YouTube Select Opens Its Platform For UK Advertisers

YouTube has announced that YouTube Select, the platform’s reimaged content solution, is now available to British advertisers. This would help the UK advertisers to feature their ads in a brand-safe ecosystem.

Now for the first time, UK brands will be able to access exclusive creator lineups as well as bespoke content experiences, helping advertisers reach the audiences they want through the content most relevant to their brand. This follows the global launch of YouTube Select earlier in the year.

96% of Online Adults in the UK Use YouTube Each Month

Currently, YouTube Select helps advertisers build deeper connections with their audiences by aligning to the most exciting and popular content on the platform. 

Through YouTube Select, advertisers can take advantage of actively engaged audiences and choose from a host of ready-made ‘lineups’ that represent the best of the platform’s diverse creators, publishers, and cultural content, while safe in the knowledge that channels are filtered for overall suitability to determine inclusion within each lineup, continuing YouTube’s focus on brand-safe content.

At the time of this announcement, Ben McOwen Wilson, UK Managing Director for YouTube said, “The creators, shows, and content on YouTube are as rich and diverse as the UK population because, at its heart, the platform is a reflection of modern Britain and the incredible creative content that we love. In a world where consumers have an unlimited choice over where and what they view, it’s imperative that advertisers be where their consumers are, and data shows they’re on YouTube.”

Ben added, “Now with YouTube Select, advertisers have an array of creatively diverse British channels and creators at their fingertips. Now with greater ease than ever before, YouTube Select helps advertisers place their brands alongside the voices and the content shaping the UK’s cultural conversations today.”

As people spend more time at home, there is an industry-wide shift towards streaming viewership, especially on YouTube. According to Comscore, the average online adult in the UK watches 46 minutes of YouTube per day, and YouTube is used by 96% of online adults in the UK each month. This is also seen in the uptake in living room viewing, with over 20 million now watching YouTube on their TV. This gives advertisers and agencies a tremendous opportunity for reach, and puts them at the heart of a thriving, modern and diverse British creative presence on the platform. Whether it’s news updates from sources viewers can trust or live streams from favorite artists, the content found on YouTube reflects a range of creators, viewers and advertisers – anywhere, on any screen.

YouTube Select Give Advertisers the Opportunity to Be a Part of the Highly Engaging Moments

Key features of YouTube Select give advertisers the opportunity to be a part of the highly engaging moments happening on the platform that can drive brand building.

Key features include:

Lineups: the most popular, most-watched content on YouTube, pre-packaged for easy buying across key categories, genres and audiences, including food and recipes to automotive, and gaming to modern parenting.

Moments and Programmes offering: an opportunity to help brands build deeper association by aligning to some of the world’s tentpole events and cultural moments such as the Olympics, F1, Brit Awards and Euros 2021

Custom: YouTube’s top tier offering for those who want to build their own custom lineups and curate a tailored content strategy.

YouTube Select and Especially the Custom Pillar Has Been a Game-Changer

Philip Miles, UK Sales Director, YouTube said: “This year we have seen a real tipping point as lockdown showed the value and impact of YouTube for the British public with millions turning to the platform every day to watch the content they love. Beyond smartphones and mobile devices, we see a trend in the growth and engagement of YouTube in the living room, with over 20 million now watching YouTube on their TV. This powerful connection with audiences means there has never been a more important time to work with YouTube in the UK, which delivers brands a safe and effective option to advertise.”

Philip adds, “With YouTube Select, we are giving UK advertisers the best opportunity to connect with these audiences and capitalize on this unique combination of YouTube and TV.”

Harriet Perry, Chief Digital Operations Officer, Omnicom Media Group UK said:  “YouTube Select and especially the custom pillar has been a game-changer. The ability to fully customize YouTube channel sections has enabled us and our clients to take a far more nuanced approach to how we plan and activate campaigns. It’s also helped us advance how we identify and reach audiences in a much more relevant and targeted way.:

Harriet added, “What’s also exciting is we’ve been able to create TV expansion packs that allow our clients to extend the reach of linear TV by only targeting channels that have broadcaster quality and content which helps us to drive our 1+ reach really effectively.”

Launched in May 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch, and share originally-created videos. YouTube reaches 1.9B people every month and can be navigated in over 80 languages. YouTube is key to building relevancy with millennial audiences.