With the rumors that tomorrow YouTube will change its format to resemble sites such as Hulu in hopes to make it more appealing to advertisers. I thought I would take a look at what they are doing now to attract advertisers. To do this I watched their videos about advertising.
In one of their videos they say, ”go ahead target any type of person and we have sophisticated tools to find them on YouTube. String together some adjectives of your choice and discover an active community ready and waiting. Then it’s your choice what format and enviroment will work best to reach your key audience.”
YouTube seems to rely on advertising to make their money but so far they have been unsuccessful at doing so. According to articles like the one in CrunchGear, Hulu generates more money because it’s professional content is more attractive to advertisers. Companies don’t want to be associated with some of the amateur, user generated content that has made YouTube so popular.
It is understandable that advertisers want to associate with videos that will enhance their brand. There are professional channels for news such as the New York Times and television channels like CBS; they are just more difficult to find. They are lumped together with all of the other content.
When I first heard about the redesign, I thought it would mean the end of all the reasons I like YouTube and user generated content. If this redesign makes professional outlets easier to find and that makes advertisers more comfortable, which means YouTube will have a chance of monetary success then I will do my best to embrace it.
