Thanks to everyone who has been a loyal follower of +YouTube for Marketers. After careful consideration, we recognize that there are multiple +Google+ pages that provide ad and product updates for marketers. Moving forward we will be working to better integrate YouTube into the wider conversation. We'll keep you updated on the world of online video advertising on the following pages, so be sure to follow them today:

* +YouTube: Updates on YouTube Original Channels, trending videos and more
* +Google Ads: Tips and announcements about Google AdWords for video
* +Think with Google: Research, trends and client success stories

Our information about advertising on YouTube can always be found on youtube.com/advertise. Also, our videos will still be hosted on youtube.com/playmeansbusiness, so if you haven't already done so, subscribe and stay up-to-date.

Want to know what videos got audiences “screaming” this past week? Zombies!

This trend shows no signs of stopping on +Advertising Age and Visible Measures' weekly viral ads chart (www.visiblemeasures.com/adage). AMC let “The Walking Dead” loose on the streets of NYC in its “Put Zombies Back” video, which attracted more than a few stares. Despite coming in #3 behind +Intel/Toshiba “The Beauty Inside” (#1) and Visa “Go World 2012” (#2), it snagged the highest number of +YouTube views (5.8M) and a True Reach (goo.gl/ZJDV1) of 3.8M.

+1 if you’ve checked out or shared these results of top-performing ad videos online.

Since October 2010, we have regularly celebrated our commitment to the Creators community by showcasing talented partners with the On The Rise program (www.youtube.com/ontherise). These +YouTube Partner Channels (goo.gl/1CvmS) have shown big potential, but have yet to reach 100,000 subscribers.

+YouTube Creators is pleased to announce August’s four nominees below:

* +sanjay Thumma "VahChef" (youtube.com/vahchef)
* +Arash Baboo "Strength Project" (youtube.com/strengthproject)
* +Marchettino (youtube.com/marchettino)
* vfxbro (youtube.com/thevfxbro)

One lucky up-and-coming winner will be featured on the YouTube homepage. You can vote for your favorite here (goo.gl/dvl4K) until Thursday, August 16th at 5PM PT / 8PM ET.

*Fast Fact: 74M baby boomers in the U.S. will retire over the next 20 years (goo.gl/y6rDN).*

Prudential connects with the largest demographic in its heartfelt Day One +TED Ads Worth Spreading (goo.gl/ZyAde) Marketing Challenge winning campaign. Last year, the financial service institution asked hundreds of people across the country to photograph their first day of retirement. It resulted in mini-documentaries of 10 retirees as they embark on their first day of professional freedom and directed viewers to an external website (www.dayonestories.com) for optimistic Day One stories. More than 5.6M retirees have visited the site since 1/1/11.

Share this story if you think it's an 'Ad Worth Spreading.’

Last week, we announced the launch of +Advertising Age's +YouTube Original Channel Tracker (adage.com/youtube), a Top 25 ranking highlighting key performance and engagement statistics on a wide range of channels.

For the past week, +The Warner Sound (youtube.com/TheWarnerSound), driven by +Cody Simpson, claimed the #1 spot with close to 100K views of his Wish U Were Here [Official Music Video Teaser] video. The top 3 channels with the highest percentages of growth are:

* +Team USA: +466% and 2M views (youtube.com/TeamUSA)
* NOC: +254% and 1.6M views (youtube.com/NOC)
* WSJ Digital Network: +219% and 1.1M views (youtube.com/WSJDigitalNetwork)

Share these tracker results and keep up to date with top-performing channels and episodes.

Are consumers receptive to video ads?

Yes, says +Adweek and a new report from video monetization firm, FreeWheel (goo.gl/XKtv3). Advertisers have successfully managed to capture and hold the attention of online viewers throughout long-form video content (20+ mins). As a result, audiences are embracing online video with ad-supported content similar to a traditional TV experience with commercials. Extraordinarily, consumers viewed 91% of ads slotted within long-form video content.

Marketers, share this article if you find the take-away promising for online video advertising.

Take a break

No, these white collar workaholics aren’t daydreaming when they’re paid a visit by a window washer who prompts them to step out of the office and into a bar. New York-based agency, Amalgamated, hired professional window washers to sport business suits and get vertical with signage as part of the brand’s, “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign. Clearly, most of us can use a cold beverage - the spot gained over 1.5M views in its first week on +YouTube.

Share if you can relate to their brand's message about work and life balance.

The demand for online video goes beyond the Western Hemisphere

As you may already know, the world’s highest populations are concentrated in two countries, China (1.3B) and India (1.2B) (goo.gl/QE9gE). The people of these countries are reported to access online content on their connected and mobile devices at a tremendous rate, based on the population alone. This fact presents a whole new world for brands and online marketers, like Volkswagen.

To take a closer look, we found two different articles that provide a mix of insights about their online viewing video habits:

China - Seeking Alpha (goo.gl/ZpM1T)
* 350M online video viewers - that's 40M more than the population of the U.S.!
* 40% of online viewers spend at least 20 hrs. per week on a PC, compared to 21% on TV
* 100% increase in online video advertising spend to $964M, up from $523.2M in 2011

India - Business Standard (goo.gl/IE4gh)
* 42M online video viewers watch an average of 3B videos each month
* 20% rise in unique viewers in 2011
* 10% of its population has Internet access

Share this post with people who are curious about the impact and the future of online video in these two heavily populated countries.

Calling all fried chicken fanatics that still live at home with their parents

+KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken collaborated with +Comedy Central to produce a laugh-out-loud, 5 episode series and contest: “Growing Up and Getting Out.” +ClickZ (goo.gl/oDmSo) writes about the campaign, which targets 18-24 year olds living at home, that builds awareness for the new KFC Original Recipe Bites. At the end of each episode, viewers are directed to an external URL to share stories, photos and woes of living with parents to enter to win FREE rent and fried chicken for a year.

+1 if you find their campaign effective in catering to this growing demographic of more than 80M Millennials.

In 2011, +YouTube had more than 1 trillion views which roughly translates to 140 views for every person on Earth.

With more than 20 channels of targeted material, our What’s On section (www.youtube.com/advertise) makes it easy to discover YouTube channels that reach an audience with a particular interest, like people looking for fashion tips and makeover secrets on our Beauty on YouTube page: (youtube.com/yt/advertise/beauty.html).

Whether your audience is looking for tips on how to get the perfect smoky eye or to create a pin-up hairdo, here’s where the fashionistas are going for the latest beauty trends:

* +Hello Style (youtube.com/hellostyle)
* +Michelle Phan (youtube.com/MichellePhan)
* +u look haute (www.youtube.com/ulookhaute)

Subscribe and find out where the face of your brand can glow in front of a beauty-conscious audience.