In the October edition of “Trending now on YouTube,” Earnest Pettie, a YouTube video trends analyst who spots what’s piquing viewer interest, shares three kinds of videos trending now and the insights they reveal.
1. Halloween
Halloween-related searches spike every October on YouTube, but what never stays the same are the top-trending costumes. This year, Optimus Prime is the most popular costume, followed by Elsa and Moana.1 We also saw searches for costume ideas related to online video game Fortnite trend globally.
What this means for brands
This trend reflects the natural interplay between the offline and digital worlds, where people come to engage more deeply with the things they enjoyed offline. Marketers should be thinking carefully about how to create opportunities for fans to engage more deeply with their brands online, taking advantage of seasonal and cultural trends.
2. Holiday travel planning
As peak holiday travel season approaches, people are ditching their old travel books and turning to digital video to help plan their vacations. This year, views of travel-related videos increased 41% in August and September 2018 compared to 2017.2
What destinations are people searching for? In 2016 and 2017, the most popular fall destination was Japan, but this year it came in third place, behind Thailand (second place) and Mexico (first place).3
What this means for brands
Brands in the travel space can make the most of this trend by creating content that helps people improve their vacation experiences — like this Hotels.com video that provides pet-friendly vacation tips.
But even brands in other sectors can capitalize on this trend by creating content that transports viewers to extraordinary places. For example, Chanel takes viewers to Venice in the 1920s to showcase the inspiration behind its luxurious items, while Patagonia filmed a documentary that took viewers to northwestern Tasmania, reminding people how important it is to protect our natural wonders.
3. Morning and nighttime routines
We’re seeing a growing interest in morning routine and nighttime routine videos, where a YouTuber talks viewers through their process for applying skin-care products and makeup. Watch time for morning routine videos has more than tripled in the past two years.4 For nighttime routines, there’s been an 80% increase in watch time in the past year.5
What this means for brands
More than 60% of shoppers say digital video has given them ideas and inspirations for their purchases. As morning and nighttime routine videos continue to become more popular, people are coming to YouTube at all times of day to watch videos tailored exactly to their in-the-moment wants and needs. This presents marketers with new opportunities to introduce their brands and products to consumers who might not yet know them.
