Video is a highly effective tool to build brand awareness and loyalty. From customer testimonials to behind-the-scenes content to Q&A sessions, brands can use video to communicate their values and develop a personal, face-to-face connection with their customers.
However, a brand’s reputation is fragile: it can be damaged in a matter of seconds, and that damage can take months or years to prepare. That’s why choosing a video hosting platform that protects your brand is key to survival in a competitive market. YouTube attracts millions of users with free video hosting, but “free” hosting comes at a cost. As we’ll explain, the videos you upload to YouTube could be exposing your brand to unnecessary risk.
With Vimeo, brands can enjoy the benefits of video risk-free. By diversifying your video strategy, you can build trust and safeguard your reputation for long-term success. Let’s take a closer look at how Vimeo and YouTube compare.
Ceding control of video distribution to YouTube
YouTube’s business model is based primarily on generating revenue through advertising. The platform’s goal is to sell many ad formats and target viewers using your videos, hotels for free, to deliver those ad views. For YouTube, widespread distribution of your content is more important than protecting your brand. While the platform does not set out to deliberately damage your reputation, it does little to safeguard it.
According to YouTube’s standard Terms of Service, anyone can reuse your video on their website — meaning you’ve ceded control of distribution to YouTube’s 2.5 billion users. The video owner has no control over who uses the video or where it might end up. If that video is embedded on a site containing inappropriate content — or even just content that doesn’t align with your brand values — it could be extremely damaging to your business and its reputation.
With Vimeo, brands can avoid this risk altogether. Our paid customers maintain complete control over where videos are embedded using our embed player features. You get to choose the specific sites on which your videos can appear, allowing you to embed on your site and trusted external websites while preventing reuse on other platforms.
Protecting your brand is more complicated when hosting on YouTube. For most companies, the only way to stop external websites from reusing your content is by turning off embedding entirely, but this also prevents you from embedding it on your own site. Companies in YouTube’s partner monetization program can restrict embedding, but these brands must meet certain audience and Google AdSense requirements. For everyone else, the benefits of embedding must be weighed against the potential brand risks.
Suggested content threatens your brand
YouTube aims to keep users on their platform for as long as possible: the more content a viewer consumes, the more revenue YouTube collects through its ad-based model. That’s why, when you pause a video on YouTube, you’re served a host of suggestions based on your viewing history and the video that’s currently playing. As well as being a revenue risk — potential customers are pulled away from your video and out of your funnel— suggested content can be detrimental to your brand.
Take this example from NVIDIA. Hit pause at any point on their video about NVIDIA’s culture, and you’re presented with a video titled “Why I Rejected My NVIDIA Job Offer.” Even if the viewer doesn’t click through to that video, the thumbnail itself is enough to tarnish the brand and diminish the impact of the actual video.
The risk isn’t just a matter of content criticizing your brand directly — you’re also judged by the company you keep. If the suggested content is inappropriate or offensive, it reflects poorly on your brand — even if those suggestions are a result of the user’s own viewing history. Screenshots are forever, and you have no control over what content YouTube will serve a viewer while watching your video.
In comparison, Vimeo gives you total control over your brand’s message. When a viewer is watching your video, they only see your content — no distracting suggestions, no outside noise. Hosting on Vimeo allows brands to get the most out of their videos with zero reputational risk.
Anyone can buy ads — even your competitors
A positive reputation takes years to build, but can be undermined with a seconds-long ad. Anyone can pay to place ads in the videos you host on YouTube — targeting your content specifically. Your biggest competitors could use that space to criticize your brand or promote themselves as a superior alternative, leaving viewers to choose between your content and the competing narrative of the advertisement.
There’s no getting around YouTube advertising. Even if you opt out of monetizing your content, YouTube can still sell ad space in your videos, as stated in their Terms of Service. In addition, the platform recently introduced server-side ad insertion, integrating ads directly into the video stream and making them harder for users to block or skip. The probability that your audience is exposed to ads — the contents of which you cannot control — is now higher than ever.
As an ad-free player, Vimeo keeps your brand safe from damaging publicity. Every pricing option we offer guarantees zero ads before, during, or after your video. With Vimeo, you never need to worry about a competitor’s ad interrupting or undermining your message.
Learn more about Vimeo vs. YouTube
Today’s brands need to do everything in their power to maintain a positive image. When building a video strategy, this includes balancing the audience reach of YouTube with the potential brand risk. While YouTube undoubtedly can drive social media reach and attention, relying solely on the free hosting platform could backfire. Brands that diversify with Vimeo can avoid risk and build the positive reputation required for long-term success.
Check out our recent webinar with Tommy Landry of Return On Now To find out more about the risks of a YouTube-only video strategy.
Interested in safeguarding your brand with Vimeo video hosting? Contact our sales team to schedule a demo.
