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Global marketers prioritising YouTube as an advertising platform

By our News Team | 2023

Kantar study says consumers prefer Amazon as an advertising platform, but marketers think YouTube is the way to go.

Amazon has once again taken the title of consumers’ most preferred ad platform, according to the ‘Kantar Media Reactions 2023’ study. However, marketers prefer advertising on YouTube.

Despite not being one of the top five favourite platforms for marketers globally, Amazon is building trust among consumers – with a 10% year-on-year rise in trust scores.

Photo by Greenwish from Pexels

The e-commerce giant also tops the charts in Brazil, Germany and Mexico, three of the 23 markets involved in the study. The African markets included in the research are Egypt and South Africa.

‘Kantar Media Reactions 2023’ uncovers the attitudes of consumers and marketers to ad platforms and channels. The annual study, now in its fourth year, is based on interviews with around 16,000 consumers in 23 markets and 900 senior marketers.

Among marketers, YouTube has leapfrogged to the top of the charts, improving trust by 6% compared with last year. The rise of YouTube demonstrates marketers’ preference for established, brands, even if it does not register in consumers’ top five platforms, the research team says.

The top-ranking media brands among consumers are: Amazon (-); Google (+2); TikTok (-1); Instagram (+2); and Spotify (-2).

The top-ranking media brands among marketers are: YouTube (+2); Google (-); Instagram (-2); TikTok (-); and Spotify (-).

Consumers also like in-person touchpoints

This year’s analysis also reveals that ‘in-person’ touchpoints dominate consumers’ preferred channels (as opposed to platforms) – with sponsored events taking the lead for the second year in a row.

The rest of the top five also comprises channels that are experienced in-person: cinema ads; point-of-sale; and out-of-home/digital out-of-home.

There’s also significant contrast between marketers’ and consumers’ most-preferred channels, with marketers inclined towards newer channels while consumers prefer channels that cause the least interruption to their lives.

Marketers’ top-ranking media channels are: online video (-); sponsored events (-); digital out-of-home (+2); video-streaming ads (+2); online-stories ads (+2).

Notably, TV, the traditional lynchpin of ad campaigns, is absent from the ranking of marketers’ preferred ad channels this year.

While TV has never been rated highly among consumers, it has historically performed strongly among marketers. However, it has fallen from third place in marketers’ preferred channels last year to 12th place in 2023.

TV sponsorship has fallen from 12th place to 20th. Just 6% of global marketers say they will increase TV spend in 2024.

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