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Food videos flopped for a calorie app
The failed assumption
The team assumed anyone watching food content was probably thinking about calories. Mukbangs and ordinary meal videos did badly, and healthy meal videos did only okay.
Why it flopped
The explanation they landed on is that people watching good-looking food want to sit on the couch without worrying about how many calories are in that mac and cheese. The team cut food creators off early.
Viral videos too
Random viral videos hit the same wall. Their cost per thousand views looked great because some blew up, but the viewers were not coming for anything to do with tracking calories.
Where did mukbang videos come from?
Mukbang began in South Korea around 2010, on live-streaming platforms such as AfreecaTV. The word joins the Korean words for eating and broadcasting. Streamers ate large meals on camera while chatting with viewers. The format spread worldwide through YouTube in the following years.
Why can a low CPM mislead advertisers?
CPM only counts how cheaply impressions are bought, not what viewers do afterward. A viral video can pile up views from people with no interest in the product, which pulls CPM down without producing buyers. Advertisers therefore also track cost per acquisition, the spend divided by actual sign-ups or purchases. A video can look cheap on one measure and expensive on the other.
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