The document summarizes a study of how major UK brands are using YouTube. It found that on average, the 35 brands studied scored 20.4 out of 48 points based on criteria evaluating how effectively they used YouTube features and structured their channels. While sectors like telecommunications performed best, finance brands generally scored lower. The top three brands were Vodafone, Money Supermarket, and Peugeot. Most brands could significantly improve their audience experience by focusing on metadata, interactive features, and a more programmatic approach to YouTube.

1. Are big brands getting the most from
YouTube?
A study of how major brands in the UK are using the
video-based social network.
#UKYouTubeSurvey15
January 2015

2. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Executive summary
Why
should
I
read
this
report?
Do
you
have
an
interest
in
how
your
organisa1on
uses
video?
This
report
inves1gates
how
major
brands
in
the
UK
are
using
YouTube,
compares
different
sectors,
highlights
best
prac1ces
and
draws
conclusions
on
opportuni1es
for
the
future.
What
we
found
Our
hypothesis
holds
true;
against
our
criteria
the
35
brands
we
studied
scored
an
average
of
20.4
points
out
of
a
possible
48.
We
found
the
majority
of
brands
have
a
significant
opportunity
to
improve
their
aLen1on
to
detail
and
level
of
consistency
to
significantly
improve
the
audience
experience.
We
iden1fied
three
core
areas
for
brands
to
focus
on:
housekeeping
of
meta-­‐data,
more
use
of
interac;ve
features
and
taking
a
more
programma;c
approach.
Vodafone,
Money
Supermarket
and
Peugeot
took
the
top
three
places
in
our
rankings,
whilst
from
a
sector
perspec1ve
it
was
the
telco’s
that
performed
best
(three
of
the
top
ten
spots)
and
the
finance
brands
who
did
less
well,
filling
three
of
the
boLom
eleven
posi1ons.
Page 2
Top
5
brands
in
our
2015
YouTube
Survey
The
hypothesis
Big
brands
aren’t
using
YouTube
to
its
full
poten1al.
The
approach
We
avoided
the
problem
that
many
“social
media
brand
surveys”
experience,
by
using
criteria
which
aren’t
influenced
by
media
spend.
Avoiding
metrics
such
as
video
views
enabled
us
to
focus
on
how
brands
are
using
YouTube
-­‐
for
example
how
are
channels
setup
and
are
the
available
features
being
used
effec1vely?
Vodafone
Money Supermarket
Peugeot
Aldi
O2
1
2
3
4
5

3. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Contents
Where
video’s
at
Page
4
The
approach
Page
5
The
findings
-­‐
In
summary
Page
6
The
findings
-­‐
In
numbers
Page
7
The
findings
-­‐
How
the
sectors
compared
Page
8
The
findings
-­‐
Brand
rankings
Page
9
Best
prac1ce
in
ac1on
Page
11
Conclusions
Page
14
More
informa1on
Page
16
Appendix
Page
17
Page 3

4. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Where video’s at
As
a
form
of
“branded
content”,
video
con1nues
to
grow
rapidly
in
the
UK
with
more
than
a
third
of
the
popula1on
watching
at
least
one
online
video
each
week1.
And
with
YouTube
running
a
major
through-­‐the-­‐line
marke1ng
campaign
in
October
2014
to
highlight
leading
content
creators
such
as
The
Slow
Mo
Guys
and
Zoella,
it’s
steadily
entered
the
mass
adop1on
stage.
Not
only
is
YouTube
an
effec1ve
way
of
hos1ng
and
syndica1ng
video,
but
its
integra1on
into
Google
search
means
its
importance
as
a
driver
of
website
traffic
has
never
been
greater.
With
this
hypothesis
we
surveyed
35
major
brands
ac1ve
in
the
UK
to
find
out
how
they
were
performing
on
YouTube.
1
Guardian:
hLp://bit.ly/1IUIq73
2
YouTube:
hLps://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-­‐GB/sta1s1cs.html
100
hours
of
video
are
uploaded
to
YouTube…
…
every
minute
However,
while
more
than
one
billion
unique
users
are
visi1ng
the
plahorm
each
month
and
100
hours
of
video
are
uploaded
every
minute2,
we
no1ced
many
large
brands
struggling
to
get
to
grips
with
the
granddaddy
of
social
video
networks.
Whether
failing
to
structure
their
channel
effec1vely
or
delivering
a
disjointed
customer
experience,
we
wondered
was
this
limited
to
specific
sectors,
or
was
it
a
wider
problem
experienced
by
large
brands?
Page 4

5. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
Third
party
studies
into
brands’
use
of
social
networks
are
limited
to
the
data
that’s
publically
available.
This
presents
a
challenge,
because
this
data
is
oien
skewed
by
the
amount
of
media
budget
available
-­‐
for
example
when
a
brand
purchases
video
views.
Plus,
the
data
which
reveals
really
juicy
insights
(e.g.
video
comple1on
rates)
can
only
be
seen
by
the
channel
administrator.
Therefore
we
looked
at
factors
which
aren’t
affected
by
media
spend,
but
demonstrate
how
widely
a
brand
is
using
the
features
and
environment
of
YouTube.
To
minimise
subjec1ve
bias,
we
excluded
the
quality
of
video
produc1on
in
our
assessment,
so
a
truly
awful
presenter
or
tedious
soundtrack
wouldn’t
count
against
them!
The
study
was
conducted
in
the
first
week
of
December
2014,
more
detail
on
the
approach
is
contained
in
the
Appendix.
Our
analysis
was
broken
down
into
three
areas:
#The approach
1.
Channel
setup
Were
basic
channel
features
being
used
effec1vely?
2.
In-­‐video
approach
Were
in-­‐video
op1ons
used
to
enhance
the
viewer
experience?
3.
Delivery
Was
the
channel
treated
as
more
than
just
a
video
repository?
Page 5

6. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#The findings - In summary
Each
of
the
brands
in
the
study
had
established
a
YouTube
channel
and
were
regularly
crea1ng
content;
in
fact
most
channels
had
hundreds
of
videos
uploaded
to
them.
However,
in
general
we
found
a
lack
of
aLen1on
to
detail
and
a
failure
to
maximise
the
opportuni1es
that
online
video
presents
-­‐
valida1ng
our
hypothesis.
With
an
average
score
of
just
20.4
from
a
poten1al
48
points
available,
there’s
significant
opportunity
for
brands
to
grow
engagement,
increase
subscribers
and
enhance
search
performance.
The
other
key
theme
we
iden1fied
was
a
need
for
greater
consistency.
Even
those
brands
towards
the
top
of
the
rankings
(see
page
9)
could
have
applied
best-­‐prac1ces
much
more
frequently
to
their
content.
We
iden1fied
three
key
areas
for
brands
to
focus
on
improving:
Vodafone,
Money
Supermarket
and
Peugeot
took
the
top
three
places
in
our
list,
reflec1ng
their
ability
to
effec1vely
create
and
op1mise
content
that
u1lises
YouTube’s
features.
From
a
sector
perspec1ve
it
was
the
telco’s
that
performed
best,
taking
three
of
the
top
ten
posi1ons
while
finance
brands
filled
three
of
the
boNom
eleven
spots.
META
DATA
HOUSE-­‐KEEPING
Such
as
the
descrip1on
accompanying
a
video.
Such
as
using
clickable
annota1ons
in
videos.
Such
as
consistently
publishing
content
using
regular
formats.
USING
INTERACTIVE
FEATURES
PROGRAMMATIC
APPROACH
Page 6

7. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
used by
WERE
PLAYLISTS
O F B R A N D S T O O R G A N I S E T H E I R Y O U T U B E C H A N N E L S
OF BRANDS CHOSE TO CUSTOMISE
video-thumbnails
of brands were
2 3/ of brands
didn’t direct
VIEWERS TO MORE CONTENT AT THE END OF
0:29/1:00
O N L Y
of brands
had a dedicated
of brands
regularly
#The findings - In numbers
Page 7
1
Where
content
is
published
on
a
regular
basis,
e.g.
the
same
1me
each
week,
around
a
regular
theme.
2
Where
a
specific
image
is
used
as
the
“cover
image”
for
the
video,
rather
than
being
auto-­‐selected
by
YouTube.
2
1

8. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#The findings - How the sectors compared
Telco
&
u;lity
brands
topped
the
list
taking
first,
fourth,
ninth
and
tenth
spot;
the
areas
they
performed
best
in
were
using
in-­‐video
features
and
having
consistency
across
their
videos.
Meanwhile
finance
brands
filled
three
of
the
boLom
eleven
posi1ons.
It
was
notable
that
71%
of
finance
brands
chose
not
to
enable
comments
on
their
videos.
The
automo;ve
sector
performed
rela1vely
well
across
the
board,
whilst
retail
was
the
most
varied
in
terms
of
distribu1on
across
the
final
list.
It’s
important
to
caveat
that
the
sample
size
in
some
cases
was
rela=vely
small;
for
example
only
three
automo=ve
brands
were
in
the
list.
Rank% Sector% Channel%setup%%
(17)%
In3video%approach%%
(21)%
Delivery%
(10)%
TOTAL%
(48))
1" Telco"&"Utilities% 11% 11% 5% 26%
2" Automotive" 12" 8" 4" 25"
3" Retail" 12" 6" 3" 21"
4" Finance" 8" 7" 4" 19"
5" FMCG" 10" 5" 4" 19"
6" Service" 7" 5" 3" 15"
"
Sector performance, ranked by average total score
Page 8
The
maximum
score
a
brand
could
achieve
in
each
area
is
shown
in
brackets,
with
a
total
maximum
score
of
48.

9. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#The findings - Brand rankings
Rank% Brand! Channel%setup%% In2video%approach%% Delivery% TOTAL%
1% Vodafone% 16% 15% 5% 36%
2" Money"Supermarket" 12" 16" 5" 33"
3" Peugeot" 12" 13" 6" 31"
4" Aldi" 11" 12" 5" 28"
5" O2" 11" 12" 5" 28"
6" Sainsbury's" 16" 8" 4" 28"
7" Argos" 12" 12" 3" 27"
8" Heineken" 13" 9" 4" 26"
9" British"Gas" 7" 12" 7" 26"
10" EE" 10" 9" 5" 24"
11" Boots" 12" 8" 3" 23"
12" Marks"&"Spencer" 12" 8" 3" 23"
13" Volkswagen" 14" 6" 3" 23"
14" Barclays" 11" 6" 4" 21"
15" TalkTalk" 11" 7" 3" 21"
16" Direct"Line" 11" 4" 5" 20"
17" Microsoft" 10" 5" 5" 20"
18" Sky" 7" 7" 5" 19"
19" Asda" 11" 6" 1" 18"
20" Barclaycard" 7" 8" 3" 18"
"
Page 9
Con=nued…

10. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#The findings - Brand rankings
Page 10

11. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Best practice in action
We
picked
out
some
of
the
best
examples
we
found
to
illustrate
the
three
areas
of
our
survey;
channel
setup,
in-­‐video
approach
and
delivery.
Channel
setup
Vodafone’s
introductory
video
gives
clarity
of
what
to
expect
and
why
to
subscribe
to
the
channel.
youtube.com/vodafoneUK
TalkTalk’s
playlists
provide
clear
naviga1on,
with
full
descrip1ons
and
tailored
thumbnails
as
a
visual
prompt.
youtube.com/talktalk
Page 11

12. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Best practice in action
In-­‐video
approach
Money
Supermarket’s
end-­‐frames
offer
a
choice
of
relevant
op1ons
to
encourage
the
viewer
to
con1nue
engaging
with
the
brand.
youtube.com/moneysupermarketvids
Page 12
Bri;sh
Gas
use
their
presenters
to
explicitly
encourage
viewers
to
watch
other
videos,
which
are
shown
on
screen
and
can
be
clicked
on.
youtube.com/bri;shgas

13. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Best practice in action
Delivery
Peugeot’s
use
of
episodic
content
builds
a
story
around
a
theme
and
a
consistent
format
the
viewer
can
establish
a
rapport
with.
youtube.com/theofficialPeugeotUK
Aldi
deliver
videos
with
a
consistent
look
and
structure,
helping
the
viewer
become
familiar
with
the
content.
youtube.com/aldiuk
Page 13

14. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Conclusions
Our
findings
strongly
supported
the
original
hypothesis
that
many
large
brands
aren’t
using
YouTube
as
effec1vely
as
they
could,
which
means
there’s
plenty
of
opportunity
for
improvement
and
growth.
The
other
major
conclusion
is
that
in
many
cases
just
a
few
changes
are
required
in
how
channels
are
structured
and
how
videos
are
op1mised
to
improve
maLers.
In
fact
in-­‐video
op;misa;on
is
one
of
biggest
areas
of
opportunity
and
one
of
the
quickest
and
easiest
to
address.
There’s
really
no
excuse
for
brands
failing
to
setup
some
of
the
basic
features
on
their
channels,
such
as
including
links
to
their
website
and
other
social
networks.
Page 14
For
finance
brands,
it
will
be
interes1ng
to
see
if
they
start
opening
up
their
use
of
YouTube
by
enabling
comments,
as
they
already
do
on
other
social
networks
like
Facebook,
turning
the
dial
from
“broadcast”
to
“interact”.
Con=nued…

15. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Conclusions
Looking
at
delivery,
this
is
the
area
which
undoubtedly
requires
the
biggest
change.
A
different
mind-­‐set
for
planning
and
crea1ng
video
content
is
needed
by
brands
to
truly
get
the
most
from
YouTube.
Publishing
content
consistency
(e.g.
at
the
same
1me
each
week),
being
setup
to
incorporate
user
feedback
and
managing
video
distribu;on
across
mul;ple
social
networks
requires
planning
and
commitment.
This
can
be
par1cularly
challenging
for
large
organisa1ons
where
video
content
is
being
commissioned
and
produced
by
mul1ple
teams.
However,
mirroring
the
mindset
of
successful
na1ve
YouTube
creators,
like
Fleur
de
Force
and
Vsauce,
will
help
brands
build
dedicated,
engaged
and
trus1ng
audiences.
Page 15
Whilst
this
study
focused
on
YouTube,
the
video
landscape
is
fast
evolving
with
Facebook
and
TwiLer’s
na1ve
video
players
quickly
maturing.
However,
regardless
of
the
social
network
being
used,
brands
must
ensure
they
take
an
audience-­‐focused
approach
to
crea1ng
video
which
draws
upon
the
unique
features
each
plahorm
provides.

16. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#More information
slp
consul;ng
was
founded
by
Simon
Preece
to
help
organisa1ons
navigate
the
risks
and
opportuni1es
that
social
media
presents
in
a
hyper-­‐connected
world.
And
for
our
most
recent
thinking,
follow
the
blog
at:
www.slpconsul1ng.co.uk/blog
We
run
audits
and
training
workshops
to
help
brands
extract
the
most
value
from
the
1me
and
resources
they
allocate
to
social
media.
If
you
would
like
more
informa1on
about
this
survey,
or
are
interested
in
talking
to
us,
please
get
in
touch:
E:
simon@slpconsul1ng.co.uk
M:
07970
890468
W:
www.slpconsul1ng.co.uk
Page 16

17. Appendix

18. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Methodology detail
Weigh;ng
criteria
We
selected
twelve
criteria
across
our
three
areas
of
research,
and
added
a
weigh1ng
to
each
based
on
its
importance
in
the
overall
context
of
YouTube.
So
for
example,
enabling
comments
on
videos
scored
five
points,
whilst
two
points
were
awarded
if
presenters/narrators
encouraged
viewers
to
engage.
The
criteria
used
were:
Brand
selec;on
We
picked
35
of
the
biggest
brands
ac1ve
in
the
UK,
with
an
addi1onal
criteria
that
they
must
be
“consumer
facing”.
For
that
reason
the
likes
of
Unilever
are
not
included.
Our
research
was
grouped
into
six
sector
areas;
telco
&
u1li1es,
FMCG,
finance,
service
&
entertainment,
automo1ve
and
retail.
Timing
We
reviewed
how
brands
were
using
their
main
YouTube
channel
up
to
December
2014,
with
the
main
emphasis
on
videos
from
the
previous
12
months.
We
assessed
mul1ple
videos
and
playlists
to
avoid
a
single
video/playlist
giving
an
unfair
representa1on.
Channel
selec;on
In
each
case
the
brand’s
UK-­‐specific
channel,
where
applicable,
was
assessed.
In
those
instances
where
a
brand
has
mul1ple
channels,
we
selected
the
core
channel,
for
example
O2UKOffical
was
used
instead
of
O2
Guru
TV.
Page 18

19. #UKYouTubeSurvey15
#Extensions
One
aspect
not
factored
into
the
survey
was
the
brands’
use
of
other
social
networks
for
the
delivery
of
video.
If
a
brand
decided
to
focus
all
of
its
video
content
on
Facebook
for
example,
it
would
not
be
reflected.
However,
from
our
wider
observa1ons
this
was
not
the
case.
Furthermore
this
should
not
be
a
reason
for
failing
to
follow
best
prac1ce.
By
only
assessing
core
channels
we
weren’t
able
to
account
for
brands’
other
channels
that
might
be
shining
examples
of
YouTube
best
prac1ce.
However,
our
perspec1ve
is
that
brands
should
be
applying
these
best
prac1ces
to
all
video
output.
An
addi1onal
area
for
inves1ga1on,
out
of
scope
for
this
report,
would
be
to
understand
more
about
how
brands
are
using
all
of
their
digital
touch-­‐points
to
distribute
video
content.
How
are
other
social
plahorms,
email
and
websites
for
example
being
used
collec1vely
as
part
of
the
video
distribu1on
mix?
Page 19