If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is likely worth a million. And some of the YouTube accounts on this list have seen that many, and more, views. That’s a testament to the power of images in telling compelling stories, building brands and driving social sharing online. In fact, online video is the perfect marriage of social media and compelling content. What makes a YouTube channel different than, say, TV ads? The medium, first off, is fueled by an inbound pull, and not an outbound push. People choose to watch videos, whereas most go to a lot of trouble to actively avoid most ads. Some companies do little more than simply post their commercials on their channel, but for the companies who are willing to explore the possibilities in the new media landscape, the options are endless—especially if they actively practice engagement on their channels. That’s partly due to the fact that YouTube changed its algorithm last week to recommend videos based on engagement and viewing time, not just clicks. With that mind, here are some standouts exhibiting best practices for your viewing pleasure. Watch and learn!

2. WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube
Channels
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is likely worth a million. And some of
the YouTube accounts on this list have seen that many, and more, views. That’s a
testament to the power of images in telling compelling stories, building brands and
driving social sharing online. In fact, online video is the perfect marriage of social media
and compelling content.
What makes a YouTube channel different than, say, TV ads? The medium, first off, is
fueled by an inbound pull, and not an outbound push. People choose to watch videos,
whereas most go to a lot of trouble to actively avoid most ads. Some companies do little
more than simply post their commercials on their channel, but for the companies who
are willing to explore the possibilities in the new media landscape, the options are
endless—especially if they actively practice engagement on their channels. That’s partly
due to the fact that YouTube changed its algorithm last week to recommend videos
based on engagement and viewing time, not just clicks.
With that mind, here are some standouts exhibiting best practices for your viewing
pleasure. Watch and learn!

3. 1. Dell
Consistent Branding Wins Big
For a big brand with worldwide reach,
Dell is a perfect example of sticking to a
traditional video presentation for a large
corporation. You won’t see anything
frivolous here. You’ll instead find reliable,
straightforward product information,
business support resources, and
industry news on Dell’s channel.
The channel features almost 1,670
videos, posted at a frequency of one to
several a day. Also, the videos are
typically very well produced, with top
quality audio and backgrounds. They
focus on outlining value propositions
without an overt sales tone. As a result,
this tech giant enjoys a giant following at
over 9K+ subscribers and 12M+ views to
date.
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

4. 2. Southwest Airlines
Flying High Online
The airline industry is no stranger to
the challenges of video. On more than
one occasion, online video has hurt
various airlines (the broken guitar song
is an example, albeit impacting another
airline). As we all know, the video
revolution can be double-edged sword.
But Southwest bucks the trend, and is
doing quite well in creating a winning
narrative online by generating its own
branded video content—as proven by
over 8.2M views. Check out the SWA
Stew segments, for example. A fun,
fast-moving, snarky, magazine style
weekly update of Southwest’s blog
posts, community happenings, and
more, this program is part of SWA’s
emerging media division.
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

5. 3. The Associated Press
Not Your Grandpa’s News
One billion video views and 260K
subscribers, all from a company founded
in 1846. The AP’s ability to adapt to the
new media landscape and come out on
top is beyond just notable. It’s the
highest ranking global news network on
YouTube and in the top 10 of any type of
channel listing, period.
The Associated Press video channels
feature intriguing categories, such as
“Raw” video, comprised of gritty, real-
time scenes of crisis situations. Sounds
scary, but it certainly is as “raw” as billed.
The AP also features “Today in History”
and on-location “Breaking News.” For
seamlessly melding tradition with new
technology, we salute The Associated
Press.
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

6. 4. Warner Music Group
Getting Its Groove On
Over 6B (yes, that’s billion) views and 1M
subscribers underscores the value of
offering music videos online. What’s
more, online music videos are immensely
shareable, so it’s small wonder that the
Warner Music Group presents its social
icons front and center here.
This is one of the top 10 most visited
YouTube Channels, where music is
served up from Universal Music Group's
record labels like Decca, Interscope
Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam
Music Group and more. The channel also
does a great job tying playlists to
newsworthy events such as SXSW and
even St. Patrick’s Day. Talk about
marrying fun with functional!
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

7. 5. Machinima
Game On!
If you’re a numbers freak, you might
want to sit down. The stats might floor
you: 4.2M subscribers, 4B video
views, and 126M channel views.
Machinima features video game
trailers, mashups and more. As much
as it may seem strange to feature
them here, we felt justified. According
to the Entertainment Software
Association, consumers spent $25B
on video games in 2010 and 70%+ of
American households play them. We
admired those numbers, too, and
thought they deserved a spot—
especially considering they are the #3
most visited YouTube channel. Score!
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

8. 6. Vevo
The Revolution Will Be Digitized
Vevo’s brand is all about music. Its
innovation is that it helps you create
your custom listening station, featuring
officially sanctioned, high-quality music
videos. It does this by integrating the
artists you have +1’d on Google+, liked
on Facebook, added to your iTunes
playlists, and more. It’s a convenient
way to serve up customized listening!
Vevo hosts 1M+ subscribers with 27M+
video views. Its awards are impressive,
too, having been named multiple times
as a Top 50 Most Viewed video
channel. For branding a music
revolution based on customers picking
what they want, when they want it, you
can’t beat Vevo.
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

9. 7. Starbucks
Our Love Affair Continues
We’ve mentioned Starbucks before.
We’re simply smitten by the brand
experience. As a large corporation,
Starbucks does its social media right,
and its YouTube channel is no exception.
We bring your attention back to
Starbucks’ EveryLove Stories. We
mentioned these when we profiled
Starbuck’s Google+ page, but here’s the
deal: Coffee is social. Social is all about
community. Focusing on fair trade coffee
deals, tapping into the frenzy of Fashion
Week, and highlighting philanthropic
ideals is leveraging community where it
lives. Add in the brand’s high positive
sentiment rating in the social media
chatter, and you have a sure winner
served up hot. Cafe Ole!
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

10. 8. GoPro
A Unique POV
It’s hard not to be captivated by the
sheer coolness factor of this brand’s
channel (and product). GoPro is the
world leader in wearable and gear
mountable cameras for sports and
activities, and its YouTube channel sits at
the top of many most viewed lists.
Once you start clicking on videos here,
you won’t stop. You’ll see extreme sports
enthusiasts like surfers, snowboarders,
skateboarders and more strap a GoPro
cameras and jump in. This enables them
to capture first-person POVs of their
stunts. That makes for some pretty
intense videos. We like how the channel
demonstrates the product in action. With
181K subscribers and 107M+ views,
others are beginning to love it, too.
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

11. 9. Walmart
Discount Retailer Keeping It Real
Walmart’s brand is so well-known that
the only user info listed on its YouTube
channel is the tagline, “Save More, Live
Better.” With 7+ million views, it’s hard
to argue with the company’s branding
approach. What caught our attention is
the way retailer is incorporating
personality into its product features.
The channel highlights numerous 30-
second videos featuring products that
sell at Walmart. The product features
are presented by actual Walmart
employees demonstrating them to in-
store buyers. The channel features fun
music, an approachable, real-life
spokesperson, and it shows the product
up close and without glitz. Bravo to
Walmart for keeping it real!
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

12. 10. Orabrush
Branding Bad Breath
You wouldn’t expect us to pick a
channel for a product that brushes
your tongue clean. But since this
channel has 46M+ views and 176K
subscribers, it’s our surprise twist this
week. The edgy videos are full of silly
costumes and funny references to
bad breath, kisses and more. With
videos titles likes “The Diary of a Dirty
Tongue,” you can imagine how far the
brand pushes it.
But where the channel really gets
edgy is in the comments section
where brand fans take the narrative
to extremes. For opening the brand to
unbridled consumer commentary, we
commend Orabrush. That’s what
social media is all about!
WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube Channels

13. WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube
Channels
Goliath, Meet David
Part of what we discovered as we researched brands on YouTube is that some really
big companies are not getting the knack of new media. Many are so laced up that
they don’t grasp that social requires them to be compelling, engaging, and sharable.
As the channels we picked illustrate: Social requires you to loosen up. Add in some
humor, know your audience, and give them what will engage them as fans—not just
as buyers—and you’re well on your way. Having a strong and consistent voice is
also important—as is engaging one-on-one whenever possible, especially in the
comments section. These YouTube pages do just that. We know we didn’t capture
every brand page that deserves a mention, so shout out your favorites in our
comments section below. We’re all ears!
To read all the Pulses and other Slideshare.net presentations, click here.

14. WINNERS TO WATCH
10 Stellar Branded YouTube
Channels
Next on “The Pulse”:
Viral by Nature: 10 Top Branded Viral Videos
THE PULSE:
Delivering shareable and shareworthy content with a twist
so integrated marketing and communications professionals can work smarter, succeed and enjoy.
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