When it comes to engagement with branded content, Instagram is the leading social video platform by a longshot, according to new research by analytics outfit L2 Inc.
L2’s third annual Intelligence Report: Video 2017 — which analyzed 60,000 videos and 293 video campaigns for 201 brands across a wide variety of product categories — found that overall engagement measured 16% on Instagram in Q1 2017, compared to a paltry 1.5% on Facebook and 0.3% on YouTube. In terms of total eyeballs, however, Facebook was the unequivocal platform leader, with 18.8 million total branded video views in Q1, followed by YouTube (14.8 million) and Instagram (5.2 million).
“Despite the fact that a slim majority of brands deploy on all four major video platforms,” said L2’s director of intelligence research, Mike Froggatt, “best-in-class brands are aware that each platform has a distinct value proposition and a different path to success.”
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To this end, the study found that although Facebook provides the best reach for brands, YouTube offers the highest organic viewership rates — or views achieved through unpaid distribution. On YouTube, branded videos about activewear products have the highest organic view rate (24%) of any product category — followed by consumer electronics (23%), retail brands (19%), and luxury brands (17%).
Finally, the L2 study — which looked at campaigns from the likes of Samsung, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, and more — found that TV ads can provide a “halo effect” when it comes to organic video viewership on the web. For instance, Nike’s February ‘Equality’ campaign — featuring LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Megan Rapinoe — clocked a 57% organic view rate across all digital platforms, according to L2.
