Challenge:
In today's dynamic media landscape, brands constantly seek effective ways to connect with consumers. This necessitates a data-driven approach to evaluating the efficacy of different advertising avenues, ensuring brands make informed decisions about their media spend. That is why Google partnered with Kantar on a comprehensive Context Lab meta-analysis to prove the impact of YouTube Sponsorships on brands, especially when compared to traditional video formats.
What are Sponsorships on YouTube
YouTube is where billions of passionate fans go to explore content from the most influential creators and biggest global moments in sports, music, entertainment and more. YouTube Sponsorships put brands at the heart of these experiences, allowing them to own the moments that matter most. By aligning with influential creators and the most significant cultural moments globally, brands can achieve strong visibility and connection with viewers. YouTube Sponsorships are high share-of-voice placements on select popular content and creators. By owning the moments that matter most, advertisers can build lasting brand associations with their target audience.
There are two kinds of YouTube Sponsorships:
- Takeovers: Brands can own 100% share-of-voice on top content and creators, building lasting connections with their fans.
- Spotlights: These empower brands to “own the moment” with high share-of-voice on relevant videos trending during the world’s largest events.
Approach:
Kantar conducted a rigorous meta-analysis on YouTube using Context Lab data from Takeover and Spotlight campaigns. This analysis included eleven U.S. brand campaigns and creatives across six diverse verticals between 2023 and 2025. With a total sample of 3,332 respondents, the data was statistically tested for significance between relevant control and exposed groups and benchmarked against established Kantar industry norms.The study focused on comparing the success of YouTube Sponsorships to broader video benchmarks across critical brand measures, including awareness, favorability, and purchase intent.
Insight:
The analysis revealed that YouTube Sponsorships deliver strong impact on main brand KPIs
The research indicates that on average, YouTube Sponsorships overall significantly improve brand metrics, with a 27.6% increase in Unaided Brand Awareness and lifts in favorability and purchase intent that outperform competitors by more than 2.5x.
When drilling into each YouTube Sponsorship product, we see that Takeovers increased Brand Favorability by 11.5% and Spotlights increased Moment Association by 11.1%, reinforcing that YouTube Sponsorship solutions drive meaningful cultural resonance for brands.
The power of context and receptivity
Kantar’s research underscores how critical creative context is for achieving maximum brand impact. According to Kantar’s Blueprint for Brand Growth framework, brands with strong consumers’ predisposition perform significantly better in sales, pricing, and future growth potential. And the right media environment is key, as campaigns are 7x more effective with receptive audiences.The good news for digital advertisers is that consumer receptivity to ads, especially on digital platforms like online video, podcasts, and influencer content, has notably increased in recent years. The latest Kantar Media Reactions edition showed that receptivity for online video has surged from 28% in 2012 to 54% in 2024. Podcasts and influencer content are now among the most preferred online channels, with consumers viewing influencer content as trustworthy, relevant, and fun. According to a survey conducted by Kantar, YouTube is leading the way with:
- 82% of viewers in the United States agree that YouTube has the most trusted creators and 83% agree that YouTube has the most trusted creator content, outperforming the social media average (67%), which includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. *
- 92% of viewers in the United States agree that YouTube as a video platform has content that is relevant to their needs, outperforming the social media average (82%), which includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. *
*Source: Google/Kantar, Future of Video, n=1001 YouTube viewers, n=2160 weekly video viewers 18-64 (US), fielded from (1/28/25-2/10/25). Competitive set includes 9 market competitors: Linear TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat.
Impact:
The insights from this Context Lab meta-analysis demonstrate the substantial value of YouTube Sponsorships in achieving superior brand lift, particularly when compared to competitor platforms. These findings are instrumental in reinforcing why Sponsorships are vital: they prove their strong ability to embed brands directly into key cultural moments with influential creators, forging a direct and powerful connection with consumers.
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