[SHOUTING]
JESSICA HURLEY: Oh my god.
What is this?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What's up, guys?
It's Jess from Google's brand unit,
and we're here at VidCon 2019, the world's largest video
conference for creators, fans, and industry,
and it's in its 10th anniversary.
So how has the platform changed since then, and what's next?
We'll take you through what we learned, new storytelling,
deep data, and the evolution of niche,
and what it means for you as brands.
But I'll shut up now.
Oh, shoot.
[SHOUTING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHEERING]
ADAM STEWART: I think YouTube is actually great for this
because it's not bound by some of the same conventions
and restrictions that traditional media has,
so you get this level of creativity,
this level of innovation.
They're willing to try different techniques that have never
really been used before.
KENDALL: We expect a lot more, but it also
leads to a lot more creativity, because you
have to create new and innovative content in order
to stay relevant.
KYLE HANAGAMI: I have done videos
where I've choreographed routines that are in 360.
So we'll find, like, a really cool location
and do them with the 360 camera so that the viewer can decide
what they want to look at.
GREGORY BROWN: If need something to be explained,
the best way to do it is through animation.
And YouTube is a place where animation
thrives, and is entertaining, and is really cool.
JUSTINE EZARIK: I've been really fascinated with 180,
because you can still sit on the couch, and kind of just
look around, and see something that's
happening in front of you like a conversation.
GREGORY BROWN: We really like to follow the trends of YouTube
and try really hard to, like, experiment
and keep up with them.
That's like a fun challenge for ourselves,
and that changes a lot.
But I don't know.
I'm not that-- we're not that scared and precious
about our content the way I think a lot of other people
are.
JESSICA HURLEY: So what does this mean for you?
10 years ago, talking straight to camera was convention.
But today, creators are trying new ways
to break through by breaking the mold.
This means you must experiment.
Try new ways of talking to camera, longer formats,
maybe even give animation a shot.
But if you're feeling uneasy about all this experimentation,
don't worry.
Data will provide the safety net you might need.
LINK NEAL: That is dirty, dirty data talk.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Yeah, the amount of data that we have at our disposal--
and we do dispose of it-- is drastically
increased over the decade of being on YouTube.
I really like to look at the audience retention,
because I like to correlate it with if I'm talking,
or if Rhett's talking.
RHETT MCLAUGHLIN: And usually, it drops off
when Link starts talking, so--
JUSTINE EZARIK: You can go in and sort of assess.
Did I say something wrong?
Did I do a jump cut?
Is there some weird color correction?
Do they not like my music?
It can be a number of factors.
RHETT MCLAUGHLIN: As the data has
gotten more comprehensive, more specific,
we have incorporated it into our strategy.
I mean, it doesn't sound very sexy,
but I think that the data plays just as
big of a role as just the creative thinking
at this point.
LINK NEAL: Oh, stop talking so dirty.
RHETT MCLAUGHLIN: How sexy is that?
SAM TSUI: Analytics on YouTube are definitely really helpful.
I mean, I do a lot of touring, and so one of the biggest
things is figuring out, where can we tour
and where can we sell the tickets?
JILL BASKIN: At Hershey, we're really committed
to test and learn and to doing short experiments
and seeing what works.
It's relatively inexpensive to get content up on YouTube,
and so we're experimenting with what works better.
And then we'll put more money against the things that
are working better, do more content like that content.
DSHARP: When I think about data and analytics, for me,
it mostly comes down to the comments.
Because for me, seeing the people's reactions,
that's what really translates into the most valuable data
for me.
JOHANNES HELMS: So what does this mean for you?
Creators are masters of experimentation,
testing from thumbnails and titles
to video lengths and formats.
Over the past 10 years, we've gone from guesswork
to leveraging data to inform both creative choices
and business strategy.
We have the tools and the team-like mind,
whose entire purpose in life is to help you create
more effective assets on our platform,
so take advantage of it today.
KURT HUGO SCHNEIDER: YouTube is the worldwide marketplace
for videos.
So what do you think is a niche, you're
capturing the worldwide community of that niche.
GREGORY BROWN: I love animating.
I love drawing.
Again, comedy is so intersecting that in.
It just sort of like all comes together.
It does feel a lot more personal than people probably
realize when they hear, like, an animation channel.
ADAM STEWART: It's really amazing
to see that come to life so you know
that there are other people out there that
are kind of just like yourself that share
some of those same passions.
They may not be in your zip code,
but they're definitely there.
LAILI: VidCon is my community.
This is it.
VidCon is my family.
RHETT MCLAUGHLIN: Obviously, the more niche the audience,
the more passionate the audience.
And so the engagement level is going
to be higher than something that's super broad.
SEAN EVANS: People who maybe weren't talking about the thing
that you always wanted to know more about,
or the thing that was special or interesting to you,
now, you can find a whole programming slate
of people talking about it.
MARK ROBER: I did one just recently, though,
where I used an app.
We made a machine learning app to steal baseball signs.
So, like, third base coaches give signs.
We created this app to decode those signs to know
when someone is going to steal.
That is pretty specific, and it feels pretty niche.
LEE SUNGA: So what does this mean for you?
In the beginning, YouTube provided a home for niches.
But what started out as a tiny group of outsiders
quickly grew into sizable, passionate, global communities
over these past 10 years.
And passion is a powerful force.
Try creating content that speaks directly
to those unexpected passions that
make your audience light up.
CROWD: VidCon!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHEERING]
JESSICA HURLEY: Phew.
That was a crazy few days at VidCon 2019.
We hope to see you next year, because why not?
We have the same palm trees and weather as Cannes.
In the meantime, though, like and subscribe and watch
the rest of our videos on "View in 2."
Thank you.