14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube stars are more beloved by teenagers than big celebrities in Hollywood are, be them movie or TV stars, or even singers and bands.
A survey commissioned by Variety in July has reached a rather surprising conclusion, namely that the top most influential figures for American teenagers with ages between 13 and 18 are all YouTube stars. The top five personalities outranked the likes of Jennifer Lawrence.
Smosh, a group that creates parodies after movie games, comics, movies and more, is at the top of the list of preferences. The comedy group is followed by another duo that likes to make everyone laugh, namely the Fine Bros. PewDiePie, the man with the most subscribers on the entire YouTube platform, comes in third in the preferences of American teenagers.
The survey was conducted by celebrity brand strategist Jeetendr Sehdev, who asked 1,500 people how 20 well-known personalities were perceived in terms of approachability, authenticity or other aspects related to their influence on people.
Half the 20-people pool comprised personalities with the most subscribers and video views on YouTube, while the other half was full of celebrities with the highest appeal among teenagers by taking into consideration the Q scores posted in March.
Each was awarded a score based on the answers the respondents gave. Smosh scored 93 out of 100, The Fine Bros scored 92, and PewDiePie 92. Video game commentator, and rapper KSI came in fourth with 84 points, and comedian Ryan Higa reached number five with 81 points.
Paul Walker was the highest ranking non-YouTuber on the chart, with 75 points. He is followed by the charming Jennifer Lawrence, who obtained 74 points. YouTuber Shane Dawson landed on number eight with 72 points, while Katy Perry comes in next. Steve Carell wraps up the top ten.
Seth Rogen, Betty White, Vin Diesel, Johnny Depp and Daniel Radcliffe follow next. YouTubers Janna Marbles, Michelle Phan, Ray William Johnson and Bethany Mota occupy spots 16 through 19, while Leonardo DiCaprio comes in last with a score of 8.
The survey also discovers that YouTube stars managed to obtain higher scores in areas that made them more influential on teenagers, indicating that if various brands want to target adds to the American teens, they’re more likely to obtain results with one of these young YouTubers, than with a multi-million movie star.
That’s because young people enjoy more an authentic experience with YouTube stars and would rather have this than the PR-chiseled Hollywood stars.