As marketers kick off 2017 planning, consumer preference for online video is higher than ever. Today’s study from comScore, commissioned by Google, shows that adults are 30% more likely to prefer online video platforms over TV when given a choice where to watch video content. Does your media plan reflect that kind of preference?

If online video is your audience’s priority, it should be your media plan’s priority, too. We dug into the recent study and came up with six things to keep in mind about this changing audience as you develop your 2017 plan:
1. They Prefer Online Video Platforms to TV  The popularity of online video continues to grow. Today, when given a choice where to watch video, adults prefer online video platforms 30% more than watching on TV. Among millennials, that number jumps to 105%.

2. People Watching Long & Short-Form Video Prefer YouTube  Among viewers that watch both long and short-form content, 81% cite a preference for YouTube, making it the #1 choice. Compare that to the next-highest choice, TV, which earned just 56% of viewer votes.

3. They Choose YouTube Over Other Online Video Providers  YouTube also wins when compared to other online video providers. When asked to pick one online video platform, 48% of adults chose YouTube (vs. 29% for Netflix and 10% for Facebook):

4. Viewers Take Action on Video Ads, Especially on Short-Form Content  Online video has forever changed the media landscape, with more than half of all people regularly watching short-form videos (like branded content or viral videos), and two-thirds of millennials watching short-form weekly.

That’s good news for brands: comScore’s research shows viewers are more likely to take action after watching ads on short-form content compared to traditional content (like movies and tv shows). Taking action could include sharing on social media, looking for more information about the brand advertised, recommending the brand or product, etc.

5. They Prefer YouTube for Branded Content and Videos  Uploaded by Users. We already heard that adults who watch short and long-form content prefer YouTube, but it’s also preferred across multiple content types. For example, 74% of adults prefer YouTube for videos uploaded by users and—critically—69% prefer YouTube for videos uploaded by brands, companies, and institutions.

6. YouTube Super-users May Surprise You  The final part of comScore’s research examined YouTube’s most passionate fans—“die hards”—and they aren’t who you might expect. Many are parents, live in a city, and 49% are women:  

Posted by:
Celie O'Neil-Hart, Product Marketing Manager, YouTube B2B
Howard Blumenstein, Product Marketing Manager, Strategy and Insights, YouTube B2B

At Google, we believe that video is such a powerful way to build your brand that everyone should use it. That’s why we’re excited to announce a simplified way to set up your first campaign in AdWords for video.

Our new campaign creation flow eliminates the clutter by focusing on the key pieces of your first video ad campaign: your video, your thumbnail copy, your budget and your target audience.

Here’s a tour through the new campaign creation experience:

Step 1: Everything starts with your video
The first and most important step is selecting your video. Here you can choose any video that you’ve uploaded to YouTube.


Step 2: Add some text to appear alongside your video
Next you can include a few words to describe why viewers should watch your ad. This is a great way to catch your audience’s attention, so make it snappy!


Step 3: Decide how much to spend
We recommend a daily budget for your campaign, or you can choose your own. Remember, you may spend less than what you’ve budgeted in a given day, but you’ll never spend more.


Optional Step 4: Choose your target
Who would you like your video to reach? This step is optional, and remember: since you only pay when viewers choose to watch your video, TrueView ads have natural self-selection targeting built in. Take comfort in the peace of mind that you only show your ad to people who want to watch it.


And boom, you’ve now set up your first video ad campaign using AdWords for video! Now all you’ll need to do is sign-in with a Google account or set up a new one, and your ads will be running shortly. Head over to AdWords for video to try it out today.

Posted by James Habig, Product Marketing Manager, YouTube

GeoMap: Visualize your views
Where in the world are your views coming from? With the new AdWords for video visualization feature, you can tell with a mere glance. Just select the Campaign tab and click “Map View” to generate a beautiful snapshot that displays view activity on an interactive map. You can even click on regions to drill down to states and provinces globally, and to the DMA-level in the U.S. These geographic insights can help you understand which of your ad messages are resonating with specific markets.


We hope these new features to help you easily compare campaigns across platforms, discover new metrics and derive actionable insights. Head over to AdWords for video to try them out today!

Posted by David Tattersall, YouTube Product Manager, recently watched “Top Gear - Reliant Robin Space Shuttle”