Google unveils marketing ideas for brands to leverage YouTube Shorts trends

New Delhi: In its recent blog under ‘Think For Google’ written by Naveen Prashanth and Piyush Jha, the tech giant elaborated ways in which brands can tap into trends on YouTube shorts and the reasons it is important for brands to be a part of such conversations. 

Why should marketers jump onto the shorts bandwagon?

1. The ‘pop culture’ ride

Participating in a Shorts trend allows creators and brands to engage with a large community eager for fresh perspectives. This relevance to pop culture can harness the momentum generated by the trend.

2. Diversity in audiences connecting and engaging across distances

The diversity of Shorts trends offers something for every brand, enabling creators to connect with various audience segments across language and cultural barriers. 

Trends like the Marathi hit "Gulabi Sadi" and Punjabi music in the Ve Haniyaan trend highlight this variety. Additionally, trends emerge from diverse subcultures, such as memes driving the Yimmy Yimmy trend, vlogs inspiring the Wes Anderson phenomenon, and lip-sync Shorts leading to the Kya Loge Tum trend.

3. GenZ taking the lead with the innovative tools at their disposal

Shorts trends are continually reinvented with new concepts, media, and memes, allowing brands to stay aligned with the interests of Shorts audiences, especially Gen Z. On average, 61% of Gen Z respondents enjoy when brands engage with memes.

Youtube Shorts is therefore, tapping on to these trends across the realm by not just determining what a user needs, but what brands need. 

How can marketers leverage YouTube Shorts? 

1. YouTube music

Marketers should start by exploring The Short List on YouTube Music to discover new and trending tracks on YouTube Shorts in India. They can also utilize the YouTube India Spotlight channel as a valuable resource for finding the latest content on YouTube, both locally and globally.

2. Right marketer-creator synergy

Marketers should leverage the expertise and influence of YouTube creators to present their brand messages in natural and appealing ways. Notably, 71% of Gen Z use YouTube to connect with fans of topics or personalities they enjoy.

Using YouTube’s branded content platform, Brand Connect, marketers can identify creators best suited for their brand, facilitating collaborations on engaging Shorts content that aligns with relevant trends.

3. Make use of the AI-push to your content

To optimise the return on investment (ROI) from Shorts content, brands can integrate them into broader AI-powered ad campaigns. This approach can significantly boost reach and conversions.

For instance, incorporating Shorts videos into Video reach campaigns can enhance overall ad performance.

Additionally, adding vertical-format Shorts creatives to Video action campaigns has been shown to increase conversions by 10-20% compared to using horizontal formats alone.

With the YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineup, brands can place their ads alongside the most popular and relevant videos in the YouTube Shorts feed, ensuring they remain top-of-mind as viewers browse the latest content.

Real-world examples

The potential of YouTube Shorts is evident in successful campaigns by brands like Nykaa and Damensch. Nykaa effectively utilised the “expectations versus reality” meme to promote its summer sale, while Damensch tapped into the Wes Anderson trend to showcase its new boxer shorts.

Google’s blog concluded, “As viewers embrace bite-sized content, brands and marketers that ride on the latest trends can reap outsized ad results. By playing to the latest trends on YouTube Shorts, brands will join a large, vibrant community and win their attention and engagement.”