A YouTube representative said it provides detailed reporting for advertisers to clearly see where their ads run and links to specific ad placements for YouTube Select campaigns. When shown a screenshot of where buyers clicking on broken links are sent (as in the image above), a YouTube spokesperson said that could be the result of not having a YouTube TV login and that without a subscription, channels aren’t visible.
Two buyers disputed this explanation, noting the structure of YouTube TV links differs from the links showing up in their reports. One buyer bought a YouTube TV subscription to track the issue and found discrepancies.
Links to nowhere
Buyers expressed frustration at the lack of ability to vet the channels their ads were running on, especially given the steep price tag of YouTube Select, which can be $33 -$37 compared to $5-$10 for regular YouTube buys, sources said.
“If I’m paying a $33 CPM, it’s unacceptable,” said another buyer requesting anonymity.
One buyer found that over 60% of the impressions were reported to be on broken links for a one-week, $17,000 campaign that ran earlier this year.
Another buyer found that 98% of the links across multiple YouTube TV campaigns were broken in reports, equating to $3 million in spend.
At performance agency Markacy, links not working on the post-campaign reports of YouTube Select and other YouTube campaigns happens regularly, but only for a small amount of spend, said Jonathan Mendez, managing director.
“It’s very common but the instance it’s negatively impacting us is very rare,” he said.
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