Details of YouTube’s ad revenue has been published for the first time by Google’s parent company Alphabet. 

According to its annual earnings report, the online video platform pulled in $15bn in advertising revenue over the course of 2019 in addition to reaching 20 million paid subscribers through access to YouTube Premium and Music Premium. 

YouTube’s ad revenue contributed to around 10% to all Google revenue last year.

Alphabet overall recorded revenues of $46bn over Q4 2019, a rise of 17% year-on-year — the slowest rate in more than two years.

Alphabet also earned $2.6bn in cloud revenue for the most recent quarter, rising more than 50% year-on-year but lower compared to almost $10bn at Amazon.

“Since its acquisition in 2006, this platform has taken the social media space, and world, by storm, and content creators and brands alike are becoming more and more attracted to YouTube as a leading platform, making these statistics hardly surprising,” said Ben Jeffries, CEO and co-founder at Influencer in a LinkedIn post.

“This great success acts as a clear indicator of YouTube’s increasing popularity, and highlights the effectiveness of video content,” he continued.

Jeffries advised brands to recognise the power of YouTube as a content platform in order to stay ahead of the game.

“In light of these stats, I predict that YouTube will continue to build a larger presence in the social media field, but for marketers to take advantage of the growth in market share, they need to quickly learn the importance of creating videos that their customer can connect with,” Jeffries concluded.

The post YouTube Ad Revenue Reaches $15 Billion appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Following recent changes to the criteria required to receive the IAB UK’s Gold Standard certification, the UK industry body for digital advertising has confirmed it will be introducing an updated version of its Gold Standard, ensuring the robustness of the industry standard. 

Gold Standard 2.0 will require companies to adopt IAB Europe’s Transparency & Consent Framework version 2 (TCF v2.0). This will be introduced in Q4 2020, following a process of industry consultation to agree with the compliance criteria for incorporating the TCF within Gold Standard certification.

In addition, IAB UK plans to employ an independent third-party to audit the Gold Standard process.

Both plans were announced by IAB UK’s Chief Digital Officer Tim Elkington at the industry body’s Digital Trust Forum this morning.

“The Gold Standard only remains relevant if it evolves to keep pace with challenges our industry faces. As we seek to improve transparency and build trust in digital advertising, addressing privacy concerns is a key part of that. We will now be embarking on a process of consultation with IAB UK members to agree how to effectively incorporate the TCF into the Gold Standard – a key step as we seek to build a responsible and sustainable future for the digital ad industry,” said IAB UK’s chief digital officer Tim Elkington.

In its current form, the Gold Standard brings together industry programmes to combat ad fraud, increase brand safety and improve the digital advertising experience for users. Companies need to take three steps to certify: implement IAB Tech Labs’ ads.txt, undergo an independent JICWEBS DTSG audit and adhere to the principles set out by the Coalition for Better Ads. There are currently 93 media owners, media agencies and ad tech companies certified and 11 registered to certify.  

The post IAB UK to Update Gold Standard Initiative with Renewed Certification Criteria appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Rakuten Marketing will be the exclusive advertising seller for the new pan-European ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service of Rakuten TV. 

Rakuten TV announced the new AVOD service on October 15, launching with an initial offer that includes Hollywood and local content. This will be expanded upon in the coming months in a combined linear and on-demand offer, including exclusive Rakuten content, TV series, documentary series, news and sports channels.

Rakuten TV is the first platform that combines transactional-based video-on-demand (TVOD) and AVOD products across Europe to meet the needs of viewers. The free, ad-supported channels will enrich the original proprisition of Rakuten TV, offering smart TV viewers the latest new releases. 

As a founding partner, global automaker Nissan has signed on to connect with and reach customers through the Rakuten TV platform. Nissan is using the platform for the launch campaign of the Nissan JUKE. 

“More technologically advanced and better connected than ever, the new Nissan JUKE supports our digital launch strategy. This new, innovative video offer perfectly matches the position of our urban crossover. It is a privileged space for an advertiser looking for innovative targeting possibilities,” commented Coralie Musy, marketing director of Nissan in France.

The Rakuten TV platform will utilise Neilsen as a data partner to target advertisements at a digital level.

“Video on demand is quickly emerging as a powerful media channel, and Rakuten TV presents a singular opportunity for our clients to reach a highly engaged pan-European audience. We strive to be the first to offer advertisers new products and audiences, and are proud to bring this groundbreaking advertising opportunity across the Continent,” said Nick Stamos, CEO of Rakuten Marketing.

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With one billion hours of video being watched on YouTube every day and, according to Google, more than 6/10 people preferring online content over television, it is easy to see why video has often been called the winning media format of the Digital Age.

As visual and emotional creatures, humans find multi-sensory videos more persuasive and engaging than other formats. With 81% of businesses using video as a marketing tool in 2018, you are really missing out if you have turned your back on this avenue. 

As a content strategist, I have seen that the most common issue and deterrent for smaller brands and businesses often lie in the perceived skill sets and resources required for a coherent video strategy. In reality, it should be approached with a very similar mindset to any other long-term marketing effort.

Here’s how even the most modestly resourced marketing team can develop a coherent video strategy – from awareness to conversion and beyond.

Top-of-the-funnel awareness: increase your reach

At this stage, the aim is to get as many eyes on your video content as possible. Users can then be vetted, assessed and segmented for lower-stage tactics. With this in mind, we recommend that videos focused on building awareness are fun, relatable, memorable and emotive. Opt for emotion over logic for the best chance of achieving virality. 

When getting started, it’s essential to correctly prepare your videos for search. With the diversification of SERPs and the inclusion of the video tab, the value of strong Google rankings is immeasurable. The sheer volume of people searching for answers this way is impossible to overstate. Top tips include:

• Ensure that your videos (titles and descriptions) are properly optimised with high-volume keywords and all SEO elements (e.g. video sitemaps and schema) are correctly implemented.
• Including a link back to your domain and, where relevant, deeper landing pages. This will provide indirect long-term SEO benefits and also improve your chances of ranking.
• On YouTube, a popular awareness tactic is to collaborate with established online influencers. In doing so, you combine the potential reach of both parties, broadening your audience and appeal. However, after this flash-in-the-pan industry’s almost surreal rise and inevitable fall, it’s essential that you work with someone relevant and professional. Don’t taint your brand by associating it with a YouTube star set on torpedoing his/her own career. Be the YouFoodz 2.0, not Fyre Festival’s spiritual successor.

As the awareness stage is almost wholly about reach, the key metric to focus on is the number of views. In YouTube Analytics, data can be sliced and diced to allow you to better understand how to tailor future content to your most valuable audience groups; discover new demographic opportunities, and learn which style and formats really engage and inspire.

Mid-funnel consideration: instilling confidence 

The middle of the funnel is where we start to separate the wheat from the chaff. Our goal here is to connect with – and prove our worth and relevance to – all those who potentially need our services and products. Exhibit your value and USPs to show viewers why they should choose you over the competition.

Brand videos and company/culture stories are an effective way to achieve this. Including talking head interviews with employees or existing loyal customers will naturally convey your human side and provide social proof to wavering viewers. Interviewing an industry expert about a topical issue, for example, will help establish your brand as a key player in your sphere, instilling confidence in your mid-funnel viewership.

As this level is about persuasion, plus earning trust and confidence, a suitable and telling metric to focus on is CTR to your landing pages. Channel subscriptions and engagement in the comment section are secondary indications of mid-funnel success as they too show people are responding to your output and wanting to find out more.

The final stage: proof and conversion

The majority of users this far down the funnel have essentially already made their decision to purchase the service or product in question; they are simply weighing up who to buy it from and when. It’s our job to lead them over the finish line.

At this point, we want to be relatively product-focused and keep things more practical than emotional. 90% of customers say that video helps them make buying decisions and that the inclusion of a product video on a landing page can increase conversion by up to 80%. This demonstrates how important video marketing has become. 

Additionally, customer reviews are useful to include at this stage of the customer journey as they still have a significant impact on conversion rates. 

As well as uploading relevant bottom-of-the-funnel videos to YouTube for long-tail search, make sure you embed them on your domain’s relevant landing pages. This is where customers are likely to look before pressing the ‘Buy Now’ button.

Due to the nature of assisted conversion and research, it can be difficult to assess the efficacy of content directly on conversion. However, you should still keep a topline comparison of conversions vs. videos uploaded. You can then gather more granular data in Google Analytics. For instance, how referrals from YouTube and related social media posts act when they get to your domain – particularly which goals they realise.

Maintaining your viewership: audience retention 

Retention of existing customers is a subject often ignored in sales funnel discussions. However, depending on your business model, it is arguably the most valuable tactic, costing less per conversion than new customers.

If you really make your mark, it’s possible to get your customers to do your marketing for you – an army of loyal ambassadors is the ultimate goal of retention-focused marketing and is the most sincere and appealing form of approval. However, you need to give your customer base a reason to keep coming back to your content – and keep your brand top of mind.

Video series is certainly worth considering because they not only require viewers to return for the next installment but offer cost efficiencies compared to one-off productions. Nevertheless, using YouTube to build a community – in tandem with your blog and social media strategies – is probably the most powerful approach for retention. 

Here are a few easy tactics to generate a loyal YouTube viewership:

• Encourage user-generated content with competitions and challenges.
• Reward discussion and conversation in your comment sections. Ask your viewers to ask you questions and leave comments.
• Provide incentives for community engagement by giving shoutouts to popular contributors in a monthly YouTube video or/and social media posts.
• Use customer feedback and suggestions to inform the type of video you upload and thank individuals for their recommendations.
• Include videos (and additional content) in your member newsletter with additional insights and exclusive extras. Including the word ‘video’ in your email subject line increases open rate by 19%.
• Share behind-the-scenes footage to show your human side and maintain transparency.
• Organise occasional events or, if this impractical, sporadic webinars. This is an effective way to drive engagement, build loyalty and place your brand at the helm of a like-minded community.

Use Google Analytics and YouTube Analytics to illustrate returning vs. new users – this is a good way to see how well you’re retaining customers. When combined with blog readership growth, the number of bookmarks and channel subscription count, we build a pretty decent picture of how well we’re retaining customers. 

So, keep in mind…

As a small or medium-sized business, it can seem daunting to fully throw yourself into the Wild West of YouTube marketing. But it undoubtedly has the greatest potential of almost any marketing channel.

In the heavily saturated online consumer market, it’s often assumed that a high-risk approach is necessary to stand out and reach that ‘high reward’ grail. While tips may not be extensive, they’re a good starting point to minimise risk and give yourself the best chance of building an effective and stable long-term YouTube channel – without the heavy expenditure you may have expected.

The post Maximising Your Brand’s Performance Through YouTube – Thinking, Planning, Doing appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Both Facebook and Instagram have been awarded brand safety certification from the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS). 

The certification comes following an independent audit of the platforms’ advertising processes against JICWEBS’ DTSG Good Practice Principles – which aim to reduce the risk of brands running ads adjacent to inappropriate content.

Facebook and Instagram have come under fire in recent months around the misplacement of ads on both platforms exploiting inappropriate user-generated content including violent videos, racism, trolling and child abuse.

Last year the House of Lords Communication Select Committee urged all industry bodies to commit to signing up with JICWEBS and to date over 130 organisations have done so.

Facebook and Instagram’s certifications closely follow Amazon, who received theirs in July.

“Advertisers want greater trust and transparency in the digital ad chain. JICWEBS’ certification shows advertisers who are making a genuine commitment to protect their investment. We hope all parts of the supply chain will share the same level of detail through our certification scheme,” said Jules Kendrick, CEO of JICWEBS.

“Digital advertising builds brands, drives growth and creates jobs. It is vital that advertisers can trust where their ads are appearing, and we are fully behind the industry’s desire to raise standards in digital advertising,” commented Steve Hatch, VP of Northern Europe at Facebook.

“We support JICWEBS’ robust standards, rigorous verification process and the industry transparency it provides, and are delighted to have achieved DTSG Brand Safety Certification.

The post Facebook and Instagram Awarded JICWEBS Brand Safety Certification appeared first on PerformanceIN.

As digital continues to rise, and mobile ad spend is increasing, should advertisers prioritise this format for the best performance?

Blair Robertson: Audiences now consume all types of media no matter where they are – at home or on the move – so brands should naturally cater to this growing trend. An advertiser’s first priority should be to understand the format and channel best suited to these audience patterns, from this point campaign KPIs can be set. Mobile ad spend is continuing to rise, yet TV is recognised as an influential advertising medium, driving effectiveness by 40% over time – TV on mobile, now that’s a combination. 

The optimisation process starts with TV campaigns. By measuring online activity following a TV ad being viewed – and attributing that action to a particular ad placement – brands can see which are driving the most digital response. As a result, advertisers can make informed media buying decisions across desktop and mobile that increase the efficiency of each campaign. Deploying digital advertising in harmony with consumer activity maximises conversions. 

What should advertisers consider before allocating ad spend across platforms?

BR: Advertisers need to know how each platform drives their ad campaign effectiveness. What is it they are looking to achieve? And in what timeframe? What benefit will the campaign bring to the wider marketing activity? The answer will lie in the data – measure, analyse, attribute and optimise. Only then will advertisers have a clear picture of what’s working, what’s not and where the opportunities lie. 

Since the advent of digital, businesses have focused on the short-term returns of their ad campaigns, as they’re most obvious. TV, however, is not only a primary driver of online activity – being responsible for 62% of all advertising-generated profit in the short term – but also creates 71% of total advertising-generated profit in the long term as well. So it’s not just the “safest” platform to drive return on investment (ROI), but the one that offers the highest of any media, at £1.73 for every pound spent in the short term, and £4.20 in the longer term.

How can advertisers stay ahead of competitors and hit brand objectives as the digital market becomes more aggressive?

BR: Ultimately, advertisers need to look into how their ad spend delivers on business objectives. Brands should start by assessing the strength of their core proposition in comparison to competitors, along with their messaging, and from this point, focus on how best to engage with target audiences. It’s in every advertiser’s interest not to waste money, which means setting key performance indicators (KPIs) from the outset of an ad campaign, to accurately measure performance. A food delivery service, for instance, might set the objective of boosting app activity, which can be measured by monitoring downloads following an ad spot airing. 

Whatever the desired outcome of a campaign is, brands can access a wealth of granular audience data through linear TV, to measure impact across the aggressive digital market. It’s essential for advertisers to capitalise on the areas where they can outperform the competition. 

How can teams use AI and machine learning to further develop advertising strategies?

BR: We’ve only scratched the surface of the capabilities linked to machine learning, but automation is a key component for optimising ad campaigns. When coupled with strong data analysis, it offers more advanced methods of gathering consumer data, which is crucial for delivering tailored ads that drive engagement. There are many ways to score media – from traditional reach/frequency metrics, who’s watching, to the context or emotional response – and machine learning can provide advertisers with a holistic view of these results.

Thanks to digital, brands have an appetite for transparent, actionable consumer insights – in near real-time – and machine learning developments allow media planners to utilise these effectively in linear TV campaigns. Gone are the days of waiting six weeks or more for out-of-date results on broad audience segments. Linear TV provides the granular results data that advertisers need now, to enable them to build comprehensive measurement and modelling tools.

What does the future of ad spend look like considering 5G and connected devices?

BR: The growth of connected devices – from smartphones and connected TVs, to smart speakers – means there’ll be greater capacity for rich environments to place high-quality content. Advertisers need to consider, how consumers interact with these new viewing opportunities and what impact second-screening habits have at each point in the marketing funnel. 

With the arrival of new technology, comes new innovative formats, which in turn will drive premium pricing and increase ad spend. To optimise campaigns for effectiveness in a 5G world, advertisers will need the means to gather and analyse in-depth consumer data and to attribute action to ads no matter their platform.

The post TVSquared on Making the Most of Your Ad Spend, No Matter the Platform appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Social Media Week Bristol returned last month (June 10-14) following its breakthrough year in 2018, which saw keynote sessions from BuzzFeed, Facebook, Twitter and many more. Packed once again with inspirational talks and seminars on the latest developments from the world of social media and digital marketing, thousands gathered across multiple venues in the city of Bristol to listen to talks in the Engine Shed, Everyman Cinema and Origin Workspace to name a few.

The PerformanceIN team managed to catch a couple of interesting sessions, taking away some valuable insights on how brands can develop and grow their social media strategy for the year ahead.

The rise of Instagram Stories

We all know about the success of Instagram so it was no surprise that the platform would be getting a mention or two during Social Media Week. Gem Royston-Claire from digital agency Social Life delivered an insightful talk on the rise of Instagram Stories and why they are such a big deal for companies. Although Snapchat kicked off the Stories trend, it was Facebook and Instagram that took the format to the next level. It now has over 500 million daily active users (and rising) due to features such as polls, location tagging, gifs and more. Roston-Claire urged brands keen on using Instagram Stories to develop an effective strategy to target the growing younger audience (Gen Z) as a third of Stories viewed by users are from businesses while 33% of sponsored posts on the platform are Stories. Gem also stated that there was an 80% increase in watching videos on Instagram, which led to platform launching Stories and developing it into the format we see today – so why shouldn’t brands be using Stories to directly target their customers?

Using the power of inclusive marketing

We’ve heard a few things around inclusive marketing but it was the session from Joyann Boyce, founder of digital marketing agency The Social Detail, that really caught our attention. In the talk, Boyce discussed the concept of inclusive marketing, which she stated was about “creating content that makes people feel included” as well as content that represents your target audience. Showcasing good and bad examples from brands in the field – from Gillette’s intersexual ad campaign to Pepsi’s inauthentic campaign with Kendall Jenner, Boyce stressed the importance for companies to look beyond the persona and represent diversity and inclusion of all groups. Especially at a time where millennials are standing behind brands that present these areas and holding brands accountable if they fail to follow suit. Boyce added that inclusive marketing “is a movement” and brands should be keeping their content consistent and genuine as well.

Further highlights

While we may have only attended a couple of sessions, there were a few more highlights during Social Media Week Bristol. These included a number of topic areas on social media marketing, such as international B2B brands using social media, hosted by Business West, which covered tips and tricks businesses need to consider when trying to reach international audiences. Tips included creating content that talks to your audience, international personas and using relevant local platforms. 

Other sessions included the keynote from digital marketing agency Fourth Floor Creative who discussed the do’s and don’ts of working with influencers; a panel discussion of content creators sharing their thoughts on the latest industry trends, and the rise of video platform TikTok. There was also a talks on the transition of how users consume content on social media going forward and an exclusive panel discussion on the subject of activism in the digital age, featuring talks from activists Bess Hepworth, Bisi Alimi, and Shannon Power in addition to Russian punk band Pussy Riot, famously known for their activism in their home country. All parties shared their views on how activism is evolving through the use of social and digital channels to much effect.

Did you attend Social Media Week Bristol 2019? Share your comments below and check out more highlights on twitter via hashtag #SMWBristol.

The post Social Media Week Bristol 2019 – Key Takeaways appeared first on PerformanceIN.

The results are in for the annual IAB UK and PwC Digital Adspend study, which reveals that UK advertisers spent £13.44 billion on digital advertising in 2018. A year-on-year increase of 15% to £1.7 billion shows the continued confidence in the power of digital advertising.

Almost all growth was driven by mobile and video. For the first time ever, ad spend on smartphones exceeded desktop, accounting for 51% of the total digital ad spend compared to 45% in 2017. These figures reflect consumer behaviour, with recent data showing that people spend two-thirds of their online time on smartphones.

Growth for display accelerated over the past year, with video driving the majority of growth in display, making up for 44% (£2,307 million), followed by banner ads 28% and native 23%. For the second year running, outstream has exceeded pre-roll video, accounting for 57% of all video advertising.  

YouGov data produced specifically for the report revealed that nearly two-thirds of marketing decision makers agree that online video assets should be made bespoke for the platform or device they are shown on, confirming that marketers use online advertising for longer-term brand building not just short-term sales activation.

Commenting on the results, the IAB’s chief digital officer, Tim Elkington said “seeing mobile now account for over half of all digital ad spend is a significant milestone. In a decade of reporting these figures separately, we’ve seen spend rise from £38 million in 2009 to a staggering £6.88 billion in 2018.”

“Alongside increased investment from leading advertisers, digital advertising remains an accessible route to market for SMEs. We continue to see evidence of online advertising being used for brand-building, especially by the growing market of direct to consumer brands,” commented Jon Mew, CEO of IAB UK.

In addition, the figures show that companies with the IAB Gold Standard outperformed the total display market, seeing a 30% year-on-year increase in ad spend revenue versus 22% overall.

The post UK Advertisers Spent £13.44 billion on Digital Advertising Last Year appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Ad tech provider Taptica announced this week that it will acquire cross-channel solutions provider RhythmOne for $176 million in an all-share merger deal, pending shareholder approval.

Taptica hopes to provide a more comprehensive product and supply advertisers with a more transparent buying experience. RhythmOne offers programmatic video capabilities based on an advanced media offering and as part of the acquisition, Taptica will be able to get assets from RhythmOne’s previous merger of video and CTV inventory provider YuMe as well as Burst Media.

Last year Taptica purchased Tremor Video DSP in August 2017, so the merge of the two businesses is expected to create “one of the leading video advertising companies in the US, delivering significant economies of scale, customer base and supply chains to compete with industry leaders.”

RhythmOne’s media exchange and partnerships with more than 4,000 publishers and YuMe, Tremor Video DSP and RhythmOne will continue to operate as separate divisions within Taptica. YuMe and Tremor Video DSP will work together with strong cross-selling opportunities, while the acquisition brings relationships with large-scale advertisers and access to premium inventory.

The purchase will allow Taptica to “combine its strong pedigree in CTV media with Tremor Video DSP’s years of experience in TV retargeting to create a robust and powerful video company that will be able to offer a variety of advanced capabilities to our clients,” said Ofer Druker, executive chairman of Tremor Video DSP, in a statement.

The US market is set to be a key focus for the expanded group and the merger will, therefore, be “well-positioned to exploit the growing demand for connected TV. It will be able to offer a comprehensive technology platform to its customers with a full demand side and supply side offering to create interesting global opportunities,” added Taptica chairman Tim Weller.

The deal is expected to close in early April when RhythmOne’s employees will be offered to join Taptica’s headcount of 400 and Ofer Druker will be appointed CEO of the merged group.

The post Taptica to Acquire RhythmOne to Increase Video Advertising Capabilities appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Global media platform Teads has announced its official partnership with advertising tech platform, Adform. Teads will now have a direct integration with Adform’s programmatic buying platform, which will enable Adform’s agencies and advertisers to access Teads’ quality cross-screen outstream inventory through an exclusive marketplace with some of the world’s largest quality publishers.

This new integration meets the demand for advertisers now wanting outstream to be easily available programmatically. Outstream is now the most popular digital video ad format in the UK – now accounting for 52% of all video ad spend – and new forms of inventory will be accessible to Adform buyers in Europe, North America, MENA and APAC.

“We’re delighted to broaden the scale of Teads’ premium inventory through our integration with Adform. As one of the exclusive RTB buying platforms connected to Teads inventory, advertisers and agencies will have access to the world’s best quality publishers through Adform, so they can be confident their ads will appear in viewable, brand-safe environments,” said Hugues Templier, EMEA programmatic business development director at Teads.tv.

The post Teads and Adform Join Forces to Guarantee Premium Programmatic Outstream appeared first on PerformanceIN.