VidCon 2016: Fans, Creators, Brands Connect

Last week at the Anaheim Convention Center, Pixability had a front row seat to screaming fans, YouTube stars, and the future of digital media. We were at VidCon, the top gathering for the online video community that brings fans, creators, and advertisers together. If you haven’t yet had the chance to attend, VidCon really solidifies how intense the relationship is between teenagers and YouTube creators. We saw crying, we saw running, and we saw lots of hugging — YouTubers are amazing at making their fans feel special.
During the event’s keynote, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki unveiled several new features, including new YouTube Red content, a redesigned Creator Hub to help YouTubers grow their channels, and most notably, support for mobile livestreaming. By enabling in-app live video, not only is YouTube leveling the playing field with Facebook Live, but creators and brands will now have another avenue to connect with their fans.
Pixability’s VP of Customer Success, Theresa Moore, moderated a panel on “Finding Brand Success on YouTube,” featuring Cheryl Gresham, Director of Media for Taco Bell, Joshua Lowcock, EVP Head of Digital at UM Worldwide, and Doug Neil, EVP of Digital Marketing at Universal Pictures. The panel shined a light on how brands are scaling YouTube strategies to successfully reach their audiences and drive business.
The panelists discussed how YouTube is fundamental to their marketing strategies. As audiences spend less time with linear TV, YouTube makes it possible for their brands to target and engage quality audiences, and with the measurement and insights available, they can better understand what content is resonating to inform creative and media strategies.
Moore’s key advice to brands is to keep experimenting. “The platforms are ever evolving, so don’t be afraid to try new things,” Moore said. “Think from the perspective of your audience — and the context in which your consumers will be seeing your video. In the case of YouTube, context is crucial.”
We also unveiled our latest Top 100 Brands report at VidCon. Our analysis uncovered that the Top 100 Brands (per Interbrand’s ranking) are maturing in their YouTube strategies. Total views for the Top 100 Brands’ content clocks in at 63B, up 58% from last year’s top brands, and subscribers have increased by 42%. And as the Top 100 Brands develop more rigorous and sophisticated online video strategies, audiences are responding — this year’s top brands have seen a 10% increase in engagement over last year’s brands.
Given the thousands of fans screaming for their favorite YouTube stars, it’s clear that the YouTube ecosystem is thriving. Is your brand doing everything it can to connect with these passionate audiences, and maximize success on YouTube?

Pixability delivers better video advertising across premium platforms. For more insight into the maturing YouTube strategies of the top 100 brands, check out our latest infographic here.