WARC Talks: 3 in 15 – Working with creators
WARC Talks: 3 in 15 – Working with creators
In this episode of the WARC podcast, Lena Roland, Head of Content for WARC Strategy talks to Catherine Driscoll, Commissioning Editor for EMEA, about the latest WARC Guide to working with creators.
As the digital media landscape continues to evolve apace, new dynamics are emerging between brands and the creators they partner with online. Creators are challenging established brands by entering the packaged goods space; think MrBeast Burger, or PRIME.
This episode also addresses best practices for brands partnering with creators and how to measure the impact of influencer campaigns.
Listen to the full episode here
Timestamps
01:19 – Evolving brand-creator relationships.
04:58 – Creators and physical products.
07:53 – Best practices for working with creators.
11:15 – Measuring the impact of influencer campaigns.
14:22 – Diversity and equity in influencer marketing.
WARC Media Platform Insights: YouTube
WARC Media Platform Insights: YouTube
YouTube continues to command a strong position in the online video advertising market and is actively looking for ways to forge deeper connections with viewers, creators and brands through multi-format video strategies.
Context
YouTube is prioritising Shorts and CTV engagement, and is innovating with unskippable 30-second ads and “pause experiences” on TV to help marketers engage audiences across screens and achieve both performance and brand-building goals.
Takeaways
- Ad investment with YouTube is set to rise 4.0% in 2023 to reach $30.4bn
That marks a turnaround from Q4 2022 when ad revenue declined 8.8% year-on-year, as marketers shifted investment to retail media and search. But growth is expected to resume in 2023, at more than double the rate of growth recorded in 2022. WARC Media forecasts YouTube’s revenue growth to accelerate 10.3% in 2024, to reach $33.5bn by the end of that year.
- Commerce brands are expected to spend $4.1bn on YouTube ads in 2023
This is a 4.6% rise on 2022. Retail remains YouTube’s most important category for ad investment, but growth from other sectors has been harder to achieve. While some categories will see double digit spending increases in 2023, including technology and electronics (+13.9%) and toiletries and cosmetics (+12.1%), figures elsewhere are more modest.
- YouTube advertisers can reach half of all internet users globally. More than one billion hours of video are watched every day on YouTube
YouTube is the world’s most popular online platform, with an adult advertising reach estimated at 2.07 billion people, almost twice as much as TikTok and Instagram respectively. YouTube Shorts (60 seconds or less) will provide more opportunities for marketers to reach new audiences, but its 50 billion daily viewer total is some way behind the 140 billion daily views achieved by Instagram Reels; under-18s, meanwhile, spend on average 60% longer on TikTok than with YouTube content.
- YouTube has overtaken Netflix as the biggest TV streaming platform in the US
YouTube accounted for 22.9% of OTT viewing in March 2023. It is also the most popular channel for US Gen Zs to catch up with sports news, and last year it was the most popular platform for both music and podcast listening in the US.
APAC is a key growth region for YouTube – from live shopping and Shorts to gaming – while in Latin America, YouTube delivers brand impact more cost-effectively than any other video platform, according to research by Kantar.
Platform Insights is a new series of reports exclusive to WARC Media subscribers. These include an overview of platform investments, media consumption and performance insights. More information is available here.
This year's upfronts face currency and measurement confusion
As the 2023 upfronts approach in the US, the topic of measurement and currency has become the talk of the town, with brands and agencies pushing for more accountability and better measurement.
Why it matters
For decades, Nielsen has dominated TV measurement, and it remains the only measurement solution accredited by the Media Ratings Council. But as TV—and therefore audiences—have splintered, the need for clearer, more in-depth metrics has become increasingly necessary.
Takeaways
Fraud concerns pose a problem for social shopping
Fraud concerns pose a problem for social shopping
New research from UK-based Lloyds Banking Group suggests that Meta-owned properties of Facebook and Instagram are fuelling the rise of purchase scams on the platforms.
Why it matters
Trust in brands matters, and for brands a critical route to building trust runs through media. Lloyds doesn’t break down how many scams per channel but many come through Facebook Marketplace, the peer-to-peer listings platform.
While the research doesn’t say that social media sites are culpable, it suggests that 80% of payment scams start with the tech sector. It argues that “relying on the banking sector alone to detect scams and provide refunds means those platforms where the vast majority of the fraud starts have no incentive to stop it”.
Although there’s no indication that this perception could spread to the vast majority of legitimate brands that advertise on the platform, it could dampen some of the willingness for consumers to convert there. This remains to be seen. It is also worth noting that given the financial burden falling on banks for reimbursement, the sector would stand to gain from a reapportioning of the responsibility for making good on scam victims.
Key message
“Lloyds Banking Group is calling for technology and telecommunication companies to do more to stop scams at source and play their part in refunding victims of fraud which originates on their platforms.”
The data
Based on an analysis of reported cases among the bank’s 25m retail banking customers, the study finds that:
- 68% of all purchase scams start on Meta-owned social media platforms (though this includes Facebook Marketplace).
- While this channel appears to account for a majority of the volume of cases, it accounts for “around 40%” of the total money lost to shopping scams.
- Across the industry the average amount lost by the victims of purchase scams is around £570.
Bottom line
Given that brands don’t ask for bank transfer payments or sell on Facebook Marketplace, there’s no suggestion of any brand safety issues. However, as there is a rising interest in resale in certain sectors, this news carves out an opportunity to provide a verified brand platform. The likes of retailer John Lewis to high-fashion brand Balenciaga are already exploring their own programs.
Sourced from Lloyds Banking Group, WARC
Research decodes how to talk sustainability with consumers
Research from global measurement firm MetrixLab found online conversations about carbon emissions have increased by 38%, signaling growing consumer interest in environmental issues, sustainability and the need for change.
Why it matters
As consumers show more interest in the environment and adopt more environmentally friendly behaviors, brands may benefit from a deeper understanding of their consumers’ expectations regarding their sustainability initiatives and attitudes around sustainability topics.
Takeaways
