YouTube became the latest digital ad giant to pitch directly to brands at international conference Dmexco on Thursday as it revealed that 95 per cent of its global ads now meet viewability standards. It also announced plans to highlight the brands’ six-second Bumper Ads, which have been hugely popular since launching a year ago.
Brand safety has been the hot topic at Dmexco, so it was perhaps no surprise to see YouTube attempt to ease the concerns of marketers as it strives to create a safer content environment. To support its claims, it rolled out research showing that all but five per cent of its ads are now seen and heard by users on the platform, which is an improvement compared to last year.
YouTube has released new machine learning-enabled tools to allow marketers to drive view-through rates for the creative videos that they publish. It also used the two-day conference to speak about the growing popularity of Bumper Ads. YouTube claims that they are now used by a third of “large customers” and that 70 per cent more advertisers booked six-second slots during the first half of 2017.
Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer, ended the presentation by reaffirming the platform’s commitment to brand safety. Facebook said that it was doing everything possible to bring advertisers and agencies back into the fold earlier this week, and Kyncl echoed similar sentiments as he stated that the social platform is effectively “working around the clock” to make the digital environment truly safe for everyone.
He added: “We work hard every day to earn our advertisers’ and agencies’ trust and make sure that YouTube can be a platform for all partners. Digital advertising certainly faces its share of challenges — transparency, accountability and suitability. Those aren’t just challenges unique to the digital world, but they are the ones that we need to address.”
YouTube is hoping that the launch of original content backed by James Corden, Katy Perry and Ellen DeGeneres will help raise production values and show brands and advertisers that the platform can be a source of the highest-quality clips.
