Weathering the Adpocalypse
YouTube has become a revenue source for artists of varying stripes over the last few years, thanks to Google Ads, AdWords and other tools that have allowed artists to make some money on their creations – especially videos and music.
But while YouTube has been portrayed as a “public square” for creative expression, YouTube is run by a private company, and that company ultimately reserves the right to “censor” the content presented on its platform.
Over the last year, YouTube utilizes its censorship power by “demonetizing” videos – removing ads so the content creator cannot make money for the views they get.
And for creatives who have thousands of followers and hundreds of thousands or even millions of views, that can be a real drain on the pocketbook. This is especially true if you rely on YouTube to generate revenue that pays for future content.
The “Adpocalypse” term comes from those who rely on YouTube revenue through advertising to pay for future content production. It leads people, like YouTube personality Peter Hollens, to look to take more control of content and have more creative freedom.
While Hollens is not much into making money off his content on YouTube, he has consulted for other creatives and has focused more on the brand than on the revenue.
“I encourage everyone to diversify,” Hollens said. “What YouTube does is teach an important business lesson: To make sure you have multiple revenue streams.”
Hollens himself diversifies, and uses content-management platform Skylab to curate, develop and share his content without third-party interference or “censorship.”
There are many trends that are taking place and in addition to going mobile, large brands and influencers are looking for ways to offer some exclusivity to their followers. In addition, the influencers and brands want to own their own space and ultimately the engagement and the Big Data that comes with it.
“This is more about promoting your brand,” Hollens said. “What I really like about companies like Skylab is that they have created a platform where I can gather a lot of data, and have more control over that data. Data is so important these days, and having control over your content, your brand and the interaction with your audience is really beneficial. In that respect, Skylab as at the top of its field in that space.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
To learn more about the “Adpocalypse” and to see other case studies of how large platforms are demonetizing brands and influencers content. Visit the article we wrote on censorship here
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