Unlocking The Advertising Power of YouTube
Today, audiences move between screens seamlessly and are increasingly inclined toward content that can be quickly absorbed. One defining trend in the digital landscape has been short-form video, where brevity meets creativity, and engagement is measured in seconds.
Short-form videos are inherently shareable and YouTube Shorts capitalizes on this by making it easy for users to discover and share content rapidly. The platform's algorithm leverages trending topics and viral content, providing an opportunity for creators to ride the wave of popularity and gain visibility. Driven by this creativity, according to YouTube, YouTube Shorts is now averaging over 70 billion daily views and the number of channels uploading Shorts has grown 50% year over year globally.* And it might not be what you’d expect, but people like watching YouTube Shorts on their TVs. In fact, YouTube analysis shows, views of YouTube Shorts on connected TVs globally have grown by more than 100% from January to September 2023.**
* Source: Google/YouTube, Internal Data, Global, Jun. 2023** Source: Google/YouTube, Internal Data, Global, Jan. - Sep. 2023
Consider an example from the dynamic realm of retail media. The ecosystem is witnessing a transformative shift as brands look to create e-commerce driving content as an addition to their traditional advertising strategies. Audiences are responding in kind, with Comscore data showing a surge in actions linked to retail media YouTube Shorts content, of 188% since the onset of 2021. This trend reflects the seismic shift since the pandemic in the confidence of audiences interacting with short-form retail media content.
With marketing at an inflection point this year, in large part driven by the rapid acceleration of AI, YouTube Shorts is fueling a new wave of creative expression and storytelling. As Marta Martinez, Google Managing Director of Data Strategy,Measurement & Analytics, emphasizes: "YouTube Shorts puts the power of AI at your fingertips, democratizing access to AI innovation by making it easily accessible and inclusive to everyone."
As consumers accelerate their short-form consumption, advertisers need to seize the AI moment by accurately measuring the impact of their campaigns across these emerging channels. Short-form content is mainly funded via advertising and not behind paywalls, making it critical for advertisers to have trusted third-party measurement to provide confidence in their decisions for cross-channel campaigns.
Today, Comscore’s Campaign Ratings™ (CCR)–integrated with YouTube–ensures transparency in reach for targeted audiences and enables one of the largest advertising sources for modern cross-media measurement. Comscore leverages the scale of big data such as linear set-top box return-path details, ad impressions, and demographic identifiers, using an advanced householding methodology and personification process, to provide true comparative person-level metrics across screens.
Comscore has expanded its existing measurement coverage of YouTube to include YouTube Shorts and In-Feed inventory in addition to previously measured YouTube standard video inventory (YouTube and YouTube TV) across CTV, Desktop, and Mobile. Comscore’s Campaign Ratings will also extend to measurement of Masthead inventory in the coming months.
This increased reporting capability, leveraging Google’s Ads Data Hub for Measurement Partners (ADH), allows clients to gain comprehensive cross-platform insights into the performance of their complete YouTube strategy, giving advertisers a holistic view of impressions, reach, and unique audiences across all YouTube inventory, and allowing for more informed decision-making and strategic optimization.
Consider also the future of advertising, and the way in which Gen Z is embracing YouTube content from screens ranging from YouTube TV to Shorts via mobile device. Comscore research has found when Gen Z viewers see an ad, 60% of them will have seen it on YouTube and not on linear tv.*** Recognizing the importance of staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences, this expansion of the YouTube and Comscore partnership will empower advertisers to maximize the reach and impact of their campaigns.
For more information on Comscore’s enhanced YouTube measurement capability or to schedule a demo of Comscore’s Campaigns Ratings, use this link.
*** Source: Custom analysis of 15 Comscore Campaign Ratings Super Bowl LVII studies analyzing linear TV vs. YouTube (YouTube and YouTube TV) across CTV, desktop, and mobile delivery, desktop, and mobile delivery for 18-34 in the U.S. on 2/12/2023; Analysis Time Period = Day of the Super Bowl; Advertisers randomly selected among those who expressed interest in participating in YouTube-funded meta analysis and among those who ran YouTube media in the week leading up to and after the Super Bowl.