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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Big-name sponsors is the name of the game in our latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report , with LEGO, Disney, and Tide all pulling in the top 5. We also have something else notable: Shorts in spots #1 and #2. Does that mean we’ll start to see more Shorts sponsorships? Maybe! Does it mean brands are finally understanding/embracing the Shorts ads tools YouTube has been steadily bulking up? Also maybe! Whatever the case, it’s clear sponsors with lots of cash to splash see Shorts as a key to summer marketing. We’re curious if it pays off for them.
Check out our top 5 videos of the week right here:
#1 Mark Rober vs LEGO Floor #LEGOWorldPlayDay
Channel: Mark Rober
Brand: LEGO
Views: 59,409,573
Like we mentioned above, this week’s list is topped by two Shorts. (Something notable: last week’s list was also topped by a Short.) Mark Rober has made our top 5 multiple times with big tech sponsors like Google, and now he’s added one more household name to the list thanks to a LEGO deal that has him taking a STEM approach to the unimaginable pain of stepping on a brick. LEGO doesn’t sponsor many YouTube videos, but when it does, it goes for top names. Also sponsored this week is fishkeeper Aquarium Info in spot #60, and Zhong, who has 60 million subscribers and made our list in spot #236.
#2 $1 or mystery trip? AD
Channel: James Seo
Brand: Disney
Views: 15,886,187
Earlier this month, we spotlighted a Disney-maniac channel that broadcasted a three-hour livestream of the hosts walking around Epcot, making their bag by inspiring uber Mouse House FOMO. The livestream had a bevy of sponsors, but none of them were the Disney. That doesn’t mean, however, that Disney isn’t looking at YouTube as an advertising avenue. It kicked off its summer marketing by sponsoring kids’ creator Blippi, and now it tapped James Seo for a classic “This or mystery thing”-style YouTube Short. In this case, the lucky contestant–who, of course, picks mystery adventure–is treated to the kind of Disney visit that, these days, would burn quite the hole in your wallet.
#3 New York’s Most Wanted Drivers Pt 2
Channel: Tommy G
Brand: Incogni
Views: 5,065,485
There’s a stereotype (an earned stereotype, in our East Coaster opinion) that New York City drivers are nuts. But Tommy G takes things to a whole new level in his 35-minute documentary of NYC’s supercar theft/extreme driving scene. Sure, New York drivers are…well…the way they are, but these guys–all of whom, of course, appear with their faces covered–are out here smashing windows, hotwiring hot rods, and whipping through traffic at Daytona 500 speeds to drop their freshly plucked rides off at shady chop shops, or pick up new ones from disreputable car renters. Tommy G’s inside look at this underground world is sponsored by Incogni, a security service that can protect your personal information, but probably won’t get your Hellcat back if one of these guys swipes it.
#4 Basketball vs Baseball – Who Are Better Athletes?
Channel: Jesser
Brand: Tide
Views: 3,512,333
For our third household name sponsor of the week, we have Tide, which–like LEGO–doesn’t pay for many videos. And again, just like LEGO, when Tide does hook up with a YouTuber, it tends to pick a well-known name. In this case, that’s Jesser, a longtime sports YouTuber who’s surged to 30 million subscribers with content and collabs in all sorts of sports. He’s played soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, and more–and now, he’s putting some assumptions to the test. It’d be easy to think basketball players are generally in better shape than baseballers, because they’re always moving on the court when (as my mother would say) baseball players spend most of their time standing around. But is that really true? Jesser’s gonna find out–and not to be clickbaity, but the results might surprise you.
BONUS #1,947 Stop Paying Debt To Buy An RV To Live In?
Channel: The Ramsey Show Highlights
Brand: Yrefy
Views: 42,699
Dave Ramsey is a name that haunts every American Millennial who’s ever asked their Boomer dad if they can borrow some cash. Thanks to his long-running show, he has a reputation for being brutally honest and prescribing extremely strict methods of cost-cutting for people who are struggling financially. And his advice, though harsh, does banger views on YouTube. This week alone, his channel Ramsey Show Highlights had ~24 sponsored videos, so he’s making money from sponsorships etc on the core show, from YouTube ad revenue on the show’s episodes and highlights, and from sponsorships specifically for these short highlight clips. We’ll hand it to him, the dude does know how to make money.
…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.
