In April 2025, youtube had a milestone bday.
Our challenge: first, to win the rfp.
youtube opened this pitch to its top agency partners.
turning 20 was a big deal. the brand wanted to celebrate, but…
most youtube fans weren’t born when youtube launched.
So, how do you celebrate a brand’s 20th without making it seem old?
We listened.
Hearing sensitivities, we decided to steer clear of nostalgia and instead focus on the one thing that sets YouTube apart from other platforms: creators.
so many celebrities were discovered on youtube, and it’s where creators learned to monetize.
had to include The Biebs.
we also found a way for youtube to celebrate its bday without being too me me me.
feeling like we understood the brand and what they needed, we won.
my role
During the pitch, I focused on:
Staffing the team, and managing many (many) cooks in the kitchen
Mentoring my creatives to think bigger than they were used to thinking
Helping the creatives shape their concepts into pitch-worthy ideas, with a strong narrative through-line
We launched with celebratory content and casual bday posts.
YouTube Play Button Takeover
next, We partnered with creators to make what we pitched.
YouTube Play Button Takeover
in june, We activated at vidcon.
My role
DURING THIS TIME, I FOCUSED ON:
Pushing the team to concept beyond the type of creators they personally gravitated towards.
Helping them learn how to get the most out of creators by delivering detailed briefs.
Mentoring my leads during production and post to ensure what we delivered was true to each creator’s style, and truly special for YouTube.
Performance
At launch, our posts drove 305K PEs (416% of launch week target) and earned 39k mentions five days after launch, with +25% net positive sentiment (aligning with Disney’s 100th birthday).
From the time of YouTube’s birthday to now, on YouTube Music alone, we gained 13.85k new followers (235% above expectations).
Overall, positive engagements for YT20 exceeded benchmarks by 200%.
