The PR Net Digital Event Recap: 'The Marketing & Media Opportunity of YouTube'

Marcomms pros have become extremely social media savvy, utilizing platforms to boost brand awareness, sales, loyalty and beyond. While the opportunities on Instagram and TikTok need no introduction, there’s one powerful platform many brands and companies are missing out on: YouTube. We took a deep dive into the marketing and media opportunities on YouTube with Nylon Consulting’s Laura Bindloss, who launched the Designer Home Tours YouTube channel, and SEEN Connects’ Lucy Robertson, whose team of influencer marketers have mastered using YouTube as a comms tool.

  • YouTube is a discovery channel - it is the second largest search engine, only behind Google
  • 85-90% of people in the US use YouTube monthly, so if you’re not showing up there, you’re missing the general population
  • There are over 2 billion monthly active users on YouTube
  • Video is a more powerful tool than images
  • The algorithm is more generous on YouTube if you’re not spending money (versus the way Instagram docks you)
  • Pro tip: you can go back and edit videos or copy and help videos keep getting traffic
  • People don’t usually watch just one video, they watch several, so one great one will help boost your whole library and channel  
  • Thumbnails are important, so test images (darker, lighter, person, text on image, etc.)
  • First hour of posting is crucial, so blast your videos across all social channels/email to boost viewership immediately
  • Tips for creating content: 
    • Make sure it’s entertaining or educational
    • Be authentic
    • Allow creators to take the lead
    • Tap into niches when possible
  • Don’t need a huge budget, but invest in professional video editing (you can shoot all content on a phone, but editing makes all the difference)
  • People on YouTube are highly engaged with the content: they post longer-form feedback, comment on more than one video, etc.
  • Demographics on YouTube are diverse in age, from 10-55+, so it doesn’t matter what product you’re pushing, you’ll probably have an audience for it on YouTube
  • 96% of consumers find video useful when shopping online
  • 73% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching a YouTube video
  • Any size business can find success on YouTube
  • 70% of viewers prefer YouTube Live over other live video platforms
  • Opps from YouTube live: improved authenticity, one-click shopping, better product education
  • YouTube shorts have been around since 2020 but there’s a push around it now - their answer to TikTok
    • 1.5B monthly Short users
    • Videos are 60 secs or less (sweet spot is 15-30 seconds), unpolished and trend-driven Globally available, but targeted to Gen Z and niche
  • YouTube Shorts content tips
    • Identify snappy topics that resonate with your audience/sell your brand
    • Capitalize on trending songs, hashtags, events and SEO


Marcomms’ Best Dressed

New York Fashion Week is upon us, and that means crowds of (even more) well-heeled individuals out and about all over the city. While it’s always fun to see what designer duds walk the runways, and how the A-listers show out for the most exclusive events, we have it on good authority that sometimes the best dressed are behind the scenes. In celebration of NYFW, we asked a handful of the most stylish marcomms pros about what’s in their closet, and what inspiration is behind their effortlessly chic style.

Malcolm Carfrae | Founder, Carfrae Consulting

What are a few of your favorite fashion brands? 

CLOSED, The Row, Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci, Perfect Moment (for ski and swim)

What are your favorite places to shop? 

CLOSED at Platform LA, Tiina (Amagansett), MR PORTER, Tenet

Where do you get your style inspiration? 

Honestly, with age comes knowing yourself and what works on you. I have an immediate gut reaction when I try on clothes. Inspiration: Brad Pitt and Billy Porter. They redefine what men in their 50s can and should wear. 

Neda Whitney | SVP, Head of Marketing Americas, Christie's

What are a few of your favorite fashion brands?

Gucci, old Celine, Essentiel Antwerp, Molly Goddard, Maje, Amina Muaddi, Mach & Mach 

What are your favorite places to shop?

I used to love shopping in Europe because it felt like clothes were cut a bit better and you could find unique pieces, but now everything feels like it’s everywhere, so I mainly shop online. I spend a lot of time on resale sites like Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal looking for vintage pieces or pieces from old collections that I never got around to buying because that way I know my look won’t be the same as everyone else at the moment.

Where do you get your style inspiration?

My favorite thing to do is people watching on the streets of NYC—most of my style inspo comes from that and Instagram, generally just seeing parts of an outfit that I fall in love with and recreating it in my own way. I also love statement pieces that are conversation starters. I’m a pretty outgoing person, and my fashion reflects that.

Tania Cavallo | Founder, The Lifestyle Co. by TLC

What are a few of your favorite fashion brands? 

Johanna Ortiz, Agua by Agua Bendita, old Celine

What are your favorite places to shop?

I have an unhealthy obsession with The Real Real. 

Where do you get your style inspiration?

From travel! I love being inspired by all the different styles from my travels: the neutrals, clean lines, and excellent tailoring in Europe; the patterns and colors, and silhouettes from Latin American; then seeing it all come together in NYC.

Gia Kuan | Founder & Principal, Gia Kuan Consulting

What are a few of your favorite fashion brands?

Luar, PRISCAVera, TELFAR, Puppets and Puppets, Gauntlett Cheng, to name a few (but I could be biased ;)

What are your favorite places to shop?

Aside from independent designers who I like to support directly through their DTC, I only shop second hand via EBay and Depop or I thrift, I source a lot of vintage designers from the 80s and the 90s.

Where do you get your style inspiration?

A lot of movies, my parents, and manga/anima characters – a lot of this gets mixed into a mood and is left to be realized from my imagination.

Ross Matsubara | Senior Vice President & Style Director, Nike Communications

What are a few of your favorite fashion brands?

I tend to follow creative directors where they go, like Hedi Slimane, Galliano and Kim Jones - vs specific brands. But, a few current favorites include Yves Saint Laurent, Loewe, and Uniqlo. I also really like what Dion Lee and Bode are doing. 

What are your favorite places to shop?

Vintage. When I travel, one of the first things I do is seek out local vintage shops. They are usually arranged in a cluster and I explore the city outward from there. It’s fascinating to absorb what they value and do not. Reign and Goldsmith in London; Vestiti Usati Cinzia and Ciao Vintage in Rome; Episode and Aux Comptoirs du Chineur in Paris. 

Where do you get your style inspiration?

Mary-Kate Olsen, Batman, and Fran Fine  

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