March 19, 2015
‘YouTubers’ are better influencers than TV stars
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from MarketingCharts, a Watershed Publishing publication providing up-to-the-minute data and research to marketers.
Slightly more than six in 10 youths aged 13-24 would try a product or brand suggested by a YouTube star ("YouTuber") while fewer than half would try a product or brand suggested by a TV or movie star, according to results from a DEFY Media survey.
There appears to be an age trend when it comes to following stars on social media: 13-year-olds are far more likely to follow a YouTube (59 percent) than TV/movie (32 percent) star, while the gap is closer for 14-17-year-olds (53 percent and 44 percent, respectively). Among 18-24-year-olds, slightly fewer follow YouTube (51 percent) than TV/movie (54 percent) stars.
DEFY Media said exposure to online content and social media at a young age means digital is second nature to 13-24 year olds. Online video appeals more to younger digitals than television because it offers the ability to "watch any time they want" and "has what I want to watch." Finally, while both are aspirational to the teen crowd, YouTubers are more popular than traditional TV/movie stars because they’re relatable.
"YouTubers are described as: just like me, understands me, someone I trust, has the best advice, doesn’t try to be perfect, genuine, someone I feel close to, and likes the same things I do," DEFY Media wrote in its study.
A separate survey released last year by Variety showed U.S. teenagers (13-18) named YouTube stars as their most influential figures, ahead of film, TV and music celebrities. The YouTube stars included comedy teams and pranksters, video gamers as well as fashion and makeup stylists.
A new report from UK-based advertising platform SuperAwesome, "Kids and Teens YouTube Tracker," found kids liked YouTube personalities better than conventional celebrities because they are funnier, more relatable and more consistent (many come out with new content/videos daily). SuperAwesome added, "Many of our respondents look up to and respect these YouTubers, making this more than just video consumption, but a place that kids go to for life advice."
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Is the influence of YouTube personalities over TV or movie stars for teens a fad or a trend? Do you see YouTube personalities continuing to be a major influence as teens age?
Poll
This is definitely a trend! The believability and relatability factors far outweigh some disconnected endorser who gets paid to promote a product.
Furthermore, I don’t believe this is just appealing to teens. Short, easily-digestible nuggets will be increasingly consumed by all ages and become centerpieces for websites, advertising and other media.
Um—let’s see … is peer pressure and influence a more effective motivator of teens than adult-oriented hype? Oh yeah—DUH!
This isn’t either a fad or a trend, it’s the digitization of the human condition.
Peer-to-peer influencers always have been, and always will be, dominant factors in determining teen style and preference.
Will it continue into later life? It doesn’t now, so what will change to alter the formula? Adults are more confident being individuals while teens express their individuality by being like everyone else.
That doesn’t, by the way, mean YouTube will cease to be an effective medium, just that people will use it differently as they age.
I see this as a part of two larger trends. Short, simple and shareable YouTube videos are the preferred form of entertainment and information for today’s teens. This has become such a pervasive part of culture as they know it that it will likely become the media they best understand and are most likely to seek out for the rest of their lives.
YouTube is also a very democratic platform where anyone can post and promote themselves. This plays into the trend of genuine and trustworthy marketing. Teens are more likely to be influenced by YouTubers because they believe that they are giving honest recommendations.
Reading this made me think, will TV as we know it become to the next generation of today’s young people what newspapers and radio have become today?
Young people are naive and impressionable. As they age, they will become more cynical about the information they receive. But not only will they recognize that YouTube presentations aren’t all truth, they will understand even better than their elders that traditional advertising lacks verity.
With all the information sources today, traditional advertising will continue to lose its credibility and clout.
People are influenced by people they see, look up to and/or want to emulate. That is part of the human condition and not a trend. Who those people are depends upon forms of interaction: face-to-face or through media. Peer group pressure is common with this age group and digital media is a major force in their lives. Is it a fad or a trend? It is just the reality of their world.
As long as YouTube has relevance to this demographic market, its communications influence will continue. In my recent research on the impact of various factors on food retail purchases only 17 percent of Millennials indicated that TV ads have a great deal of influence. On the other hand, friends and family have a great deal of influence on food retail purchases by over one-third of Millennials.
Television as a medium for this generation is an after thought. The question is what will replace YouTube as a trusted source of information as this group matures.
First of all, this statement made me laugh: “DEFY Media said exposure to online content and social media at a young age means digital is second nature to 13-24 year olds.” Anyone who thinks digital is “second” to anything in this group’s lives hasn’t spent much time with one. Without a doubt, it is completely integral to everything they do and unlike older people, it has been part of their lives since the beginning. I’m not sure there is even a parallel for older generations in its impact.
Despite its ubiquity, digital media requires an individual approach because users simply do not have to endure (much less, consume) content they don’t have interest in. Still content continues to grow exponentially and with attention spans short (and getting shorter) the influence of trusted thought leaders helping users sort through it to find relevant messages will likely expand as well.
Now, whether that will be YouTube or another idea yet to be known is another question.
Printed media, television, radio, and movie theaters have seen declining sales and interest for over two decades. The internet and e-media is growing for many reasons. Free access and participant interaction is no longer an interesting feature; it is and will remain a consumer demand. The businesses that stay tuned to what the consumer is using to get the latest info and product will do well to participate. Those spending money to impress the membership of the irrelevant will also be largely unheard.
Advertising should always closely align itself with what people are doing now with a supportive spirit included with the company’s message. So too as the following of today’s social media moguls declines, it is then time to find and support where trends and consumers are going and growing right away.
I don’t see much of a surprise here. That age group watches everything they want to on YouTube and other web outlets. What I see happening is this becoming a long-term trend because of the choice and on-demand control it gives the viewer, beyond this age demographic.
I think this is the trend. However, it is only a matter of time when the Internet is the medium over which all broadcast happens then movie stars and YouTubers sort of become the same thing.
YouTubers just seem more authentic. Many of them are open and honest about who they are taking money from and have a disclaimer before they introduce a product. This feels more genuine.
I doubt that the YouTube “personalities” have this level of impact. This is odd survey information and statistics. Why are they comparing US and UK surveys? How many people were included and how did they determine youtube personalities? Which categories were included? Was this just MTV vs. YouTube? What broadcast content was compared? Lies, damn lies, and statistics said Mark Twain….and it still is true today.
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This is definitely a trend! The believability and relatability factors far outweigh some disconnected endorser who gets paid to promote a product.
Furthermore, I don’t believe this is just appealing to teens. Short, easily-digestible nuggets will be increasingly consumed by all ages and become centerpieces for websites, advertising and other media.
Um—let’s see … is peer pressure and influence a more effective motivator of teens than adult-oriented hype? Oh yeah—DUH!
This isn’t either a fad or a trend, it’s the digitization of the human condition.
Peer-to-peer influencers always have been, and always will be, dominant factors in determining teen style and preference.
Will it continue into later life? It doesn’t now, so what will change to alter the formula? Adults are more confident being individuals while teens express their individuality by being like everyone else.
That doesn’t, by the way, mean YouTube will cease to be an effective medium, just that people will use it differently as they age.
I see this as a part of two larger trends. Short, simple and shareable YouTube videos are the preferred form of entertainment and information for today’s teens. This has become such a pervasive part of culture as they know it that it will likely become the media they best understand and are most likely to seek out for the rest of their lives.
YouTube is also a very democratic platform where anyone can post and promote themselves. This plays into the trend of genuine and trustworthy marketing. Teens are more likely to be influenced by YouTubers because they believe that they are giving honest recommendations.
Reading this made me think, will TV as we know it become to the next generation of today’s young people what newspapers and radio have become today?
Young people are naive and impressionable. As they age, they will become more cynical about the information they receive. But not only will they recognize that YouTube presentations aren’t all truth, they will understand even better than their elders that traditional advertising lacks verity.
With all the information sources today, traditional advertising will continue to lose its credibility and clout.
People are influenced by people they see, look up to and/or want to emulate. That is part of the human condition and not a trend. Who those people are depends upon forms of interaction: face-to-face or through media. Peer group pressure is common with this age group and digital media is a major force in their lives. Is it a fad or a trend? It is just the reality of their world.
As long as YouTube has relevance to this demographic market, its communications influence will continue. In my recent research on the impact of various factors on food retail purchases only 17 percent of Millennials indicated that TV ads have a great deal of influence. On the other hand, friends and family have a great deal of influence on food retail purchases by over one-third of Millennials.
Television as a medium for this generation is an after thought. The question is what will replace YouTube as a trusted source of information as this group matures.
First of all, this statement made me laugh: “DEFY Media said exposure to online content and social media at a young age means digital is second nature to 13-24 year olds.” Anyone who thinks digital is “second” to anything in this group’s lives hasn’t spent much time with one. Without a doubt, it is completely integral to everything they do and unlike older people, it has been part of their lives since the beginning. I’m not sure there is even a parallel for older generations in its impact.
Despite its ubiquity, digital media requires an individual approach because users simply do not have to endure (much less, consume) content they don’t have interest in. Still content continues to grow exponentially and with attention spans short (and getting shorter) the influence of trusted thought leaders helping users sort through it to find relevant messages will likely expand as well.
Now, whether that will be YouTube or another idea yet to be known is another question.
Printed media, television, radio, and movie theaters have seen declining sales and interest for over two decades. The internet and e-media is growing for many reasons. Free access and participant interaction is no longer an interesting feature; it is and will remain a consumer demand. The businesses that stay tuned to what the consumer is using to get the latest info and product will do well to participate. Those spending money to impress the membership of the irrelevant will also be largely unheard.
Advertising should always closely align itself with what people are doing now with a supportive spirit included with the company’s message. So too as the following of today’s social media moguls declines, it is then time to find and support where trends and consumers are going and growing right away.
I don’t see much of a surprise here. That age group watches everything they want to on YouTube and other web outlets. What I see happening is this becoming a long-term trend because of the choice and on-demand control it gives the viewer, beyond this age demographic.
I think this is the trend. However, it is only a matter of time when the Internet is the medium over which all broadcast happens then movie stars and YouTubers sort of become the same thing.
YouTubers just seem more authentic. Many of them are open and honest about who they are taking money from and have a disclaimer before they introduce a product. This feels more genuine.
I doubt that the YouTube “personalities” have this level of impact. This is odd survey information and statistics. Why are they comparing US and UK surveys? How many people were included and how did they determine youtube personalities? Which categories were included? Was this just MTV vs. YouTube? What broadcast content was compared? Lies, damn lies, and statistics said Mark Twain….and it still is true today.