The first VidCon in July of 2010 welcomed an attendance just shy of 1,500. Fast forward to 2019, and the annual video conference chalked up more than 30,000 attendees. As the online video platforms grow, VidCon’s size and scope increase in tandem. The event attracts thousands of influencers and fans, in addition to marketing professionals and big-name brands looking to learn more. This year, as VidCon celebrated its 10th anniversary, Google sent members of the Brand Unit to explore the various ways Youtube culture has evolved—and how it impacts brand marketing. At the center of every trend they encountered, the Googlers found the need for constant innovation and ingenuity. The YouTube platform has always been most successful when pushing boundaries and overthrowing the conventional. Luckily, today’s creators, fans, and industry leaders can enjoy a plethora of tools to help them keep pace with the platform’s quickly changing demands. While YouTube devotees are familiar with the traditional, talk-to-the-camera format, successful and up-and-coming creators are taking advantage of creative styles of storytelling, like 180-degree videos, animations, ad-sequencing, and long-form content. If VidCon has proved anything, it’s that success rewards experimentation. Switching up video formats will keep regular subscribers on their toes while simultaneously attracting new viewers—but creators aren’t making these types of decisions off the cuff. To read the rest of the blog, check out Torrence Boone's websites!