YouTube Shares Performance Stats On Google Preferred’s First Year

Google is sharing results from the first year of its upfront program for YouTube advertisers called Google Preferred, which features campaigns on the channels of top-performing content producers. The company said last fall that the program’s debut had sold out.

The company reports that the program was successful in getting more than 30 traditional TV advertisers to try — and continue advertising on — YouTube. Looking at YouTube’s Brand Lift measurement data for roughly 50 campaigns from Fortune 100 brands, they found that Google Preferred campaigns saw an 80 percent increase in Ad Recall, on average, and 17 percent increase in Brand Awareness.

A US panel study conducted in 2014 found that Google Preferred campaigns reached viewers in-market for certain products were 46 percent more likely to search a brand on YouTube than the wider YouTube audience. Viewers were also more likely to be looking to purchase a movie, streaming music or a PC or tablet than the general public, according to that study.

Google also reports that YouTube creators in Google Preferred saw partner revenue rise by 70 percent year-over-year compared to 50 percent for YouTube creators overall. Google Preferred channels subscriber levels grew 45 percent year-over-year with an average views increase of 76 percent.

Based on these results, Google says it will bring back the upfront offering and expand it to more than 10 additional markets this year.