Video

There is a lot of optimism around the potential for advertisers to achieve branding objectives using online video because it provides marketers with many of the things we love about television advertising, with the added benefit of online measurement. Online video ads deliver the sound and motion of a TV commercial in a lean-back setting that can elicit an emotional response from viewers. Display ads rarely achieve this, which is why there has been a rocky road to their acceptance as drivers of brand metrics – despite a growing body of evidence that shows they do move the needle on key brand indictors.

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Image by qthrul via Flickr

The most valuable benefit of marketing videos on YouTube may not be the views but what you learn about the viewers.

Last week, we talked about YouTube’s Sponsored Video ad platform and how it’s a complement to, but not replacement for, traditional search engine marketing. If you do find value in driving video views, you’ll be even more excited about what YouTube tells you about those viewers. We’ll review some examples of what Insights tells you and how you can use it.

There are five categories of reports in Insights: Views, Popularity, Demographics, Discovery, and Hot Spots. The first three are straightforward, where you can find out: how many views your video has received over time with breakouts by state, country, and continent; the relative popularity of your video compared to others on YouTube; and age and gender breakdowns for the video’s viewers. The last two require a closer look.

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