Pixability: Media Agency Survey 2023

The 2023 Pixability survey of 116 US media agency professionals who run ads directly for brand advertisers on YouTube and/or connected TV built on insights from previous years’ surveys to understand how strategies around YouTube, connected TV, and other digital video platforms are evolving.

Companies continue to invest heavily in YouTube

Most institutions are increasing or maintaining their investments

Despite some uncertainty about the economic situation in 2023 and 2024, about half of the advertisers who saw an increase in spending on YouTube this year will continue to do so next year. Few (7%) expect a decrease this year, and even fewer (4%) predict a decrease in 2024.

CTV investment continues to grow rapidly, traditional TV continues to decline, and Facebook/Instagram remain stable

The trend of ad spending shifting from traditional TV to CTV continues, with 65% of agencies seeing an increase in CTV ad spending, compared to only 10% for traditional TV. Additionally, some of the public backlash against Meta may be reflected in the lack of investment growth on Facebook/Instagram.

Brand safety and performance remain top priorities for YouTube campaigns

The survey found that brand safety and performance are the top two priorities for agencies when managing their clients' YouTube campaigns. Brand suitability as a concept has gained traction; two years ago, the survey showed a lack of understanding of the value of advertising. This year's survey and last year's survey found agencies are placing a greater emphasis on keeping campaigns suitability and safe.

Balancing brand suitability and performance is key for advertising agencies

Most agencies try to strike a balance between brand suitability and performance when running YouTube campaigns. Larger agencies are more likely to emphasize suitability, while independent agencies are more likely to emphasize performance. For many of the big brands we work with, fit is critical.

YouTube is increasingly used to achieve full-funnel KPIs

In the early days of YouTube, the platform was considered just an awareness play. While it remains a key tool for driving brand awareness, agencies are increasingly looking to use it as an omnichannel or action-driven platform.

Brand suitability calibration: Agencies point out the risks of not using the right measures.

Google has done a great job making YouTube safer. But when it comes to suitability, agencies feel that without the right solutions, an average of 30% of campaigns could go off target, which is inappropriate.