YouTube is a True Breeding Ground for Brand Ambassadors

At first glance, young Cara Hartmann does not differ much from her peers, neighborhood girls who enjoy spending time exploring the wonders of the virtual world. Curiosity, as well as the need for networking, prompted her to record a video for YouTube at the end of last year and introduce herself to potential friends. Typical lexicon questions, typical answers.

Had she stopped in time, Cara would have remained just one of those who love everything that young people love. But she didn’t. Cara burst into tears at the mention of the word – cat. Due to her crazy monologue about their sweet little paws, snouts, and soft, pointy ears, this biographical video was viewed by more than 20 million users, and Cara, now known as eHarmony Cat Lady, soared into the ranks of ‘YouTube’ stars. The craze that arose for this quirky American in her twenties also prompted the Volkswagen brand to hire her for a campaign that aired during the Super Bowl.

Considering that this sporting event is one of the most-watched on American television, and thus the minute of advertising is the most expensive, companies do not leave things to chance but strive to present themselves in all their creative splendor. If Volkswagen hired Cara for this occasion, then it is clear that this silly cat lover is worth the investment, as she can sell the product.

Bright Future

And she is not the only one. In fact, recently brands are increasingly turning to virtual stars and hiring them, instead of Hollywood stars, for their advertising campaigns. YouTube has, according to Marketing Week, transformed into a full-fledged mainstream medium, and advertisers realize that fans of the protagonists of these practically home videos feel a greater emotional connection with them than, for example, with Justin Bieber. Their growing influence has encouraged marketing directors, who are looking for cheaper and more effective advertising methods, to include them in their strategies and advertising campaigns.

Practice shows that due to the millions of views of ‘YouTube’ entertainers’ works, advertisers have freed themselves from the fear of losing control over the brand (they cannot influence their star status or the content of future videos) and have begun to treat them as real stars, celebrities with the role of ambassadors. As ViJay Iyer, communications director for Chevrolet and Cadillac Europe, told Marketing Week, they will continue the practice of hiring popular ‘YouTubers’ in the future, as it has proven to be profitable. They, in turn, employed professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and the band OKGo in the advertisement for Chevrolet Sonic ‘Sonic First’.

YouTube as TV

Although these were not stars born on YouTube like Cara, their previous works were already known to users precisely thanks to that service. Shortly after its release, the ‘Sonic First’ spots went viral, which is why Iyer believes that YouTube (its content and creators) has the potential and weight equal to any other mainstream medium. The team behind the Kelloggs brand is currently exploring the benefits of further involving video bloggers (vloggers) in their marketing activities, as their ‘Cows’ campaign has proven successful.

In June, they selected specific ‘vloggers’ and invited them to participate in advertising cereals. Those who agreed (for a fee, of course) received personalized product packages about which they were to speak to their fans and invite them to participate in a contest on Twitter and Facebook. Due to the satisfactory response, Kelloggs believes that if used wisely, YouTube stars have enormous marketing potential.

No Regulation

However, as Marketing Week writes, another interesting thing encourages advertisers to embark on the search for these unofficial celebrities. Their interlocutor, lawyer Philip Hughes, claims that brands love to collaborate with video stars because this area is still not regulated by law or any serious regulations. This, primarily from a financial perspective, works in their favor. Classic media are controlled by regulatory bodies that closely monitor whether the media has published a greater duration of advertisements than prescribed or whether the advertiser has placed their product in content where it is not allowed (in Croatia, for example, this is the case with news programs).

On YouTube, a star produces content in which they can advertise whatever they want and as much as they want. According to Hughes, the cream of YouTube stars is not only capable of building their own brand but also extending its life in other media or through other specific products. As they become more influential, they can transition from their own channels to classic ones, such as radio and television, thereby strengthening their commercial potential.

More Real than Hollywood

The Cadbury brand is also aware of this, having hired comedian and popular ‘YouTuber’ Vikki Stone for a campaign worth six million pounds. After nearly ten years, Cadbury decided to launch a new product, the Crispello chocolate bar, and to announce this news by integrating all available channels. The mentioned comedian is the protagonist of their new TV spot, but also a co-author of a series of YouTube videos in which, among other things, she invites users to share their life antics on social media.

Stone has thus become a true ambassador, more engaged than Hollywood stars, who would charge hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for such work. Clearly, Stone is not Beyoncé or David Beckham, but she possesses sufficient commercial potential. At Cadbury, as well as in other companies that use the same practice, they assess that planetary popularity is not enough; there must be that X factor.

It is not so important whether that face is known to one hundred or ten million souls, but what kind of connection they have with fans, even if it lasts as long as the campaign. Popular ‘YouTubers’ share the common trait of entertaining or educating (for example, ‘beauty vloggers’ fall into this category) users, while they perceive them as similar to themselves. This makes them more likable and convincing or, in this case, better material for promoting brands.