Trends on social video are ever-moving targets, but guessing is never an effective strategy for creators. Equipping yourself with audience insights across platforms — where they are, how much they watch, what resonates, what is culturally relevant, etc. — creates a roadmap for effective reach and growth strategies and increases the value of these platforms for any brand.
Putting data and insights from Tubular Labs to work, here are 3 ways for brands to capitalize on content strategy.
1. UMG Pairs Content Strategy + Powerhouse Publisher
Universal Music Group has access to a significant library of worldwide content given its roster of talented artists. Yet, as a property, it doesn’t just rely on music videos.
From TikTok covers to Shazam competitions and hit compilations, Universal increasingly utilizes its various Facebook pages to connect with fans directly (uploads increased 35% from August 2020 to July 2021).
As a result, the corporation saw 88.7M unique viewers and 713M minutes watched across YouTube and Facebook in July 2021 — ranking them in at #2 across all U.S. music properties according to Tubular Audience Ratings!
Now, their highly celebrated new partnership with Conde Nast will take their reach even further.
Tubular data shows that Conde Nast properties generated 1.2B views across YouTube and Facebook in July 2021, along with 60.1 million unique viewers. This is a match made in Heaven for advertisers looking to tap into their combined global audience of over 100M.
Brands and Creators are always looking to grow their audiences– luckily, growth comes in all shapes and sizes.
Universal Music Group has combined its organic growth strategy (monthly cross-platform unique viewers up 153% since August 2020) with a monumental partnership that will undoubtedly maximize value.
2. Mattel Captures Global Appeal
Mattel is a Top-10 Global Brand by unique viewers + minutes watched. Their strategy? Uploading to hundreds of localized channels for on-demand viewing.
For example, Barbie alone has 43 different pages speaking to various global markets, with content customized for each in a way that feels authentic.
Of the top 10 YouTube videos by views for Mattel in 2021, all were published by creator pages outside the U.S.
Meanwhile, much of their content emphasizes storytelling while seamlessly tying back to products. Of Mattel’s top 20 global videos in 2021, seven were focused on a broader message or ongoing character series. For instance, Barbie’s content was devoted almost exclusively to building Barbie and friends as characters (and role models) through an ongoing show on YouTube.
The Barbie series kills two birds with one stone. It generates heaps of product interest and sales while providing an entertainment value for viewers at the same time.
3. Nike Influencer Partners like a Pro
While many brands function as their own publishers, others build and leverage user-generated content and influencer outreach. Such is the case with Nike, which obviously uploads its own lightning-rod content and receives a lot of buzz from influencers.
Tubular Labs data shows that in 2021, over 88% of Nike-related YouTube views come from Influencer videos. That’s over 643M views globally, with tens of millions generated by creators like Jacked Up, Hanby Clips, and BMX Finger.
While Nike keeps tabs on cultural conversations, it also allows influencers to trend spot for them. For instance, 16% of Nike’s YouTube videos ran 60 seconds or less in 2021. At the same time – various influencers embraced Nike-related #Shorts on YouTube to great effect. U.K. creator Hanby Clips generated nearly 72M views on just a single #shorts video involving Nike Air Force Ones.
Nike can either use influencer #shorts for inpso to create its own videos or work directly with influencers for creation.
Social video isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. While every brand and publisher aims to achieve cultural relevance, that looks different and unique for each.
Want to learn more about how you can understand your audience and put together a strategy that connects with viewers? Contact Tubular Labs today for a demo.