The Future of Identity

YouTube Continues to Draw Major Ad Dollars, but Retailers Are Cutting Back

The decline doesn't mean advertisers are finally leaving the embattled platform

Major retailers have sliced their YouTube spend by 20%.Getty Images
Headshot of Shoshana Wodinsky
By Shoshana Wodinsky

 

Despite the scandals that have befallen YouTube lately, the platform is still one of the most profitable online. But now, one advertising category—retail—is pulling back its spend on the platform.

That’s according to research out today from the the ad-intelligence platform MediaRadar, which released an analysis comparing media buyers’ behaviors across YouTube’s curated lineup of “preferred” channels for the first five months of 2018 and 2019. The study found that those in several categories, especially the tech and entertainment sectors, have consistently bumped their YouTube spend, but major retailers—including Macy’s, Gap and Sears—have sliced theirs by 20% overall.

Among

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Headshot of Shoshana Wodinsky

Shoshana Wodinsky

Shoshana Wodinsky is Adweek's platforms reporter, where she covers the financial and societal impacts of major social networks. She was previously a tech reporter for The Verge and NBC News.

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