TL;DR
Bupa x Joe Wicks: co-publish with creators using YouTube's collaboration feature, so your series lands on their channel AND yours.
AXA UK x Liverpool FC: turn a sponsorship into a returning show. Player Portraits is back for another season, and it's been shared with the LFC channel's audience too.
M&S: pick a day and stick to it. Love That drops every Friday, it's organised for search, and it's even plugged on the paper bags.
Chicago Town: if your audience watches creator shows, make one! Race To The Base is a five-part competition hosted by Harry Pinero.
McLaren: turn your calendar into content. Its behind-the-scenes series Unboxed is back for 2026, covering everything from launch day to the team's 1000th Grand Prix.
Most brand YouTube channels look the same. A forest of content with inconsistent packaging and goals. A TV ad here, a podcast there and maybe a creator collaboration. Posting often comes as a monsoon followed by a dry spell, so viewers never quite know what to expect when they land on a brand channel.
Our YouTube Growth Gap Report found that just 16% of brands combine strong reach with strong engagement, and even the 100 most-watched consumer brands average 48 out of 100 on channel quality. That leaves a LOT of room for brands that approach YouTube like a publisher: a regular schedule, formats viewers recognise and content made for the people watching. Those are the brand channels viewers know what to expect from, and the ones they keep coming back to.
A handful of UK brands are already doing just that, making shows and meeting their audience exactly where they are. Yes, shows. More people are watching YouTube on the TV these days than you think. YouTube itself says the TV is now its fastest-growing screen.
In this article, we've hand-picked five brands that are getting YouTube right. And no, we've not just picked the obvious ones (Dish, we're looking at you!). For each one, we've picked out what they're doing, why it works and how you can apply it to your brand's channel.
What Killing It on YouTube Actually Looks Like
Killing it on YouTube doesn't mean one big viral moment or even a huge subscriber milestone (we've talked before about why the subscriber count isn't the metric it used to be). Yes, these are great, but YouTube really brings opportunity for brand growth when you put proper investment into it. Every brand on this list has three things going for it:
A repeatable format. A named series with a clear premise that viewers can come back to, and that the algorithm can learn to recommend.
Talent that makes sense. A creator, presenter or partner the audience already trusts, who fits the brand naturally.
Content that gives something back. Whether that's advice, entertainment or a peek behind the curtain, viewers get something for their time.
Getting these three things right matters more than ever, because YouTube now competes with the UK's biggest broadcasters for viewers' time, and the brands programming it like a TV channel are the ones winning that attention.
In December 2025, YouTube reached 51.9 million people in the UK, ahead of the BBC's 50.8 million, and it had led in every month since Barb started measuring it. The BBC has since nudged back ahead, but it's neck and neck. The BBC has even started making programmes specifically for YouTube. If the nation's broadcaster is building shows for the platform, that's a pretty good sign brands should be too.
It's happening on the big screen as well. According to Ofcom, average daily YouTube viewing on TV sets went from 9 minutes per person in 2022 to 19 minutes in 2025.
And it drives sales. YouTube's own data shows that people who watch an organic YouTube video about a brand are 13x more likely to search for it and 5x more likely to buy.
So, let's dive in.
5 Brands Killing It on YouTube Right Now
1. Bupa x Joe Wicks: Using the Collaboration Feature to Share Audiences
Killing it with talent that makes sense
What they're doing: On 22 September, Bupa launched Health or Hype, a five-episode video podcast led by lockdown's leading man, Joe Wicks. In each episode, Joe puts the latest health trend through the wringer alongside an expert who guides him through the science. The series covers five pillars of health: movement, nature, nutrition, sleep and mental wellbeing. (I will say 'fibremaxxing' was completely lost on me before the episode!)
Why it works: As we all know, brand authority can only go so far. Creators help close the gap between someone seeing brand content as purely an ad and seeing it as something helpful, inspiring or entertaining. And Joe is a perfect fit for a health brand: he's the guy who got the whole country exercising from their living rooms.
So, as these five episodes rolled out, both Bupa's and Joe Wicks' names were attached. Thanks to YouTube's collaboration feature, every episode sits on both channels, right in front of The Body Coach's audience. It makes the series feel like a partnership with aligned values rather than a quick fix for views, with content both audiences genuinely want to watch.
How you can apply it: if a creator already has the audience you want, co-publish with them so your series lives on their channel as well as yours. Health and wellness brands in particular have a huge opening here, which we dig into in why YouTube is your wellness brand's most powerful growth channel.
2. AXA UK x Liverpool FC: Turning a Sponsorship Into a Returning Show
Killing it with a repeatable format
What they're doing: As LFC's official training partner, AXA UK could have just settled for logos and matchday ads. Instead, they took the partnership into the creative sphere off-pitch. Player Portraits lets fans see a whole new side to the players as they compete to paint the best portrait of a teammate in 30 minutes. All in the name of trying something new. Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and LFC Women's players have all picked up a brush, and the third series kicked off with Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni.
Why it works: It's inspiring, endearing and lets fans peek behind the curtain at the team dynamics and banter that usually get lost in a roaring stadium. The format stays the same, keeping its familiarity, while the players change, giving audiences a reason to return.
In the latest episode, Bradley and Leoni open up about supporting each other through long injury rehabs, and it was even picked up by the Irish Examiner, with AXA UK's YouTube channel credited as the source. That's a huge win for brand awareness.
We'll admit, we're a little biased on this one. AXA has been a Navigate Video client for 11 years, and we've worked on all three series of Player Portraits, making sure every episode is optimised and distributed effectively. YouTube's collaboration feature has made a big difference here. Episodes now sit on both AXA UK's and Liverpool FC's channels, bringing a whole new audience to the AXA channel, with views and engagement that would otherwise have only landed on Liverpool's.
How you can apply it: a returning format gives audiences a reason to come back, season after season. If you already have a partnership, ask what fans would love to see that they can't get anywhere else, and build a series around it. We share more ideas in our guide to using familiar faces and cultural moments on YouTube.
3. M&S: Love That, a Weekly Shoppable Series With In-Person Visibility
Killing it with content that gives something back
What they're doing: This is one I'm particularly excited about. I love when brands go out and try something new, especially something that's helpful and inspiring for consumers. Love That is hosted by celebrity stylist Melissa Holdbrook-Akposoe (Melissa's Wardrobe), alongside Capital Breakfast's Jordan North, Siân Welby and Chris Stark.
In each Friday episode, Melissa takes us through the latest M&S drops and how she would style them, with products you can buy straight away. Videos are categorised by season, style and occasion, so each one has a driving purpose and a search point.
Why it works: M&S picked Melissa after one of her organic posts went viral, so she came with proven appeal. Add in the Capital Breakfast crew, who reach 2.8 million listeners every week, and the show had a ready-made audience from episode one.
The results speak for themselves. Love That has passed 20 million views across social, and it worked so well that M&S turned it into its new fashion, home and beauty brand line, with a TV campaign starring Gillian Anderson. M&S has even said it wants Love That to become fashion's answer to 'This Is Not Just Food'. A social series growing into the brand line is exactly what we love to see. This summer, the Summer of Love That launch even went out as a live show on YouTube, with giveaways for viewers.
Also, next time you're in M&S, take a peek at their paper bags, as the Love That series is plugged on the side. At Navigate Video, we'd suggest taking it a step further and showing the videos on screens in store to drum up excitement and show shoppers that M&S is creating this helpful content.
How you can apply it: pick a day and stick to it. Consistency turns a campaign into a habit, and viewers start looking out for the next episode. And make every video useful. Our guide to what consumer brands should post on YouTube shows how this approach helped B&Q's how-to content pull in over a million new organic views in 2025.
4. Chicago Town: Race to The Base, Advertiser-Funded Entertainment
Killing it with a repeatable format
What they're doing: I bet you didn't expect a frozen pizza brand on this list! Launched on 11 October, Race To The Base is a five-part competition show aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds. Three teams are set one challenge: race to the base with no money, no favours and no direct flights. Along the way, host Harry Pinero (YouTuber and presenter, with around five million followers across his channels) throws in extra challenges where they can win cash to get further, or lose and face the consequences. Six more creators star as the contestants.
Why it works: Chicago Town built the format specifically for YouTube, in response to how younger audiences watch. So rather than buying ad slots around creator content, they're part of the creator content themselves.
The format does a lot of the heavy lifting. A race with stakes and a winner gives every episode a cliffhanger, so viewers have a reason to come back for the next one. Plus, bringing in six creators all collaborating on the content means six fanbases following along, not just one. It fits the brand too: Chicago Town's tagline is all about going to town on it, and that's exactly what the contestants have to do.
How you can apply it: you don't need to be a lifestyle or tech brand to make entertainment. If your audience watches creator-led shows, make one. You can then cut the best moments into Shorts to pull new viewers into the full episodes. Most Shorts views come from people who don't subscribe to a channel, which makes them a brilliant discovery tool (more on that in our guide to the YouTube Shorts algorithm).
5. McLaren: Unboxed, the Behind-the-Scenes Series Fans Asked For
Killing it with content that gives something back
What they're doing: McLaren's YouTube channel is home to Unboxed, a behind-the-scenes series that's been running since 2019. It returned this year after a break, because fans asked for it, and the 2026 episodes have been brilliant. So far we've had launch day, pre-season testing, the annual content shoot in France with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, a tyre test at the Nürburgring (McLaren's first time back there since 2020) and, my favourite, the team's 1000th Grand Prix in Monaco, bringing together McLaren legends from Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to Mika Häkkinen and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Why it works: Formula 1 comes with a ready-made calendar of moments, and McLaren turns each one into an episode. Fans get access to things race coverage never shows them, with content shoots, testing days and the team in its downtime. It gives viewers something new every time, and it gives them a reason to visit McLaren's channel rather than just watching highlights elsewhere. Around the bigger moments, McLaren also releases a run of Shorts to pull more fans towards the full episode.
They're clever with collabs too. When reigning world champion Lando Norris appeared on Sidemen Sundays this summer, McLaren published its own Unboxed companion episode, following Lando through the day at the Sidemen's studio, so the Sidemen's massive audience had a reason to come over to McLaren's channel as well.
How you can apply it: map out your brand's own calendar of moments (launches, events, milestones, the busy times behind the scenes) and give each one an episode. Plus, when your talent appears on someone else's channel, make your own companion content so that audience has a route back to yours.
Where to Start if Your Channel's in a Dry Spell
If your channel is currently more monsoon-and-dry-spell than weekly must-watch, don't panic. You don't need a Joe Wicks or a Liverpool FC to get started. Here's how to take the first steps:
Pick one format and give it a name. Start with a single series rather than a bit of everything. Give it a clear premise that speaks to your audience, a fixed day and a running time you can stick to.
Find talent that makes sense. That might be a creator, a partner you already sponsor or someone inside your own business who knows their stuff and comes alive on camera.
Answer what your audience is searching for. Useful content keeps working long after launch day, pulling in new viewers months after it goes live.
Plan around the moments your audience cares about. Map out the events, seasons and cultural moments in your category, and line your series up with them.
Decide what success looks like before you launch. Pick the metrics that prove business impact. That could be branded search, website visits or engagement, so you've got the story ready for your CMO.
While you're building your format, don't forget the basics on every upload. Some of the easiest wins in our Growth Gap Report come down to simply talking with your audience. Pinning a comment and replying to viewers turns a one-way video into a conversation, and doing either already puts you ahead of most brands (94% never pin a comment and 72% never reply to a viewer). Then make sure every description has a link, so anyone who loves what they've just watched has a route straight to your website. Around a quarter of brands still leave that out! Small habits, big difference.
And the good news is that posting more isn't the answer. Last year, our clients published 47% fewer videos and saw their total views go up by 64%. The difference was doing less, more deliberately, with content built to be discovered over time. Our Client Impact Report 2025 shows what that looks like in practice.
Let's Build a YouTube Channel Worth Watching
None of these brands stumbled into success. They committed to a format, chose the right partners and made content for how people actually use YouTube.
At Navigate Video, YouTube is everything we do, and we help brands with end-to-end support, from strategy and format development to optimisation and reporting that proves commercial impact.
If you want to find out where your channel could go next, let's talk!
FAQs
Should brands make their own YouTube content or partner with creators?
The strongest brands do both! Bupa and M&S built their own series but put trusted talent up front, so they keep control of the format and get the reach of an established audience.
What is YouTube's collaboration feature?
It lets channels publish a video together, so the same upload appears on each partner's channel and reaches both audiences. For brands working with creators, it's one of the simplest ways to get your content in front of the creator's viewers. Our guide to YouTube's collaboration feature explains how it works and how to set it up.
Do branded YouTube series need a big budget?
Not necessarily. A simple, repeatable format with the right host often beats a one-off, high-production film. Consistency matters more than polish.
How do you measure whether a branded YouTube series is working?
Look beyond views. Watch time, retention, subscriber growth rate and branded search uplift all show whether your content is building real interest in your brand.
