YouTube
YouTube
To give everyone a voice and show them the world.
This article is part of a Brand Strategy column focused on uncovering the associations behind the world’s most disruptive brands. See all reviews
Did you know that YouTube originally started as a dating site? That is probably one of the most unexpected stories you can find in the YouTube Brand Book. But not the most interesting.
In the brand book, YouTube presents its brand philosophy and values in the form of four foundational freedoms: Freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of opportunity, freedom to belong.
They are beautifully described, and very much aligned with the platform somewhat libertarian brand mission: "to give everyone a voice and show them the world". They serve as a compass for the brand, and set expectations for how YouTube operates.
These values are more consumer facing, and differ from traditional brand values that companies typically use to also describe the identity of their people in terms of beliefs and behaviors. My assumption is that the YouTube culture is shared with and shaped by the parent company.
Ultimately, YouTube employees are also Googlers.
Brand Mission (Why we exist):
To give everyone a voice and show them the world.
We believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories.
Brand Beliefs (Who we are):
Freedom of expression
We believe that everyone should be able to speak freely, share opinions, and foster open dialogue, and that creative freedom leads to new voices, formats, and possibilities.
Freedom of information
We believe that everyone should have easy, open access to information, and that video is a powerful force for education, building understanding, and documenting world events big or small.
Freedom of opportunity
We believe that everyone should have a chance to be discovered, build a business, and succeed on their own terms, and that people—not gatekeepers—should decide what’s popular.
Freedom to belong
We believe that everyone should be able to find communities of support, break down barriers, transcend borders, and come together around shared interests and passions.
Descriptor (What we do):
A way for people around the world to share videos.
Visual Design Values (How we express ourselves):
Human (diverse, candid, authentic)
The vast majority of YouTubes content is created by real people: non-professionals with cameras and ideas to share. Their little imperfections lend YouTube's corpus a sense of humanity that very few other brands can own. Our design should never appear as if by magic. We should always let the viewer know that behind every expression is a real person.
Connected (community, belonging, engaging)
People come to YouTube to interact with and learn from others. Everyday, more than a billion people from around the globe meet and share their points of view. Our brand expressions celebrate these relationships-both philosophically and literally. They should never feel isolated or lonely.
Expressive (vibrant, immaginative, intriguing)
Whenever anyone posts a video to YouTube, they are expressing their point of view. Our design is never generic. It's bold, colorful and opinionated, and reflective of the wider world. By communicating with an increasingly diverse range of voices, we reach new people every single day.
Story-driven (active, perspective, clear)
Every video tells a story. Every upload adds another chapter to YouTube's narrative. Our design is part of a greater story. We meet our characters in singular moment. We sense the plot and action that's brought them here - and it's clear the action won't stop when the moment is over.
“About YouTube”, YouTube, accessed February 29, 2024, https://about.youtube/
“About”, YouTube Social Impact, accessed February 29, 2024, https://socialimpact.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/
“YouTube at 15: My personal journey and the road ahead ”, Youtube Blog, accessed March 5, 2024, https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-at-15-my-personal-journey/
“About”, Youtube Social Impact, accessed February 29, 2024, https://socialimpact.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/