Our Creator Spotlight series explores how brands can get more from their social strategies by partnering with YouTube creators. Here, “Challenge Accepted” host Michelle Khare shares why personal care brand Dove was the perfect fit for her tae kwon do episode, and how she crafts branded content for the platform.
YouTube creator Michelle Khare has a simple explanation for why her brand partnerships perform so well. When her show cuts to an ad that features her giving the pitch, her fans keep watching.
“Challenge Accepted” follows Khare as she attempts training as a ballerina, an FBI hostage negotiator, a garbage collector, and other difficult jobs. With 5 million subscribers, she has built a community over the years that trusts her to tell a good story.
That trust is the magic behind YouTube creator ads and brand partnerships. Online users are 98% more likely to trust the recommendations of creators on YouTube, compared to social platforms. And trust in YouTube creators leads to quicker, more confident purchases, such that YouTube’s influence cuts down the average online video shopper’s journey by six days.
Here’s Khare in her own words on how creators like her are changing what ads can be.
Celia Salsi, director of product, YouTube Ads Marketing: Thanks so much for sitting down with us, Michelle. Let’s start with I Trained Like a Black Belt for 90 Days, your first feature-length episode. Why was Dove the perfect brand partner for that story?
Michelle Khare: This was a really big, ambitious project that our team had been wanting to do for years. To get to study the art form of tae kwon do for three months of my life was such a special opportunity, and that’s exactly why we had to partner with a company like Dove, whose mission is to promote women in sport and break down gender barriers.
As we made this documentary about a very male-dominated sport, Dove was the perfect partner. They were so aligned in our mission. And let’s be honest, when you’re training in tae kwon do every day for 90 days, you’re going to need to shower quite a lot. I went through many bottles of Dove body wash in the process!
That’s a solid endorsement! How do you weave the ad into the episode in a way that’s authentic and transparent?
I am very involved and hands-on when we collaborate with a brand partner, because I get really excited when we’re at that part of the process. For our team, it’s about coming to that beautiful middle ground, where the branded moment flows really well into the project itself.
We are thinking critically about retention and attention. We’re asking ourselves, “When someone sits down in front of a TV, how can we command the living room and make sure that our story is worth their time?”
We and our brand partners had the mutual goal of entertaining our audience.
In an episode called I Tried Defending a Murder Trial, I go to a mock trial to see how I fare against a real defense lawyer. We thought it would be fun to do a “local lawyer”-style green-screen commercial. If you go to the comments, there are people saying, “That was the best ad I’ve ever watched.” That’s because, at the heart of it, we and our brand partners had the mutual goal of entertaining our audience.
I love that insight about developing ads that are as entertaining as the content itself. Relatedly, I’m curious to know what helps you feel personally connected to a brand. What sparks your interest?
Honestly, I love working with brands that have similar values and create products I believe in. It’s as simple as that. We are very, very lucky to get to be particular about the brands we collaborate with, but man, when it’s the right fit, do we ever move to make it happen!
We’ve collaborated with a variety of different brands in tons of different verticals. I always ask myself, “Do I believe in this product? Do I believe in what the company stands for? And do we like collaborating with the people working on the project?” I love working with other creative, fun people, regardless of their industry or professional background.
Tell us about some of your favorite experiences working with brands. What was it like to collaborate?
Ooh, OK, this is a good one. I really enjoyed the branded partnership we did with SoFi for the episode, I Tried Houdini’s Deadliest Trick. That episode followed me as I worked with a group of free divers, stuntmen, and magicians to learn how to do Harry Houdini’s [Water] Torture Cell escape, which was an incredible endeavor on its own.
To me, a brand partner is another artistic collaborator who can help you make an ad really fun for the audience.
We came up with this fun way to deliver the talking points for the finance app SoFi. I had to escape the handcuffs under a time constraint that was very close to the time restrictions for our branded segment. I said, OK, let me just try to do my escape while saying the talking points. And, in fact, there’s a flat retention through the entire ad. That’s because we were giving the audience value by showing them a part of my high-stakes training, while also informing and educating them about the video’s sponsor.
We took the same approach in our episode, I Tried Anchoring the News. We didn’t just say the talking points in front of the camera. We drove to the news station, where I delivered the talking points in front of a green screen as though they were the weather. Honestly, it’s about having a lot of creative fun. To me, a brand partner is another artistic collaborator who can help you make an ad really fun for the audience.
What kinds of brands are you most excited to work with in the future?
Oh my gosh. Where do I start? I want to work with everybody.
Later this year, I am embarking on what I think will be one of the biggest challenges of my life thus far. I am going to be participating in an event called The Great World Race: seven marathons on seven continents in seven calendar days.
With this project, we have so many opportunities to collaborate with so many kinds of brands: athletic shoes, apparel, smartwatches, a cell service provider so I can call my parents at the finish line in Antarctica. What I love about this is that, of course, we’re not just making one episode but multiple documentaries and regular short-form content. This is a prime opportunity for any brand to be a part of my story for eight to nine months.
That variety of formats you mention is a great advantage in terms of relevance. Speaking of which, what’s your advice for marketers wondering which format to leverage when partnering with YouTube creators?
Let the story choose the format for you. We always go into each project without a hard expectation for how long the final piece should be. Sometimes, we cut things down to 15 minutes. Other times, it’s a 77-minute documentary, because that is the fastest way we can respectfully tell the story.
We are right there on the same stage as all the major streamers — and even outperforming them.
Well said. And, of course, the same applies to ads. Branded content can be six seconds or 15 minutes long, depending on the brand story. Storytelling is the bottom line.
Finally, what are your thoughts on this idea that YouTube is becoming the New Hollywood?
When you open a smart TV, the YouTube app is right there. Front and center, right next to all of the other streamers. Given that Nielsen data shows YouTube is No. 1, I get very excited about that. To me, that says enough. We are right there on the same stage as all the major streamers — and even outperforming them.
I look forward to a future where we are thinking about ads in really innovative and creative ways. For example, how about getting YouTube talent to produce your ad?
When someone comes to my channel and it cuts to an ad with me in it, they’re more likely to keep watching, the same way you’re more likely to keep watching commercial breaks during “Seinfeld” if Jerry’s in the commercial. We tested that theory when we made custom YouTube creator ads for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
I’d love for advertisers to see us as nimble creatives who are ready to collaborate.
Visit Michelle Khare’s YouTube channel to watch the “Challenge Accepted” series and explore her work with brands like Dove.
