YouTube vs Television Advertising (Archive, 2021)

Recorded in April 2021 during Simon's s.media agency era — a team compilation, including the honest admission that a YouTube-specialist agency still saw a place for TV. Published as part of a dated historical record.

Is YouTube doing to TV what TV did to radio?

Over recent years social media has taken a prominent role alongside television — sometimes bolstering it, sometimes replacing it. YouTube in particular has grown from modest beginnings into the thing that might kill TV the way TV killed the radio. It'll be interesting to see whether market forces push traditionally broadcast programmes onto YouTube or pull YouTube mainstays onto TV — and whether YouTube stays top dog in a fiercely competitive landscape. But right now, it's the mark on the horizon for where video is: engaging, inclusive content that captivates audiences more than traditional TV does.

What does YouTube have that TV doesn't?

A few things. It isn't censored the way TV channels are — people upload what they want, which admittedly sometimes means misinformation, but the sheer volume of content lets you filter and compare. It endorses talent discovery: people from any background can showcase what they do, for free, which is far harder on TV. It makes circulation effortless — instead of telling a friend to catch the next episode, you send the link, post it, and the conversation happens immediately. And it's free, with access to engaging educational content without the hassle.

So has YouTube replaced TV advertising?

We're a specialist YouTube media buying, planning and targeting agency, so it would be easy for us to say yes. Honestly, it's more complicated. Just this morning we were working on a pitch alongside a media partner who buys traditional TV, having a genuinely good conversation about the client's different target markets and the merits of online and offline together. Yes, YouTube is taking traditional TV viewers, particularly younger audiences — and middle-aged people like me watch plenty on YouTube too. It has fundamentally changed the landscape. But TV still has a place. YouTube's advantages are the tracking, the data, and targeting that is absolutely phenomenal; you can watch when you want, on any device, and the rise of mobile has driven consumption. But clients often need a wider strategy — it depends on the brand, the audiences, and what you want to achieve. In many cases the answer is both, used differently.

What's the real difference between a YouTube viewer and a TV viewer?

TV advertising isn't dead — but YouTube opened a new kind of opportunity. The difference is that a YouTube viewer is a leaning-in audience. They chose the content; they don't want to be interrupted; if your advert doesn't grab them, they hit skip. Which means the ones who keep watching are genuinely interested — and you can track that interest through to your website and see where the customer converts. You cannot do that with TV.

Production is the other difference. A TV commercial costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to make. YouTube is an authentic platform where content doesn't have to be swish — you can create effective ads at a much lower cost and still reach the audience. TV remains great for brand awareness; but if your business cares about traffic and getting customers over the line, YouTube is one of the ways to do it.

Why has TV lost its grip on the audience?

It's been coming for years. YouTube is accessible anywhere — TV screen, laptop, phone, at home or out. It has universal reach: you can watch creators in China, the US, anywhere, rather than only what your country's channels schedule. Vlogging gave audiences a look into people's lives and a deeper connection than characters in a TV show can offer. And you choose what to watch, rather than taking what's on. For a business, the implication is straightforward: advertising on YouTube rather than TV saves substantial money and still delivers massive brand awareness.

Where should the budget go?

As quickly as TV rose in the twentieth century, it's being challenged now — and nobody is better placed than YouTube to take its place. TV keeps the big-screen, lean-back experience, but it's struggling to figure out its advertising model when people can ignore or skip commercials. YouTube's skip button at the front of a video — served at the moment of need — moves you beyond awareness, which is all TV advertising ever really was, into a lean-in experience that can create conversion. If you're a brand about to move big budgets into television without considering the alternatives, seriously consider taking a big portion of that budget and moving it into YouTube.