YouTube as a Millionaire Maker
Twenty years ago, if a child told his mother that he planned to become a multi-millionaire by playing videogames and recording that session and uploading it on the Internet, chances are, that child’s mother would have responded with some degree of bewilderment and consternation. In 2015 according to Forbes’ Madeline Berg, YouTube sensation PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, earned a cool $12 million through his video game-playing channel.
The marketing implications of YouTubers, also known as influencers, have broken the mold when it comes to strategizing social media campaigns. Michelle Phan, self-taught make-up artist went from diner waitress to building a $3 million empire on YouTube (Berg, 2015). The beauty of uploading content on YouTube lies in both versatility and potential reach. Literally anyone can create a YouTube channel, and it can be about anything. When users subscribe to YouTube channels, companies’ marketing departments will inevitably take interest.
YouTube Lesson on Door Knob Installation Saves the Day!
The marketing implications of YouTube has redefined the marketing campaign landscape. For instance, when my husband was deployed overseas late last year, the door knob to the door into our garage broke. I had never used a power drill in my 31 years on this Earth. Instead of panicking, I Googled, “how to replace a door knob,” which brought me to this helpful nugget of a YouTube video about Removing an old door knob and installing a new one. Luckily for me, while the video was playing, a banner ad magically appeared along the bottom of the video for doorknobs available on Amazon! YouTube saved the day.
Two days later, the highly-rated door knob arrived that I ordered through my Amazon Prime account which I found in the handy-dandy YouTube Video, and voila! Less than 20 minutes after the package arrived, I removed my old, broken door knob and replaced it with a shiny, new one!
YouTube Catalyzes Awareness
One of my favorite things about YouTube videos is the visceral impact of social video marketing. According to Bernazzani, uploading ephemeral content on YouTube as a marketing strategy has the power to draw in viewers on the basis of authenticity (2017). The marketing implications of YouTube is so powerful that social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have added their own video capabilities. Viewers are inevitably drawn to video content, especially when it showcases a human-interest story, a lesson, or my personal favorite: cute animals. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee uploaded a video of elephant and dog best friends Tarra and Bella, whose story not only inspired donations, but also informed a generation of viewers the magical bond of cross-species friends. Because of this YouTube video, my retirement goal is to create a similar animal sanctuary foundation, and to raise awareness regarding the welfare of animals and their rights as sentient beings.
(ElephantSanctuaryTN. 2009. YouTube.)
Resources
Veronica Percy 