YouTube Demographics Provide Myriad of Advertising Opportunities

BY Adam Ambro
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When YouTube debuted in 2005, it felt like an underground website to watch bootlegged concerts, or a pirated TV show on-​demand. It was revolutionary, to say the least. Then, it was purchased by Google in 2006 and quickly buttoned up a lot of those illicit aspects. Now, it’s a haven for daily sports show viewers, premium on-​demand TV streamers, gamers and more. It’s become an amalgamation of so many different categories and sub-​genres, that businesses can sift through the demographics of YouTube and find consumers more than willing to respond to advertising.

YouTube’s Age Demographics

To get an understanding of exactly how many people are watching YouTube, Statista released a survey with the percentage of US internet users who checked out the site as of 3rd quarter 2020. Simply put, the results were staggering:

  • 77% — Aged 15–25 watched YouTube
  • 77% — Aged 26–35
  • 73% — Aged 36–45
  • 70% — Aged 46–55
  • 67% — Aged 56+

When over 2/​3 of all age demographics are using a website, you know there will be plenty of opportunities available for your advertiser. And according to AdMall’s AudienceSCAN, powered by SalesFuel, audiences will react to what they see.

According to the AudienceSCAN profile for “YouTube Users Influenced by Advertising,” 48.6% are responding to an ad that plays before or during the video they want to watch. This audience is 91% more likely to respond to this kind of advertising versus all US adults. The key for you will be helping your client determine where to best spend their money. 

What people are watching?

It’s important to understand what your client’s target audiences are watching. For Gen Z, according to Think With Google, 80% said that YouTube has helped them become more knowledgeable about something. 68% said this type of content has helped them improve or gain skills that will help them prep for the future. Encourage your advertiser to take the opportunity to develop videos designed to help younger people build their skills.

Maybe you have an advertiser you’re trying to lure more towards digital advertising, but they’ve resisted because they’re used to a more traditional TV advertising approach. One number that might catch their eye is 35%. That’s the number of millennials who selected YouTube as their preferred provider of video content, according to The Shelf, compared to just 19% who preferred traditional TV. There will always be traditional TV advertising to fall back on, of course, but the data shows that more people, people are moving towards YouTube for their daily content.

What’s the key takeaway of these demographics?

All numbers tell a story. Some can be skewed to fit whatever narrative you’re trying to create for your advertiser, but one thing that cannot be skewed is that YouTube is a juggernaut. The Shelf points out that it’s the second most visited website in the world and has over 2 billion monthly users. Because that’s such a broad number, it can certainly be overwhelming for someone who’s never advertised on the platform before, so that’s why it’s crucial to narrow down the demographics.

Don’t approach a new client with such large numbers and risk scaring them away. Instead, focus on the demographics of a specific group, like Gen Z for example, which will be more digestible for your advertiser. Showcase the group’s interests, what they’re watching, what they’re responding to and use that as a jumping off point for your advertiser. Compile the data found online and use it in conjunction with AdMall’s AudienceSCAN profiles for whichever demographics you want to use for your pitch.

Photo by Kaique Rocha from Pexels


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