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India recently became the second-largest 5G smartphone market in the world, fueling an online video revolution. Indians spent an incredible 6.1 trillion minutes watching online video between January 2022 and March 2023. And here’s the kicker: 88% of that time was spent on YouTube.
With YouTube Shorts leading the charge, this snackable content format isn’t just entertaining millions – it’s also rewriting the rules of marketing. For brands trying to make an impression in India’s buzzing digital landscape, YouTube Shorts is the ultimate power move.
From long-winded to short and sweet: How we got here
Today’s audience craves quick, engaging, and value-packed moments that fit seamlessly into short breaks between class, while waiting for a conference call to start, or even on the metro ride home. That’s exactly why platforms like YouTube Shorts have taken off. They deliver impactful content in seconds, perfect for time-poor viewers who want maximum value with minimum effort. In simpler terms: we get more with YouTube Shorts.
India is riding this wave hard. With a jaw-dropping 70 billion daily views globally on YouTube Shorts, Indians are tuning in like never before. And it’s not just about entertainment anymore – this format is where brands are starting conversations, sparking trends, and driving real results.
India’s short-form video market is on its way to becoming an $8–12 billion industry by 2030. That’s some serious growth potential, and it’s being fueled by more than just the metro cities. Smaller towns and cities are eating up short-form video content. Affordable smartphones, cheap internet, and a growing creator ecosystem are all pushing this surge. People are hungry for relatable, hyper-local content, and YouTube Shorts is delivering it.
Why short-form video is perfect for the attention economy
Our attention spans are shorter than before, and that means that marketers need fast, punchy content that hooks us in and delivers information in bite-sized pieces. That’s where YouTube Shorts thrives.
Short-form video doesn’t waste our time, and doesn’t beat around the bush. No more missing out on a brand you’d have loved, if only they’d just gotten to the point. Marketers are learning to say more with less, crafting impactful stories in just a few seconds. It’s almost like speed dating, but for brands.
Another game-changer? Instant feedback. On YouTube Shorts, brands can see what clicks (and what flops) almost immediately. That means quick pivots, smarter strategies, and better engagement. For marketers, this is akin to having a direct line to their audience, minus the guesswork. From sparking curiosity to closing the deal, Shorts is proving to be the ideal stage for marketers to create compelling, measurable campaigns that deliver results.
But what does that look like in practice? How do brands turn the raw power of YouTube Shorts into a tangible impact on their bottom line?
Success in the spotlight: UpGrad Campus’ Demand Gen Breakthrough
UpGrad Campus, an arm of upGrad, is on a mission to revolutionize how fresh graduates prepare for industry demands, offering rigorously designed programs delivered by world-class faculty that help bridge the industry academia gap. The value they’re delivering is world-class, but they weren’t reaching the right people who would not only appreciate the offering, but were actively seeking something very much like it.
Enter YouTube Shorts, powered by Google’s AI.
The challenge was to generate high-quality leads that would lead to final enrollments. They wanted to outpace traditional social media campaigns by creating a system that could deliver smarter, lower-cost conversions. Working closely with Google’s team, upGrad Campus implemented a Demand Gen campaign designed to maximize engagement and build strong brand consideration across YouTube, Gmail, and Discover.
By tapping into Google Signals, for instance, upGrad Campus targeted high-intent users based on their search activity. In simple words, they were able to reach users already exploring higher education options. Another creative strategy was to leverage its First Party Audience data (1P data) to create lookalike models of past successful enrollments. In layman terms, that means they looked at the profile of past students who completed courses and found jobs, and looked for other people who fit the profile of their best-performing students. Thus ensuring that the campaign was speaking to the people most likely to join Upgrad Campus and make the most of it.
The campaign didn’t just meet expectations – it smashed them, with a 1.6x better lead-to-final enrollment quality compared to social media campaigns; 34% lower customer acquisition cost (CAC) than traditional social platforms; and 22% higher click-through rate (CTR) than social media campaigns.
Or, in simpler words, as Megha Dhandaria, Associate Director – Marketing at upGrad Campus puts it, “At upGrad Campus, we believe in the power of Google AI solutions to build consideration and drive performance for our brand. With Demand Gen campaigns, we’ve seen an impact not only in terms of increasing lead volumes but also lower funnel conversion rates, positively impacting our profitability goals.”
Making Festive Magic: How Maggi India took the spotlight on YouTube Shorts
When Maggi India launched its festive season campaign, “Le Chal,” the stakes were high. The iconic brand wanted to create an unforgettable splash, maximizing reach and impact – all within a tight 60-hour window. They needed a solution that could deliver massive results – and fast. Evaluating their options across various ad formats across platforms, the team found that YouTube Shorts’ First Position product offered unbeatable cost efficiencies and momentum.
Clearly, you get more with YouTube Shorts.
Maggi India was one of the leading brands to use YouTube Shorts’ First Position product, a unique ad placement that guaranteed prime visibility in the Shorts feed, allowing them to capture their audience’s attention during peak festive season buzz. The campaign went live just 24 hours after its media plan was finalised. A blend of precision targeting, massive reach, and frequency layering proved to be a game-changer.
The results were nothing short of extraordinary. Maggi’s campaign reached 111 million unique users in just 60 hours, and over 50 million users saw the ad at least thrice during the campaign. It delivered a 7.8% uplift in ad recall (2.5x higher than average) and a 5.2% uplift in favorability (6x the average), all while generating 385 million impressions – in just one weekend.
The key to Maggi’s success lay in understanding its audience and choosing the right platform to amplify its message. YouTube Shorts was a perfect fit and Maggi’s “Le Chal” campaign fit right in with the festive vibes. As Chandan Mukherji, CMO, Nestlé India shared, “Our goal was to maximize reach and create impact during the first few hours of the launch. The campaign over-delivered on all KPIs by a huge margin. We plan to scale ‘YouTube Shorts First Position’ as it is a very good product for impact and reach. We are thankful to the Google team for exemplary collaboration in making it a success.”
The Future of Marketing is Short and Sweet
YouTube Shorts isn’t just a platform – it’s a playground for marketers looking to innovate, adapt, and thrive in India’s ever-evolving digital landscape.
Whether it’s bridging the gap between education and industry like upGrad Campus or launching a festive campaign with measurable success like Nestle’s Maggi, it’s clear that when it comes to getting their bang for the buck, brands Get More with YouTube Shorts.
To know more about YouTube Shorts click here
