10 May YouTube Cleans Up Its Mess
YouTube could not move on from its continuous string of bad media attention without addressing the big elephant in the room – brand and content safety on its platform. “You’ve told us to do better when it comes to ad placements. These past weeks have been hard for you. We apologize for letting some of you down. We can and will do better”, apologetically said YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, calling out the general concern.
The PR ‘fix-it’ campaign took place during the yearly Digital Content NewFronts, an event where digital video publishers generate media buzz for their upcoming content. In its effort to show that YouTube was taking control over content and had celebrity support behind it, James Corden, Kevin Hart, and Katy Perry joined Wojcicki and her team unified onstage. It was definitely a needed moment for the company to show that although that have had their hiccups as of recently, they still have big supporters behind them.
Ryan Seacrest’s new show particularly, “Best.Cover.Ever”, was probably the most buzzed about new program for YouTube because one of its executive producers is Johnson & Johnson, who was one of the major key players to halt all YouTube spending due to their brand safety concerns.
Wojcicki and her team also used the Brandcast event to remind the media that the digital platform is home to a billion visitors each month and “not TV. [But] the platform that you all helped create represents something bigger. Together with our creators, you built one of the most dynamic, creative and inspiring communities in history.”
From a media perspective, YouTube handled their PR mess smart and strategic. By addressing what everyone already knew and what everyone was already talking about, they had the unique opportunity to bring the attention back to the beauty of their platform. YouTube has inevitably changed everyone, the way people share things, the way people connect, and the way people communicate. Despite all the issues of brand safety the company faced this year YouTube still grew 50 percent. So even though its imperfections have been brought to the spotlight recently, it certainty won’t devastate the digital platform entirely. It is too impactful and too relevant nowadays.