KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Brands should move quickly to customize their YouTube presence to avoid significant media spend charges
- Google changes of this nature underscore the value of brand-owned microsites to support content and social marketing strategies; owned microsites enable the highest degree of brand and user experience differentiation, consistency and control
- Brands should reassess their strategy for mobile audience engagement; a responsive brand microsite now becomes an even more critical component of a multi-channel video distribution model
- Google will be providing additional details regarding the scope and implications of these changes; leverage the expertise of your trusted Thismoment seller and YouTube specialist to help your organization to navigate them and avoid costly missteps
October 1, 2013
YouTube will impose a significant, six-figure minimum media spend on any brand that customizes its YouTube channel with gadgets.
Brands may avoid the mandatory media spend by committing to a custom gadget by October 1, provided their custom channels launch before the end of 2013.
Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) and YouTube Content Partners will be allowed to launch Thismoment-powered brand channels.
April 1, 2014
Mobile or “m.dot” channel customization will no longer be supported. All mobile YouTube channels will default to a generic YouTube mobile experience.
DESCRIPTION OF CHANGES
There will be a mandatory minimum media spend for all custom brand channels.
To date, brands have been able to launch Basic gadgets on YouTube without any media spend. Starting October 1, YouTube will no longer distinguish between Basic and Advanced gadgets. YouTube will, however, continue to distinguish between Advanced and Premium executions. The bottom line: going forward any YouTube channel customization will trigger a six-figure minimum media spend obligation. A window of opportunity exists for your brand to deploy a custom YouTube channel without incurring a mandatory media spend. In order to do so, your brand must commit to a new custom gadget by October 1 and launch it before the end of 2013.
Brands have until October 1 to avoid substantial minimum media spends for custom channels on YouTube.
Google is retiring the Google Engagement Solutions Developer Program.
The Google Engagement Solutions Developer Program (GESDP) is going away. What is GESDP? It is the program that YouTube’s ecosystem of solutions developers, including Thismoment, have called home for the last several years. While the naming convention is changing, Thismoment remains the leading brand solution for YouTube and continues to work in close collaboration with the YouTube team.
The retirement of GESDP is an administrative event that does not affect Thismoment’s ability to help our customers upgrade their brand channels on YouTube. Thismoment has launched more brand channels for Fortune 500 companies than all other YouTube solution providers combined and continues to work closely with the YouTube team.
Custom mobile channels will no longer be supported.
To date, brands have been able to launch custom mobile gadgets or “m.dot” experiences. On April 1, 2014, YouTube will no longer support the launch of new mobile gadgets. With this change, YouTube will ultimately force every broadcaster to deliver a generic mobile YouTube experience. This change will likely prompt many brands to reevaluate their mobile video marketing strategy and to supplement the default mobile YouTube experience with other mobile video marketing channels. In the meantime and again, brands that want to launch custom mobile channels and capitalize on YouTube’s extended m.dot support window should move quickly.
Brands have until April 1, 2014 to launch new mobile YouTube gadgets and should be developing a multi-channel mobile strategy that supplements YouTube.
Multi-channel networks (MCNs) and content partners may now use Thismoment.
MCNs and content partners were previously restricted from using Thismoment. As of October 1, MCNs and content partners will be able to use Thismoment’s complete digital marketing system to deliver and manage custom YouTube channels.
MCNs and content partners now have access to Thismoment’s solutions.
CONCLUSION
We hope that you find this update helpful. We will be posting more information regarding these changes to thismoment.com as it becomes available. We encourage you to contact your Thismoment account manager, sales representative or sales@thismoment.com to learn more about what these changes mean for your brand.
