Which Brands Are Back Advertising on YouTube?

In early Spring, amidst concerns about ads ending up next to extremist content, many large brands began pulling their ads from YouTube. Considering that YouTube was the top digital site during Q1, speculation ensued about the longevity of a brand boycott with a top publisher. While the boycott was dramatized, Pathmatics data (as featured in Digiday) showed that overall ad spend on the site was still consistent, and little impact had been felt from Google’s prized video site.

But where do the brands stand now? Digiday and Wall Street Journal recently used Pathmatics data to report on the brands that have recently returned to the most dominant video site. Here's a look at the top brands currently spending on YouTube, and a close-up look at a brand that pulled their ads entirely before returning to the site this month.

"In the 90 days from March 15 to June 13, digital-ad research firm Pathmatics estimated spending on ads that ran before YouTube videos or displayed on the YouTube site fell by 17% to $739 million, compared with the previous 90 days. However, when compared to the same period in 2016, such spending rose by 50%, according to the data." -WSJ

Who is Advertising on YouTube Now?

Below are charts of the current top ad spenders on YouTube over the last seven days, by device-type, covering desktop/display, desktop video (pre-roll), and mobile video (mobile web pre-roll).

Desktop/Display

Desktop Video

Mobile Video

Data from June 22nd - June 28th, 2017.

A Look At Lyft

The ride-sharing giant responded to the YouTube controversy by pulling all of their creatives from the publisher during the months of April and May. Before that, YouTube consumed 36% of the brand’s budget in March - totaling over $118K. On March 23rd, their ads disappeared from the site until nearly three months later on June 14th. Now, YouTube is back at the top of Lyft's top sites accounting for nearly 50% of the brand's digital spend for the month of June, after only running creatives for half of the month.