Over the past 20 years, YouTube has evolved from a simple site for sharing videos into the most-watched streaming platform in the U.S., hosting more than 20 billion videos. Meanwhile, creators have gone from hobbyists with webcams to building studios and global fandoms that rival those of Hollywood. Those fans are watching and participating across every screen, with CTV now surpassing mobile to become the No. 1 way to watch YouTube in the U.S.
These shifts challenge conventional thinking about the traditional marketing funnel and the role of video across the consumer purchase journey.
Beyond the funnel: A new kind of consumer journey
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) confirmed the stakes for marketers when they declared, “it’s time for marketers to move beyond the linear funnel.” Their research showed that today’s journeys no longer follow a linear funnel but are fragmented across four simultaneous, overlapping behaviors: streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping.
BCG found that video is deeply influential throughout the purchase journey, far beyond awareness alone.
Now, BCG’s latest research shows that planning around touchpoints that positively influence customer choices can unlock opportunities that planning against a funnel can’t. BCG defines influence here as “the ability to meaningfully and memorably affect consumer demand and outcomes.” And after analyzing the behavior of 10,000 U.S. shoppers, they found that video is deeply influential throughout the purchase journey, far beyond awareness alone.
According to a Google-commissioned BCG study of respondents who reported that digital video played a role in their path to purchase, 43% said it got them interested in buying a product, 50% said it made them aware of products or brands, 45% said that it helped them choose which product or brand to purchase, and 34% even said that it prompted them to buy a specific item.1
While video’s role across the journey is clear, not all platforms are equally essential to the consumer decision-making process. According to the same BCG study, surveyed respondents reported that YouTube was 1.7X more likely to positively influence brand consideration and 1.6X more likely to positively influence purchase decisions than social platforms.2
Yet YouTube’s outsized role across the journey is often overlooked in media plans that lean on funnel-based assumptions. For example, the same BCG study showed that, for the two categories studied, YouTube was significantly underutilized by marketers when its share of total ad spend was indexed against its influence on consumer purchase decisions. This disconnect shows one clear way that traditional models can leave value on the table.
The new currencies of influence: Attention, relevance, and trust
Funnel-based approaches prioritized broad reach, assuming impact scales along with impressions. BCG’s research points to three deeper, more human factors that best explain the influence a touchpoint has on a purchase: attention, relevance, and trust.
Consider this from your audiences’ perspective. Attention is what they give when content captures their interest in a sea of distractions. Relevance is what they feel when that content speaks to their passions and needs. Trust is what they place in voices they find authentic, giving them confidence to make a decision.
YouTube fans aren’t just following a funnel. They’re following the big moments, conversations, and voices that speak to them and make them feel connected.
BCG’s analysis found that while some platforms might skew toward attention, relevance, or trust, YouTube excelled in all three. According to BCG, surveyed shoppers reported that on YouTube they are 1.5X more likely to pay attention to content, that the content is 1.7X more relevant, and that the content is more than twice as trustworthy than social platforms.3
YouTube also leads in attention, relevance, and trust compared to longer form content platforms. According to BCG, surveyed shoppers reported that on YouTube they are 2X more likely to pay attention to content, find content relevant, and trust content on YouTube, compared to streaming platforms.4
This is because, on YouTube, fans aren’t just following a funnel. They’re following the big moments, conversations, and voices that speak to them and make them feel connected.
Whether it’s immersive storytelling, live sports, or short-form videos, this unified experience gives brands an unprecedented canvas to connect with audiences. This builds unparalleled attention and relevance, anchored by the unique trust YouTube audiences place in creators. An Ipsos study confirmed that surveyed online users are 98% more likely to trust the recommendations of creators on YouTube versus those on other platforms.5
The brands that succeed in this new landscape understand how to build connections within the culture their audiences create.
Building attention, relevance, and trust on YouTube
The brands that succeed in this new landscape won’t be the ones who simply follow their audience. They will be the ones that understand how to build connections within the culture their audiences create. This requires shifting their mindset from “reach first” to optimizing for attention, relevance, and trust.
We’re partnering with brands and agencies to make this approach more accessible, so that they can make the most of YouTube. To help measure this impact, we’re also developing new metrics and AI-powered insights that reflect how your customers make decisions.
Because in a world of marketing beyond the funnel, there’s a new mandate for marketers: Don’t just buy an impression; make an impression.
