Welcome to our rundown of the most-watched branded YouTube videos of the week.
We’re publishing this snippet of a larger Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report in order to analyze sponsorship trends in the creator economy. Any video launched in tandem with an official brand partner is eligible for the ranking.
And – as the name up above would imply – all the data comes from Gospel Stats. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.
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It’s another edition of the Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report! Our ranking of the most-watched sponsored YouTube videos of the week is starting to reveal a few repeat customers. Two of the brands in this week’s Top 5 previously sponsored other videos that reached the front of this ranking.
Those regulars are casting wide nets to reach potential customers in all corners of the YouTube community. Meanwhile, other brands are succeeding on YouTube by working with specific creators who fit into particular niches.
#1 AMP SPICY QUESTIONS 2
Channel: AMP
Brand: Air Up
Air Up ended October the same way it began the month: On top of our Branded Video report. The water bottle brand previously hit the #1 spot when it helped Airrack test drive fast vehicles. Now, it’s back on YouTube with something completely different: An AMP video that uses a similar format to the beloved interview series Hot Ones. Members of the creator collective tackled burning questions posed by their groupmates. As the wings get hotter, the AMP guys rely on their water bottles for much-needed refreshment. They even add in some flavored Air Up products to provide more relief during their homemade spicy food gauntlet.
#2 How One Line in the Oldest Math Text Hinted at Hidden Universes
Channel: Veritasium
Brand: Brilliant
Make it three weeks in a row for Brilliant in this ranking. As we discussed last week, educational brands are partnering with YouTube’s nerdiest channels in order to recruit curious viewers who might be interested in digital learning opportunities. Course platform Brilliant has leaned into that strategy by working with YouTube whiz kids like Stuff Made Here, Kurzgesagt, and Veritasium. The last of those channels, led by creator Derek Muller, put Brilliant in the #2 spot after getting more than 3.3 million views on a video that discusses oddities in Euclid’s Elements. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you, you’re probably not the sort of viewer Brilliant is targeting.
#3 South Africa’s Slow, Inevitable March Towards Collapse
Channel: Wendover Productions
Brand: Rocket Money
You can use a money app to manage your finances, but are those programs sophisticated enough to save the economy of a struggling country? Wendover Productions combined macroeconomics with microeconomics by providing a top-level view of South Africa’s post-apartheid decline while also encouraging viewers to keep up with their payments via the Rocket Money app. It’s not the cleanest connection, but Rocket Money is one of the brands casting a wide net on YouTube. Of the top 500 branded videos from among the ones uploaded this week, eight of them feature Rocket Money sponsorships.
#4 She put his head in a bucket?! WTF is wrong with Taylor Schabusiness!! | Mystery & Makeup
Channel: Bailey Sarian
Brand: Casetify
Creators who want to rake in big bucks via influencer marketing can help themselves by establishing recurring formats that are ripe for sponsorships. Just look at Bailey Sarian: Her seven million fans know to tune in once a week for Makeup Mondays, a signature storytelling series that combines cosmetics with true crime. Sarian’s sizable Monday audience is a major asset in her career. A recent episode of her best-known format got a boost from phone case maker Casetify, which gave Sarian’s viewers (all 2.2 million of them) an opportunity to save 15% on their orders.
BONUS: #1,816 11 x National Champion Took Me Bouldering
Channel: Hannah Morris Bouldering
Brand: Kaya
Not all brands are looking to connect with YouTube’s biggest personalities. Some, like the climbing app Kaya, are using the platform to target niche communities with ease. Kaya may not be the best fit for Bailey Sarian’s Makeup Monday episodes, but it makes perfect sense as a sponsor for Hannah Morris, who reaches nearly 100,000 subscribers on her climbing channel. When she went bouldering with competitive climber Alex Puccio, Kaya stepped in with a special offer for her audience of outdoor athletes. It also guided Morris and Puccio along their bouldering trek, which took the better part of two days.
…and there’s a lot more data where that came from. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.
