Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Old Spice, Red Bull, Nintendo Switch, K-beauty

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.

Our latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report is full of pop culture moments. Old Spice is riding the new Superman movie hype thanks to a collab with Adam W, Red Bull is in the spotlight with an experiment from NileBlue, Nintendo‘s new Switch 2 gets a hard look from Marques Brownlee, and viral K-beauty still has a strong presence online thanks to thrifty “skinthusiast” Gothamista.

Check ’em all out right here:

#1 #ad #OldSpicePartner When @oldspice saves the day
Channel: Adam W
Brand: Old Spice
Views: 6,930,861

This week’s top vid is a prime example of YouTube Shorts sponcon. Unlike the vast majority of sponsored long-form videos, Shorts tend to revolve entirely around the partner brand–as is the case with this 60-second Old Spice ad. Adam W‘s take on things pitched the antiperspirant brand as a heroic force for the good of humanity. And, having spent time in a high school surrounded by teenagers, we can’t really argue there. His Short also rocks up to a pop culture moment, since the new Superman movie (yes, another one) is coming out July 8. Old Spice has a reputation for smart, savvy advertising, and it seems keen to preserve that reputation. It’s choosy about YouTube partners, having decided to only work with Adam W and Kevin Hart on his latest episode of Cold as Balls.

#2 Making the world’s most powerful Red Bull
Channel: NileBlue
Brand: Brilliant
Views: 6,843,945

Hey kids! Want to feel your heart explode? NileBlue can help, thanks to the power of science! Okay, okay, in all seriousness, we’ve all experienced caffeine pangs, and those of us willing to risk kidney stones have also experienced the crash that comes after sucking down an energy drink with a couple hundred milligrams of caffeine. NileBlue has one question: What if that energy drink had more than a couple hundred milligrams? And what if he could make it quicker and easier to consume all that caffeine? Think 5-Hour Energy but supercharged, since NileBlue sets out to combine a whopping 100 Red Bulls into one concentrated, palpitation-inducing slurp. (We hope we don’t have to say this, but do not try that at home.) While Nile’s adventure is sponsored by educational company Brilliant, it (obviously) also has some decent screen time for Red Bull, which–at least on YouTube–doesn’t exactly need help getting the word out.

#3 Puzzles That Look Easy But Are Actually IMPOSSIBLE!
Channel: Hafu Go
Brand: Odoo
Views: 5,317,211

In case you got inspired by NileBlue’s project and grabbed your own source of caffeine, video #3 has a place for all that energy to go. Hafu Go started as a sports and fitness YouTuber, but in the last couple years has shifted his channel’s direction to “testing the future of science, tech, and engineering.” As part of that testing, he’s expanding viewers’ brains with 25 minutes of puzzles that are deceptively simple-looking. None of them are nearly as easy as they look at first glance–but Go’s sponsor, Odoo, is out to make business website design the exact opposite. It sponsored ~8 videos this week, including #427, about building a solar-powered RC car, and #632, about the prevalence of “creepy fake buildings” in cities.

#4 Nintendo Switch 2 Unboxing & First Gameplay!
Channel: Marques Brownlee
Brand: dbrand
Views: 4,965,684

In the gaming world, it’s the question on pretty much everyone’s mind right now: Is the Switch 2 worth it? After years of waiting for Nintendo to come out with version 2.0 of its portable console, gamers have been hit with megacorpo greed, where not only is the Switch 2 price jacked, but so are prices of individual games. The dollar increase has brought more scrutiny over whether the Switch 2 will be worth it–and now one of YouTube’s top tech reviewers is giving his definitive opinion. Marques Brownlee was cautiously critical of the Switch 2 after its announcement, but now that he’s got it in his hands, will that opinion change? We won’t spoil, but we will say the Switch 2 is getting a lot of attention on YouTube right now. This week alone, there are ~40+ sponsored videos about it, and likely hundreds or even thousands more that aren’t sponsored. (Oh, speaking of sponsors, Brownlee’s video comes from his frequent partner dbrand, which is probably about to supply a lot of Switch 2 cases and skins to gamers everywhere.)

BONUS #2,097 New Affordable Korean Beauty for Summer!
Channel: Gothamista
Brand: Stylevana
Views: 36,938

K-beauty blew up in the U.S. during COVID, and though the fervor has somewhat calmed in brick-and-mortar shopping (remember when every CVS, Walmart, and corner store had face masks? Those were the days…), it’s still thriving online. And self-dubbed “skinthusiast” Gothamista is not about spending big bucks to get the latest K-beauty cool stuff. Her chill, 20-minute video runs down some newly released products for viewers who want to treat their skin without gutting their wallets–and it’s sponsored by a company doing some excellent niche outreach: Stylevana, an online marketplace for Asian fashion & beauty.

…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.