7 Brands That Are Crushing It on YouTube

So what makes a successful YouTube presence? How can a brand truly make a dent and cut through the proverbial clutter, grabbing the attention of millions of followers?

A recent study by Pixability points to several strategies that the world’s top brands use to entice viewers and subscribers stressing that, “YouTube is a critical component to the future of brand marketing. Linking social media and YouTube is critical for success – use Facebook and other platforms to cross-promote your videos.

• Be creative – videos should not just be about the brand or company – but tap into something that fascinates and will make people take notice.
• Cross-promote your YouTube videos with mainstream forms of marketing such as advertising, public relations, and more.
• Produce different videos for different audiences.  Audiences can vary by age, culture, business versus consumer –tailor each video to your viewing public.
• Utilize YouTube advertising on an ongoing basis to attract more YouTube traffic.

7 brands succeeding on YouTube and why:

• Red Bull – Over 4M subscribers; 1 Billion+ Views:  Read an article that reports on the best performing brands on YouTube and note that Red Bull will always be the number one YouTube channel (s).  Red Bull is a feat of marketing genius.  In just over a decade, the company has become a top content producer according to DigiDay, and more people associate the drink with “extreme sports” than they do a tasty liquid.  Key to Red Bull’s success? They continuously post great videos that people love to watch – and those videos are marketed at sporting events, on mainstream media as well as all over social media.  A good example of a video that drew millions is Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking space jump, according to Mashable.  Digiday reports that in addition to the Baumgartner space jump, events such as The Red Bull Stratos …drew millions to Red Bull’s site, with YouTube serving over 9 million streams of the leap…in all, Red Bull Stratos got 366 million content views on YouTube alone.” 

• Google – Over 3.3M subscribers; 994M+ Views: Google’s YouTube channel has become a true hub for all things Google.  While Google is ever-present in our daily lives for work and play, its “behind the scenes” approach on YouTube has been a large draw for Googler’s.  Google continuously produces videos that showcase recent app launches, executive speeches, technology reviews, and more.  Digiday reported that Google received 1. 8 million views when Google debuted a new search application.  Only recently did Google take their creative prowess a step further when they posted their “To the Moon” video which depicts the history of how the moon is viewed throughout the world — and so far has generated 56,000+ views.

• Louis Vuitton – Over 48M Views; 100K+ subscribers: When one thinks of a social media darling, the gentile Louis Vuitton doesn’t always come to mind.  But there are many who wish to see their favorite Vuitton products highlighted on YouTube.  According to Digiday, Louis Vuitton does an excellent job of providing fans with the back story of the brands – helping people to feel as though they have backstage access to the products they love.  The recent Michelle Williams campaign that showcases the actress talking about how she gets into character, has garnered over 45,000 views as well.

• The Weather Channel – Over 100K subscribers; 45M+ views: There was once a time when the thought of a weather channel on cable seemed silly.  Now people cannot seem to get by without their dose of weather – be it on their televisions, laptops, smartphones, or YouTube.  The Weather Channel in particular has done a good job of getting viewers and subscribers – especially during rough weather times when viewers want more in-depth and specific information.  During a tornado in Iowa a few years back, millions tuned in to the YouTube’s Weather Channel.  The recent Superstorm Sandy, according to Sprout Social, also grabbed viewers who were desperate for information and for help.  “With the northeastern United States…working to clean up in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, The Weather Channel took to social media to make sure that weather alerts and continuous storm coverage were available to those who were without cable or power,” reported SproutSocial.

• Coca Cola – Over 500K subscribers; 600M+ views: From dancing Santa’s to Polar Bears, Coca Cola, one of the most recognized brands in the world, has a large YouTube following. Coca Cola actively recruits its viewers and subscribers to post their own videos and tell their stories.  The globally-minded Coco Cola also ensures that its videos are in multiple languages and reflect the culture they are targeting.  In addition, many of the videos are humorous and the branding is subtle, according to Digiday, which helps keeps the viewership high.

• Disney Parks – Almost 400K subscribers; 200M+ views and Disney Co. – 1.3 M+ subscribers; 800M+ views:  Disney, which started its presence on YouTube only in 2009 (versus other brands which began on YouTube in 2006) has grown its audience by consistently pumping out creative videos with just the right amount of creativity that Disney fans have come to love and cherish.  In true “Disney” form, the entertainment giant uses synergy to cross-promote its YouTube videos with its television, consumer goods and theme park divisions.  Disney has several YouTube channels depending on what its “guests” are looking for including channels for its beloved theme parks; movies; stores and more.

• Nike – Over 200K subscribers; 41M+ views: Nike tries very hard to be cool but let’s face it, it will never quite do it as well as Red Bull.  That said it works hard to excite its sport-loving audience with a myriad of black and white videos of people engaging in various activities in torn denim.  But owing to its global consumers, Nike has several YouTube channels in different languages, highlighting popular sports within the region they are targeting.  But most of Nike’s YouTube success is in its sports channels: Nike Golf, Nike Football, Nike Soccer, and more.