YouTube has been shaping culture through video for over 20 years. From influential creators to the biggest global moments — across a multitude of genres and disciplines — YouTube is the only place that brings it all together.
The platform is home to billions of passionate fans. It has become a vital channel for brands to connect with new audiences, convert niche subjects into accessible content, and drive ROI.
If you’ve yet to fully embed YouTube in your strategy, see how these four Nordic and Benelux brands have used the platform to drive marketing success:
1. HEMA: Pivoting from TV to YouTube — and reaching a new audience in the process
If you are still relying solely on TV to connect with new audiences, there might just be an easier — and more effective — way.
Like many heritage brands, retailer HEMA was facing the challenge of staying true to its history while attempting to reach younger audiences. That’s when it turned to YouTube.
The Dutch-born brand set a few rules. It did not want to repurpose TV ads for other platforms. Furthermore, it did not want to compromise its brand essence.
HEMA used XMR data to easily see the efficiency and reach of both its YouTube and TV campaigns in one report; comparing apples to apples.
This enabled HEMA to fine-tune its strategy in real time, creating different formats and using YouTube's audience tools to reach specific age groups and interests.
2. Wolt: Delivering brand lift via Connected TV (CTV)
CTV has become one of the key methods for watching TV shows, movies, and events. In fact, 60% of YouTube CTV viewers in the Netherlands prefer watching YouTube over linear TV1.
As a food delivery platform with a global audience, Wolt wanted to be top of mind for its customers. That’s when it decided to test a simple hypothesis: Do ads work better when people watch them together?
Across 16 markets, the company explored whether co-viewing — the shared experience of streaming content together on CTV — could drive stronger brand results.
3. Bookbeat: Connecting with likeminded fans
When it comes to reaching your target audience, have you considered a platform that may not — on paper — fit your brand’s style? This is a question audiobook company Bookbeat looked to address.
Principally, the Swedish brand was unsure if an audio-first service could thrive on the video-first platform that is YouTube.
To put this to the test, Bookbeat created an exciting, immersive campaign that plunged viewers into some of literature’s most enticing scenes. It also edited videos to suit different stages of the funnel and used a plethora of tools to reach digitally native, young book lovers on YouTube.
4. Novonesis: Turning an unlikely subject into a viral sensation
YouTube can be the ideal platform for you to craft compelling, impactful stories — no matter how niche or complex the subject matter.
Danish biotechnology firm Novonesis were aware that it occupies quite a technical, scientific space. Its marketing team were keen to spread the word about the importance of biosolutions, and do it in a way that was accessible for everyone.
Moving beyond the jargon, Novonesis recruited a bestselling author for an engaging, informative video that showcased how its solutions help in everyday life.
Launched as a three-minute skippable ad, the video’s average watch time exceeded two minutes and was viewed over six million times on YouTube alone.
