Long ago, I ditched cable and replaced it with streaming apps, and yet YouTube is used the most in my household. While I do not post on YouTube (I probably should though), I consume a large majority of my video-based media through this social media app. Almost all of my favorite shows to watch are on YouTube (ie almost anything that “Mythical” creates). And I am not alone in this, “One-quarter of Internet users spend ten hours or more watching videos, and YouTube has more than two billion active users worldwide” (Coleman, n.d.).
Ads that act as commercials (you know the ones, you can either skip them, or are forced to listen to them) are meant to be targeted, but in my opinion, they can become so repetitive that it almost ensures that I will never use the product or service. For example, I have seen a bombardment of “CertaPro Painters” ads on YouTube, which have become so excessive that I will never use their service and I always skip the ad. I suppose a negative response, is still a response, though.
Something that I have recently noticed on YouTube, which seems rather new, is a button that appears at the bottom of the video in it starts that will take you directly to the content creator’s store. They usually say something along the lines of “Go to the Mythical Store!” and the button simply says “Shop”. I am much more likely to respond and interact with those subtle ads, especially if the creators are wearing or using the merch and it’s something I am interested in. I tend to interact with these ads because not only are they not aggressive and excessive, but they directly help the creator whose media I am consuming. Creators can also market their products directly to their audience by promoting their merch in the video itself, talking about what’s new in the store, where to find it, and if a promotional sale is occurring for a limited time. Creators can also use the end screen to advertise more of their own videos, or videos of other channels that they have created or are a part of (Mahnoor, 2022).
The competition on YouTube is incredibly high, but it’s still a great way for content creators and companies to promote their products and services. I might skip or ignore the commercial-type ads, but I sometimes do interact with the ads of my favorite content creators.
References
Coleman, B. (n.d.). YouTube Marketing: A Complete Guide to Creating, Promoting, and Optimizing Your Video Content. HubSpot. Retrieved May 2023, from https://www.hubspot.com/youtube-marketing.
Mahnoor, S. (2022 August). YouTube Marketing: A Complete Guide for Your Brand. Sprout Social. Retrieved May 2023, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/youtube-marketing/.
Nikki Haase: Author 