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Generation C powers YouTube's growth in India

Indiantelevision.com Team

(12 February 2013 7:56 pm)

MUMBAI: Search engine giant Google has released new insights into India’s audiences on YouTube that reveal major opportunities for brand advertisers. More than 70 per cent of YouTube’s viewers in India are under the age of 35, while 72 per cent have a college degree or higher, according to an online survey by Google of more than 2000 Indians.

The research paints a picture of a new type of consumer Google terms Generation C: a young, tech-savvy group of trendsetters who define what’s popular in content and culture. This group thrives on 4Cs, each of which represents an opportunity for brands to reach and engage Gen C on YouTube.

Creation: YouTube users are deeply engaged with online video, spending hours watching, creating and uploading video on YouTube and creating opportunities for advertisers to engage with this prized demographic in the process.

Three quarters of Indian web users say YouTube is their first stop when looking for videos online. The same proportion claims it’s one of their favourite websites. The research also revealed that one in five Indian YouTube users creates video content on a daily basis.

Community: India’s Generation C constitutes an active online community, swapping videos with friends via email and social networks. More than half of Indian YouTube users share videos on social networks, and the same proportion also shares videos from YouTube over email.

But that’s not the end of the story: About three quarters of Indian YouTube users go on to visit the site mentioned in a YouTube video and a whopping 3 in 5, posted a comment about the video, while 7 in 10 scroll down to read comments others have written.

Curation: India’s Gen C cares about finding videos that matters to them, using subscriptions help manage their interests and content preferences--including branded content.

Connection: Gen C switches between devices 27 times a day, and Indian users watch nearly 30 per cent of their YouTube videos on mobile. Smartphone owners spend one quarter of their YouTube time on mobile, while tablet owners spend about 20 per cent.

YouTube Vice President of Marketing Danielle Tiedt said, “If brands create videos that Gen C loves to share, they will. If you create communities around your brand, Gen C will join and participate.” And with 2 in 3 Indian users visiting websites mentioned in the videos they watch directly, that’s a major opportunity."

Google predicts that as smartphone penetration continues to rise in India, so will the opportunities for brands to personally reach Gen C. That’s good news for advertisers, because greater connectivity across multiple screens create more opportunities for brands to communicate with this crucial audience.