Advertisments in YouTube

I touched upon this topic in my first blog post, and someone in the comments mentioned that I should talk about this topic in more length, so here I am! Advertisement in the YouTube space is one of those issues that to me, you can debate back and forth on all day and not come to a consensus; there are so many aspects to take into consideration.

First things first, let me preface the topic.

Unfortunately, YouTube’s advertisements just don’t cut it anymore. With adblock becoming increasingly popular and available to the public as well as the ability to skip ads, YouTubers really don’t make that much money off of having ads on their videos. Statistics say that really they only make about eighteen dollars off of every thousand views. (Alleger, 2015) This is based on if 15% of people watch the ad, which I honestly think might even be a little high.

The issue at hand is that while YouTube is a creative endeavour, many of these people makes their lives off of creating YouTube videos, and really, they should be paid for the work that they put in. Advertisements are no longer a viable source of income, especially for smaller users. Therefore, many people have turned to alternative methods of bringing in money.

In the past couple years or so, there has been a surge in YouTubers promoting content or products of companies in return for monetary compensation. While in some situations a video might be a blatant advertisement, other YouTubers try to sneak their sponsorship in stealthily by not mentioning that what they are showing their viewers is sponsored content. (Here’s looking at you, Zoella. No one really believes that you just happened to buy 15 different Christmas sweaters from the same store.)

Some viewers don’t care about sponsored content. They’ll continue to support their favourite YouTubers no matter what is being shown to them. Others are outraged. Then again, this is the internet, and there will always be people angry about something.

That doesn’t make their rage any less valid. I believe that really there are two sides to this coin; the YouTubers who are seen as “real” and “authentic”, aka those blatantly admit that their content is being sponsored, and those who are “fake” and try to not mention the fact that they’re being sponsored.

Authenticity is probably the most important quality a YouTuber can have when they create videos. They want their audiences to relate to them. The whole draw of YouTube is that anyone can do it. In my opinion, this is where the dissatisfaction comes from. No longer are people’s favourite YouTubers “just like them”. Instead, they are getting companies to pay/sponsor them to promote a product. In this regard, what makes these people better than television?

I believe the silver lining comes with honesty. Being open about the fact that you are being sponsored is the only way to preserve your sense of authenticity.

As a fan of many YouTubers myself, I’ll give you two prime examples of each side with some personal commentary.

“Authentic”

Alfie Deyes. He is primarily a vlogger, but he also has a gaming channel too. Notice how in this thumbnail he puts the fact that the video is an ad.

Personally, I’m fine with this. I know it’s an Ad, and it’s a game I’m not too interested in. I can easily avoid the advertised content if I so desire, but many of his other fans will still watch it.

"Fake"

(Note the switch between comedy bit and BAM sponsored content)

Grace Helbig. How you have betrayed me. You went from one of my favourite content creators to what feels like a fake, worn out persona who has REPEATEDLY TRICKED ME INTO WATCHING YOUR SPONSORED CONTENT. Not cool. What makes you think this makes me want to watch your videos, when a chunk of it is you talking about Audible.com? I’m glad you get paid to talk about this, because let me tell you, Audible will never get a cent of my money.

We’re going to delve a bit into my own personal bias now, (as if we hadn’t already, ha ha) but in my opinion, I see no problem with people advertising products on their own channel. They’re creators, they should be compensated for their work. When someone spends hours a day planning, filming, and editing content for viewers, I have no quarrel for them wanting to be able to pay their rent at the same time. However, I am firmly against tricking your audience into watching your advertisements. It feels shady and it alienates me as a viewer.

I feel as long as things are disclosed properly, there’s nothing that viewers should really be complaining about.

A question to be raised is what about self-promotional content? It is just another ad, yet in itself benefits the creator a viewer is watching. I mentioned him in a previous post, but I feel like Tyler Oakley is the poster child for this kind of never ending self-promotion. Every other tweet or video is him discussing a project that he’s working on. Yet again, this really ruins his reputation for being just a regular old guy who picked up a camera one day to make videos. It comes off as greedy, when it is now to the point where he no longer produces regular content. Then again, should he not be able to promote himself in that way with his own platform?

I suppose now it’s time for me to pose a question to you, readers. What’s your opinion on sponsored content? I also am aware that I only explored one medium in which creators utilized sponsorships, so perhaps in your experience people of different websites or platforms do things differently which might alter your opinion. Feel free to answer in the comments!

Source:

Alleger, J. (2015). How Much do YouTubers Make? Retrieved February 18, 2016, from http://www.pennapowers.com/how-much-do-youtubers-make/

#YouTube