YouTube BrandConnect: Creator Collabs

Creators are more influential than ever, creating content and building audiences. YouTube BrandConnect helps brands connect with creators and sponsored content. Today’s creators are entrepreneurs redefining content creation, from long-form videos and livestreams to Shorts. They have incredible reach, as attendees at South by Southwest heard when YouTube creators shared how they built their fandoms.

Brands want to tap into the power of YouTube creators, and YouTube BrandConnect helps them connect. BrandConnect provides tools and features to help brands connect with creators. People make decisions based on the advice of YouTube creators. According to a survey by Ipsos, online users are 98% more likely to trust YouTube creator recommendations versus other social sites.

This trust translates into results for brands. For example, brands can use existing sponsored content as creative in campaigns with partnership ads, boosting successful videos' reach. In some markets, they can use BrandConnect in Google Ads for measurement and reporting for sponsored content campaigns. Brands can also see suggested videos to promote or gain insights into linked video performance in a central place to manage creator partnerships. BrandConnect powers this process.

To use these features, link existing assets to Google Ads campaigns to measure partnership ad performance. You can also create audience segments of organic viewers of sponsored content made with that creator. By using the authenticity and influence of creators, brands can reach audiences, drive engagement, and achieve results. Partnership ads are available in Google Ads AI-powered campaigns, including Demand Gen, Video Reach Campaigns, and Video View Campaigns.

Connecting with creators drives results for brands. MAC Cosmetics wanted to increase brand awareness for its lipstick and foundation lines in India. By partnering with beauty creators Ankita Chaturvedi and Naina Bhanu using partnership ads on YouTube Shorts in their Video Reach Campaigns, MAC Cosmetics saw better view-through rate and lower cost per view compared to their campaign with branded creatives only.

Creator-initiated video linking allows eligible creators to create linking requests directly with brands for sponsored content, streamlining partnership ads. If a brand works with many creators, they can automate linking ads with a new video linking API. Brands can use creators on YouTube to create experiences for audiences. To learn about creator partnerships, take a look at a recent study published with EMARKETER.