Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: In solitary confinement, MrBeast had Cirkul on his side

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.

This week’s Top 5 Branded Videos report delivered the usual order: MrBeast on top, with some of YouTube’s other big names following closely behind him. Read on to learn what Jimmy Donaldson got up to this week — and which YouTubers are hot on his heels.

#1 I Spent 7 Days In Solitary Confinement
Channel: MrBeast
Brand: Cirkul

MrBeast topped last week’s Branded Video Report with the latest addition to his Beast Philanthropy library. His latest sponsored upload is selfless in a different way. Donaldson locked himself in solitary confinement for seven days in order to test his physical and mental willpower. Luckily, he staved off dehydration with help from sponsor Cirkul. The beverage brand tied itself into the latest MrBeast videos as part of an ongoing partnership with YouTube’s #1 channel.

Donaldson has some opinions about Cirkul’s proprietary flavors. In his own words: “I’ve been drinking fruit punch and it actually makes the water taste amazing.”

#2 The Most Haunted Town in America (w/ Valkyrae & Fuslie)
Channel: Sam and Colby
Brand: Universal Pictures

What’s better than sponsoring a top YouTube creator? Sponsoring four of them at once! Haunted house denizens Sam and Colby are typically a packaged deal, but they provided even more pop for brand partner Universal Pictures by inviting streaming legends Valkyrae and Fuslie to join them on a recent escapade. A pact with a film producer makes sense for Sam and Colby, who are looking to break into movie theaters after conquering YouTube’s horror community. Their visit to America’s most haunted town has pulled in nearly five million views to date.

#3 Open Thoughts with Nicki Minaj
Channel: Open Thoughts
Brand: SeatGeek

Nicki Minaj’s publicity tour has taken her to some of the internet’s most popular content destinations. As she releases the follow-up to her iconic album Pink Friday, Minaj has had face time with stars like Kai Cenat. Another stop took her to the podcast Open Thoughts, hosted by the YouTube comedian Funny Marco. The collision of these two tastemakers is good news for Open Thoughts sponsor SeatGeek. The ticketing platform is the latest brand to capitalize on a celebrity appearance on a YouTube-distributed video podcast.

#4 Game Theory: FNAF, an End and a Beginning (Help Wanted 2)
Channel: The Game Theorists
Brand: SoFi

The Game Theorists is known, more than anything else, as a hub for Five Night’s At Freddys-related speculation. How else could the channel’s founder have snagged a cameo in the recent theatrical adaptation of the FNAF video game franchise? MatPat may be stepping away from Theorists, but the brand he launched is still diving the deepest into the lore of a beloved indie horror game. The FNAF movie only seemed to escalate fan interest in the franchise, and that’s good news for SoFi, which sponsored the Theorists’ latest look into the wacky world of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

BONUS: #17 This TikToker scares me (still)
Channel: Chad Chad
Brand: Bellesa

Are you trying to practice self-love in the New Year? If you’ve made personal care one of your New Year’s resolutions, Bellesa is ready to make that dream a reality. The brand known for adult films and related toys is not the first sex-positive brand to engage in a creator partnership, but it found unprecedented success by teaming up with cultural commentator Chad Chad. The resulting collab has cleared 1.4 million views. Who knows how much traffic it could get if everyone in the world turned off SafeSearch? For now, Bellesa should be exhilirated by its YouTube haul.

…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.