For years, marketers have treated brand-building and performance marketing as two separate strategies — one focused on long-term awareness, the other on short-term conversions. But in a January 2026 blog from Think with Google, Managing Director of Global Display, Video, and Creative Tony Effik reveals why that distinction no longer holds up on YouTube.
In “3 Breakthrough Brands That Prove Storytelling Performs on YouTube,” Effik highlights how brands are using storytelling not just to capture attention, but to drive measurable business outcomes across the entire customer journey. From creator partnerships to cultural relevance, these campaigns show that the right story — told in the right place — can do both.
Familiarity Builds Trust (and Sales)
One of the clearest examples comes from sun care brand Supergoop. Rather than chasing novelty, the brand leaned into repetition and consistency by partnering with YouTube creator Liza Koshy as its “Chief Super Officer.”
In the Think with Google blog, Effik explains that familiarity didn’t lead to fatigue — it led to trust. By delivering frequent placements that culminated in a hero spot ahead of peak sun season, Supergoop stayed top of mind without feeling intrusive. Viewers weren’t just entertained; they were reminded to act.
The results underscore the power of creator-led storytelling. Supergoop saw a significant lift in brand searches and improved conversion efficiency, proving that awareness-driven creative can directly influence purchase behavior when the audience trusts the messenger.
Brand Building Is a Performance Strategy
Effik also points to Olaplex as proof that long-term brand equity and short-term performance aren’t competing goals. As the brand prepared for a major rebrand, it shifted away from a purely performance-focused approach and adopted a YouTube-first storytelling strategy.
Its campaign, “Designed to Defy,” introduced a new visual identity and tagline while featuring well-known figures from fashion, entertainment, and sports. According to the Think with Google article, pairing Video reach campaigns with Demand Gen allowed Olaplex to meet consumers at multiple stages — building awareness while reigniting active interest.
The takeaway Effik emphasizes is simple but powerful: sustained growth comes from treating brand-building as a feature of performance, not a separate effort.
Cultural Relevance Can Drive Conversion
For Lucid, the challenge wasn’t just awareness — it was momentum. As a disruptor in the EV space preparing to launch its Gravity SUV, the brand needed to connect emotionally and commercially at the same time.
Effik notes that Lucid found its opportunity by placing cinematic brand storytelling alongside live NFL games and sports content, where emotional engagement is already high. By aligning its message with an audience primed for intensity and performance, Lucid turned cultural relevance into measurable demand.
The campaign delivered dramatic lifts in search interest and vehicle purchases, reinforcing the idea that a single, well-placed brand story can both shape perception and close deals.
What This Means for Marketers
As Effik concludes in the Think with Google blog, today’s customer journey is anything but linear. YouTube gives brands the ability to show up across mindsets — from passive viewing to active consideration — without fragmenting their strategy.
The brands highlighted all made different creative choices, but they shared one approach: optimizing storytelling for the platform, not forcing traditional marketing playbooks onto it. Whether that meant partnering with a trusted creator, increasing campaign cadence, or rethinking where brand films belong, each campaign treated storytelling as a growth lever — not a nice-to-have.
For marketers deciding how to reach their most receptive audiences, these examples offer a clear signal: when storytelling is intentional, platform-native, and strategically placed, it doesn’t just tell a story. It performs.
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