YouTube turns 20: Adland talks its decades of ‘unmatched opportunity’ to engage audiences

YouTube celebrated its 20th anniversary on 14 February 2025. Since its inception, the video-sharing app has become home to billions of videos covering just about any topic. 

Throughout YouTube’s two decades of existence, the video-sharing landscape has changed dramatically – from the number of competitors to contend with to the viewership stats of an average video. 

For brands and marketers, the platform’s ever-growing audience has made it a useful resource for advertising. Now backed by billions of ad dollars, PMW spoke to industry experts on YouTube’s significance within adland and beyond. 

‘Its longevity underscores not only its deep cultural relevance, but also its ability to evolve’

Thomas Walters, Founder and CEO of Billion Dollar Boy, said: “Over the past 20 years, YouTube has faced – and outlasted – numerous competitors, from Vimeo to Vine. Its longevity underscores not only its deep cultural relevance but also its ability to evolve and remain a dominant force in digital content.”

Gareth Holmes, Vice President of Commercial Strategy Media at SeenThis, added: “YouTube has transformed the way we consume content, shaping digital culture and redefining advertising. With over 2.7 billion monthly users, it offers advertisers an unmatched opportunity to engage audiences through video storytelling. The platform has proven video is unequivocally the most compelling medium for brands, driving awareness, engagement, and conversions at scale.”

To maintain its relevance and ensure longevity, YouTube has always tried to evolve to meet the demands of its viewers. The introduction of shorts to scratch people’s short-form content itch and compete with the likes of Instagram reels and TikTok is an example. 

However, Walters believes YouTube’s consistency ultimately comes down to the platform sticking to its roots in times of change.

He explained: “In more recent years, TikTok has emerged as a leading competitor in the short-form video space, but YouTube remains robustly competitive and, with TikTok facing a potential US ban, its shorts format means it’s perfectly poised to absorb any displaced audiences and creators.

“While YouTube has successfully expanded into short-form content, its greatest advantage lies in its ability to capitalise on the resurgence of long-form video. TikTok disrupted YouTube’s dominance by accelerating passive, short-form consumption, but consumer behaviour is now shifting toward more intentional media engagement.

“Billion Dollar Boy research shows that 72% of creators plan to increase their output of long-form content this year. For brands, this is a key opportunity – long-form content drives deeper engagement, higher retention, and more lucrative monetisation opportunities. Unlike short-form videos, which offer fleeting discovery, long-form fosters audience loyalty and enables richer storytelling, making it a powerful tool for brand partnerships and revenue generation.

“The platform’s growing influence in connected TV (CTV) is further evidence of this shift. YouTube recently captured a record share of US TV usage among streaming platforms, outperforming Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu. This marks a significant moment for advertisers, as creator-led content becomes an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional TV ad placements.”

‘YouTube’s free choice model provides a challenge to brands to get creative’

Although long-form content appears to be having a resurgence, not just on YouTube, but also evidenced by platforms such as Twitch, advertising with the medium isn’t without its challenges.

Amy Williams, CEO of Good-Loop, warned brands that “with greater ad loads and the increasing tendency to skip ads, especially for younger viewers, it’s becoming harder for brands to sustain our attention”. 

She said: “Consumers understand advertising funds the free internet, but the value exchange must always involve choice over invasiveness and forced viewing. The revolutionary YouTube skip button gave viewers this choice and demonstrated that brands resonate better with audiences when their time is respected and valued.

“With more time being spent on YouTube and viewing habits increasingly resembling traditional TV, this powerful little skip button gives brands an incentive to be more thoughtful about how they show up. With ads that not only entertain and excite but also creating value and providing relevant payoffs for watching. 

“As an industry we need to be moving away from forced attention and towards earned attention, becoming less transactional with consumers’ time. In empowering users to skip, YouTube’s free choice model provides a challenge to brands to get creative in how they overcome low engagement and give back to viewers.”

YouTube’s 20th anniversary marks a momentous milestone for not only the platform itself, but also the broader video sharing ecosystem. Having outlasted competitors and maintained relevance over two decades, advertisers can view the platform as a reliable, sustainable channel for adspend investment. 

However, while YouTube continues to succeed within its own ecosystem, consumer behaviour extends beyond it. 

On the implications of this for marketers, Holmes said: “For advertisers who have seen success with YouTube, extending their strategy to the open web with streamed video ads is the natural next step. By meeting audiences where they are on premium publisher sites, news platforms, and beyond brands can amplify reach, drive performance, and future-proof their video advertising strategy.

“Now is the time to evolve. Stream smarter. Advertise everywhere.”

Also published in: Performance Marketing World