form of media and build it into their content marketing strategies with increasing levels..

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