The new video-buying model: From assembly line to dynamic cycle

Strategic advisory firm Madison and Wall recently released a Google-commissioned report exploring the function of media agency-led TV investment. It also looked at how buying video has transformed into a complex, highly customizable landscape, delivering powerful new ways to connect with audiences and drive growth. Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, VP, YouTube Ads Marketing, unpacks how the industry can capitalize on these opportunities.

Audiences today want to turn on their TVs and find everything they want in one place, regardless of format, genre, or style. Consumer expectations for TV have changed, so it makes sense that the rigid, one-size-fits-all model for planning and buying ads on TV has shifted. In its place is a dynamic video ecosystem that is unlocking new ways to connect with audiences and drive growth.

A recent report we produced in partnership with strategic advisory firm Madison and Wall, The Near-Term Evolution of Video Buying , confirms the end of the linear TV model that forced marketers into “either/or” compromises between reach and relevance. Marketers are entering an era of “and,” where a more dynamic planning and buying cycle empowers them to scale tailored approaches for building brands and delivering performance simultaneously.

Securing this advantage means embracing three key opportunities: building truly customized strategies with AI; embracing the full potential of video; and harnessing the unique influence of creators.

Build a video strategy as unique as your business

Historically, marketers had to choose between scale and customization, because tailoring a TV strategy was prohibitively complicated and expensive. As the Madison and Wall paper points out, that division has disappeared thanks to AI-enabled buying solutions and workflows that turn complexity into opportunity.

For the first time, brands can build scalable video strategies as unique as their own business models. That means the stakes have changed. The goal is no longer just to match current consumer behavior, but to also create adaptable approaches that find your next best customer. With YouTube’s diversity of formats and content , AI is the key that unlocks a new era of customization. It helps make sense of this diversity, allowing you to tailor your approach to your specific business goals.

YouTube gives you the unique opportunity to go big by aligning with major live events to shape cultural conversations ; go deep by partnering with the most beloved voices to build relevance and consideration; and go direct by tapping into new formats and AI-driven campaigns optimized for conversion.

Embrace the full potential of video to deliver stronger outcomes

In the traditional model, video strategies were often confined to top-of-funnel brand goals. As the Madison and Wall paper highlights, marketers now have a mandate to prove the business impact of their investments, shifting focus from broad reach to tangible outcomes, like sales and conversions. This shift also reflects the new reality of consumer behavior. Today’s predictably unpredictable consumer moves seamlessly across streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping, creating far more complex journeys. A recent report from BCG shows that video has a significant part to play at every step of the consumer journey, not just awareness or discovery.

This is where AI solutions provide a decisive advantage, helping marketers answer the call for precise, outcome-driven investment at scale. A Nielsen marketing mix model (MMM) meta-analysis found that Google AI-powered video campaigns on YouTube deliver 17% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) than manual campaigns. ¹ This helps brands drive measurable impact across the full consumer journey, directly connecting investment to outcomes on every screen.

Connect with influential creators at the epicenter of culture

There’s no longer a forced choice between broad reach and deep relevance. The analysis notes that siloed planning across a narrow selection of content has given way to the unlimited scale of creator content.

Creators have become a third programming pillar alongside sports and studio entertainment, and have also reinvented these traditional pillars as they’ve pulled in their passionate fans. In fact, 60% of YouTube viewers would rather watch creators break down a moment more than watch the moment itself. ²

YouTube creators are more than entertainers. Their trustworthy points of view help their fans make confident decisions . According to a survey conducted by Kantar, 81% of U.S. viewers agree that YouTube has trustworthy creator content about products or services they want to purchase. ³ Aligning with these trusted voices enables you to reach their passionate fandoms and drive a level of relevance that reach-based approaches cannot match.

Embrace the new model: From assembly line to dynamic cycle

Customization, performance, and creator content are not forcing functions for change. They are the new levers for growth in video buying.

While more choice means more moving parts, this new era should not be about managing complexity. It should be about bringing how you plan and buy closer to your business goals.

By leaving the linear assembly line behind and embracing this new dynamic cycle, you can lead with an audience-first, outcome-focused video strategy that drives durable business growth.