Neglected Youtube is the new TV
In the endless chase for the next shiny platform, marketers have overlooked a giant hiding in plain sight – Youtube. Mary Proulx, co-founder of Bread Agency, explains.
While we’re all scrambling to master the latest social media phenomenon, some with questionable ROI, we’ve collectively neglected a platform that reaches over 17 million Australian adults – that’s 85% of the population for those counting along at home.
Yet most brands still treat Youtube like either a digital dumping ground for TV ads or just another paid media channel. It’s time we had an honest conversation about the massive opportunity being left on the table.
More than just a video platform
Youtube has evolved far beyond its simple video-sharing roots. It’s now the world’s second-largest search engine after Google, a prime entertainment destination, and a thriving community hub. This triple threat makes it uniquely powerful.
While TikTok and Instagram battle for short-form supremacy, Youtube quietly dominates across multiple formats – from bite-sized Shorts (reaching 1.5 billion people monthly) to long-form content that challenges traditional TV.
According to recent data, a third of all Youtube viewing happens on television screens through smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles. Many viewers now perceive no difference between Youtube and traditional broadcast content when watching on their living room screens. This means Youtube isn’t just competing with other websites and apps – it’s becoming a genuine alternative to traditional television.
How people actually use Youtube
Understanding how people engage with Youtube reveals why the platform deserves more strategic attention from marketers:
As a search engine: the new discovery tool
While social search is on the rise across platforms, Youtube holds a unique advantage – it’s owned by Google, the world’s dominant search engine. This connection offers significant benefits that many marketers overlook.
Youtube’s search algorithms share Google’s DNA, using similar principles of relevance, engagement metrics, and keyword optimisation. This integration means videos often claim prime positions in Google search results, especially for how-to content, reviews, and informational queries. Well-optimised Youtube content essentially gets double exposure, appearing in both platforms and reaching audiences that competing social channels simply can’t match.
Smart brands can capitalise on this advantage by creating videos that answer questions people are actively searching for, optimising everything from titles to tags, and developing content that works for both casual browsers and intent-driven searchers. The result? Evergreen content that continues generating traffic and engagement long after publication.
As entertainment: the new TV
Youtube is becoming a genuine alternative to traditional television – 30% of all Youtube viewing now happens on TV screens, while mobile viewership continues to rise. This means audiences are watching Youtube everywhere, from their living rooms to the train on their way home from work.
This evolution presents a massive opportunity for brands willing to shift their mindset from interruption to entertainment. The brands seeing the greatest success on Youtube are those that have learned to entertain first and sell second.
Consider how the platform actually works: Youtube recommends content based on what viewers choose to watch, not what advertisers want them to see. When brands create genuinely entertaining content – whether it’s through storytelling, humour, or useful information packaged in an engaging way – they unlock the platform’s true power: organic distribution to interested audiences.
As community: the new fandom builder
Perhaps Youtube’s most overlooked strength is its ability to build and nurture communities. Recent research shows that 83% of Gen Z prefer brands that connect with them through shared interests and content that genuinely resonates.
The platform’s built-in features like Communities and live chat functionality provide infrastructure for genuine connection. This is where the magic happens: audiences transform from passive viewers into active participants.
85% of internet users aged 14 to 44 describe themselves as fans of someone or something. What’s more, 80% of these fans use Youtube to consume content about the person or thing they’re fans of at least weekly. The platform has become the central hub where fandoms develop, grow, and express themselves.
So, Youtube is equally well suited to both massive, well-known communities and smaller, niche interests that few people know exist. This presents an incredible opportunity for brands to cultivate dedicated followings around their values, products, and stories.
How brands are winning on Youtube
The brands seeing the most success on Youtube aren’t just posting ads – they’re thinking like creators. They approach the platform with intent, building strategies that go beyond views to drive real engagement and long-term value.
Other brands win by treating Youtube as the search engine it truly is. They research what their audience is searching for, create content that answers real questions, and optimise everything from titles to thumbnails to improve visibility. These videos get discovered again and again, creating a self-sustaining powerful marketing channel that works day and night. It’s SMO (social media optimisation) at its finest.
And perhaps most importantly, the smartest brands know Youtube isn’t just about publishing content – it’s about community. Instead of pushing polished campaigns and calling it a day, they pay close attention to what fans are creating, how they’re responding, and where conversations are happening. Rather than trying to control the narrative, they join it, and that’s what builds real connection.
Mary Proulx
Youtube offers a whitespace for brands to own
While brands chase diminishing returns on overcrowded platforms or gamble on emerging channels with unproven audience retention, Youtube continues to offer the scale, engagement, and versatility that marketers dream about.
The question isn’t whether you should invest more strategically in Youtube – it’s why you haven’t already.
The platform that reaches nearly everyone is hiding in plain sight. It’s time we stopped treating it as an afterthought and recognised it for what it is: one of the most powerful marketing channels available today.
P.S. This article is not, in fact, sponsored by Youtube.
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In my household, we’ve cancelled everything subscription other than YouTube (premium) and Netflix. No more Foxtel, Disney+, Prime, etc. they are just a money pit and more content does not necessarily mean better content! We don’t watch free to air either, and haven’t for over a year, too many ad breaks and the quality of the programming isn’t there… YouTube is our main channel, and the premium version saves us from the painful, often irrelevant, pre and mid-rolls. It is time that brands seriously rethink the way they reach their audiences… By the time my child’s generation becomes the target, it will be completely disengaged from any form of advertising other than content-led.
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