Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Mark Rober, Matthew Beem, and Moriah Elizabeth

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.

After a record-breaking week for our last Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report, we’re back to normal, with around ~2,000 sponsored videos going up on YouTube. At #1 is Mark Rober, moving up a spot from last week with another highlight for his company CrunchLabs–but he’s not the only familiar face on this week’s list. We won’t spoil any more, but we will say the bonus video hits on a holiday trend that seems to get bigger and bigger every year.

Check ’em all out right here:

#1 Can A Crow Solve 9 Impossible Puzzles?
Channel: Mark Rober
Brand: CrunchLabs
Views: 11,990,243

While Mark Rober‘s video last week featured a project made by his headquarters/STEM subscription company CrunchLabs, this week, his video is fully sponsored by CrunchLabs. That gives the company a big boost of visibility–just in time for people with science-oriented kiddos to see it and put a yearlong subscription under the tree, maybe? As for the video itself, Rober is once again putting animals through the Olympics. This time, a crow faces nine “impossible” puzzles, to see if corvids are really as smart as they seem.

#2 I Built iShowSpeed a Soccer Field in His House!
Channel: Matthew Beem
Brand: Genshin Impact
Views: 11,156,029

If there’s one thing IShowSpeed loves, it’s soccer. He’s held IRL streams where he takes viewers on the field with him for friendly matches, has participated in charity bouts, and even “signed” with legendary soccer club AC Milan this past July. So if there’s one thing he’ll dig, it’s a soccer field built inside his house. …Right? Well, too late, because Matthew Beem is already making it. Beem is known for bringing massive creations to life–he’s hand-built everything from Fortnite‘s Battle Bus to SpongeBob‘s hometown to “the world’s largest toilet” for Brent Rivera. His build for Speed might be a little bit smaller. Or maybe not. Either way, it’s sponsored by Genshin Impact, the mobile gatcha game made by frequent YouTuber sponsor miHoYo.

#3 Immature Teens Get a Huge Reality Check
Channel: Midwest Safety
Brand: SafetyVid
Views: 7,606,453

Midwest Safety has made our Weekly Brand Report several times with its long videos of bodycam footage from cops across middle America. In this case, it’s a 13-minute clip where some uncooperative teenagers end their night in a squad car. The video comes with a debrief clip from the officer involved, who talks about how one teen involved was arrested for felony obstruction and disorderly conduct, but says law enforcement needs to focus on programs that move kids away from the court system and toward things like community service, since “the stigma of an arrest can linger and affect a young person’s future opportunities.” As is common for Midwest Safety, its video this week is sponsored by a safety-related business–this time dash cam company SafetyVid.

#4 I Bought a 40’ Container of motorcycles from Japan
Channel: Bikes and Beards
Brand: PDS Debt
Views: 5,677,653

There are plenty of mainstay genres on YouTube that are pretty much always guaranteed to get views. One of those is mystery boxes. Another rising genre (as we’ve seen on previous Weekly Brand Reports and out in the wild) is vehicle restoration. Bikes and Beards manages to hit both those genres in this video, where he buys an enormous shipping container full of motorcycles from Japan. And, a little ironically considering the amount of money he spent, his sponsor for this adventure is debt relief service PDS Debt.

BONUS #521 I Bought Moriah Elizabeth’s SOLD OUT Advent Calendar
Channel: Chloe Rose Art
Brand: Squarespace
Views: 175,480

Speaking of rising genres, with each year that passes, we see a greater number of creators buying and opening advent calendars. It’s another twist on mystery boxes, and some creators, like Chloe Rose Art, buy enough calendars to make opening them a monthlong affair in the leadup to Christmas. But it’s not just creators buying advent calendars; they’re also making them. The calendar Chloe opens in this video is from longtime YouTuber Moriah Elizabeth, and it seems she’s doing pretty well for herself, because the calendar is sold out and going for a whopping $770 on eBay resale.

…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.