Cullen & Katie : Happy Sparkling New Year Part #8

Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:55 pm

I think part of the reason they don't have the same success as other vloggers is they aren't as pretty, aren't as skinny, aren't as young, they are southern and not from Utah or California and are a little more boring than other vloggers (to kids, not to me, I love their vlogs) I feel bad for saying these things because I love them so much.

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Unread post by **lmmomSD** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:15 pm

I think they're a lot better looking than Bryan and Missy! I wonder if DB would have had the same level of success not living in southern California and going to Disneyland all the time.

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Unread post by **Ducklings4** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:31 pm

lmmomSD wrote:I think they're a lot better looking than Bryan and Missy! I wonder if DB would have had the same level of success not living in southern California and going to Disneyland all the time.

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Since I don't get why DB are successful, I cannot begin to understand why CK are not as successful. I enjoy watching them daily. I do not watch DB daily. I also have been watching Katie's sister. It's nice to see older kids in a vlog.

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Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:55 pm

One of the things that has kept me interested in these family vloggers, even the ones I really dislike, is the opportunity to analyze their popularity and incomes relative to one another. I would LOVE to see the data YouTube collects in terms of audience demographics. We know that channels which appeal to children do really well, but detailed demographics would help to troubleshoot channels that are floundering and would just be really interesting to see.

Obviously in such a visual medium, appearance matters. I think that specifically, the mom needs to be attractive, loosely defined as young and thin with good teeth and a pretty face. The dad doesn't have to be attractive, though. It's a lot more important for him to be "funny," which is in quotes because the goofy, slapstick-y type of humor that does well on YouTube is usually not the dry, witty humor that I personally enjoy. The kids should be cute, though of course that's subjective and not necessarily as important as mom's appearance or dad's humor. The kids should be seen as having fun lives and the family home should be clean and nice, and there should be no hint of financial concern. The family needs to be Christian and I've noticed that viewers complain in the comments at any hint of drinking or smoking, even if their specific brand of Christianity doesn't prohibit those substances.

Basically the formula is to be the perfect family - specifically, a CHILD'S idea of the perfect family, with loving parents who never say "we can't afford that" or "I have to work that day." In the real world, there are real problems. Moms might be overweight or depressed or struggle with any number of other real-world issues. Dads might be distracted or uninvolved in their kids' lives. Parents might fight a lot, or get divorced, or have substance abuse issues, etc. Real life is messy and difficult, and YouTube families are the modern equivalent of Leave It To Beaver. They appeal to people who may be missing something from their lives, whether they are kids or adults.

As to the reason C&K aren't doing quite as well as some of their YouTube peers... My best guess is they are a little less "perfect" and a little more real than the others.

That's not to say I personally believe that the others are superior - I actually am not at all impressed with the Bulters or the Lannings (or god forbid the Mechams) and find C&K more interesting, intelligent, relatable, etc. But being relatable and intelligent etc only goes just so far on YouTube. Katie is a bit heavier than the other moms, they're both older, their home is more cluttered, some of their humor is more adult, they've been known to have a margarita or a beer...

Overall, they still show a pleasant and privileged life with much-loved and well cared for children and pets, but they aren't quite a childhood fantasy. They may appeal to a wider range of viewers, but it seems like children are the most sizable demographic on YouTube and probably make for the most loyal fans too... They will never miss a vlog, will watch videos over and over again, and don't necessarily display the critical thinking required to question the choices their YT idols make.

Unread post by **tratra58** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:09 pm

RecklessDisregard wrote:One of the things that has kept me interested in these family vloggers, even the ones I really dislike, is the opportunity to analyze their popularity and incomes relative to one another. I would LOVE to see the data YouTube collects in terms of audience demographics. We know that channels which appeal to children do really well, but detailed demographics would help to troubleshoot channels that are floundering and would just be really interesting to see.

Obviously in such a visual medium, appearance matters. I think that specifically, the mom needs to be attractive, loosely defined as young and thin with good teeth and a pretty face. The dad doesn't have to be attractive, though. It's a lot more important for him to be "funny," which is in quotes because the goofy, slapstick-y type of humor that does well on YouTube is usually not the dry, witty humor that I personally enjoy. The kids should be cute, though of course that's subjective and not necessarily as important as mom's appearance or dad's humor. The kids should be seen as having fun lives and the family home should be clean and nice, and there should be no hint of financial concern. The family needs to be Christian and I've noticed that viewers complain in the comments at any hint of drinking or smoking, even if their specific brand of Christianity doesn't prohibit those substances.

Basically the formula is to be the perfect family - specifically, a CHILD'S idea of the perfect family, with loving parents who never say "we can't afford that" or "I have to work that day." In the real world, there are real problems. Moms might be overweight or depressed or struggle with any number of other real-world issues. Dads might be distracted or uninvolved in their kids' lives. Parents might fight a lot, or get divorced, or have substance abuse issues, etc. Real life is messy and difficult, and YouTube families are the modern equivalent of Leave It To Beaver. They appeal to people who may be missing something from their lives, whether they are kids or adults.

As to the reason C&K aren't doing quite as well as some of their YouTube peers... My best guess is they are a little less "perfect" and a little more real than the others.

That's not to say I personally believe that the others are superior - I actually am not at all impressed with the Bulters or the Lannings (or god forbid the Mechams) and find C&K more interesting, intelligent, relatable, etc. But being relatable and intelligent etc only goes just so far on YouTube. Katie is a bit heavier than the other moms, they're both older, their home is more cluttered, some of their humor is more adult, they've been known to have a margarita or a beer...

Overall, they still show a pleasant and privileged life with much-loved and well cared for children and pets, but they aren't quite a childhood fantasy. They may appeal to a wider range of viewers, but it seems like children are the most sizable demographic on YouTube and probably make for the most loyal fans too... They will never miss a vlog, will watch videos over and over again, and don't necessarily display the critical thinking required to question the choices their YT idols make.

I especially like the YouTube business end of vlogging with how their channel does in relationship to income since it is such a mystery. Not so long ago someone was able to screen shot Ellie's budge that appears to be a monthly income of fifty plus thousand....I thought wow. I also mentioned a YouTube dad talk about YouTube Changes. He is in his mid thirties and said "the kids don't want to see a face like mine." Another YouTuber said the Click-Bates are used more now than ever with trying to move your channel up a changing YouTube algorithm. And it was said small YouTubers will have a harder time to make it big. The changes seem to be a concern with family vloggers in how the future of YouTube will exist in order to maintain and/or grow your channel since there might not have a large audience if you don't have kids.

What is interesting to me the most is Cullen and Katie's sense of humor and I think C&K are pretty darn normal. The others, not so much or I find them odd. The state of Utah, my knowledge of their culture and the Mormon religion was pretty limited for example, I never heard of a Ward before. Materialism seems alive and well among some of these Utah families and the mothers are a central figure of the family or the center of attention. I agree appearance is a factor too and a good smile is essential. The one YouTuber I miss is Casey Niestat due to his talent in filming, music and going to places I will likely not visit...I never knew airplanes has such luxury sitting before seeing his vlogs.

Unread post by **Baconsgirl** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:12 pm

Maybe they aren't doing as well as other channels ,because they show real life and are not fake. Maybe people go to YouTube to get away from problems at home,and feel they can live through the YouTubers that do crazy and fun things. Meanwhile I like the people that are more true to themselves.

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Unread post by **lmmomSD** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:41 pm

I think Reckless Disregard really hit the nail on the head. C&K also discuss budgeting and say that they are saving for this or that. I think YouTube (for the kids that watch) is very aspirational in nature. Maybe that's why they defend their chosen vloggers so vehemently. They just can't handle any suggestions that they aren't perfect. My daughter's friend who introduced her to vloggers is a perfect example: she's got special needs, but from the outside seems to have a great life. Her parents own a really successful business, drive nice cars, and they have a really nice home. She has a cute little dog, nice stuff, and always has money for the movies or mall. But her parents put a lot of pressure on her, and go out of town a LOT, even on holidays like Thanksgiving, leaving her alone to house sit while they go to Palm Springs or Vegas. So she watches vlogs. And I learned the hard way never to say anything bad about Bryan or Missy in her presence. She yelled at me all the way home from the mall because I had the temerity to say Missy was a whiner when she was pregnant with Finn!
I guess that's partly why Samika doesn't do as well either-- they talk about budgeting too. And they're honest about discipline and handling two kids under three.

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Unread post by **Scar2016** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:51 am

MommaLindsey2 wrote:I think part of the reason they don't have the same success as other vloggers is they aren't as pretty, aren't as skinny, aren't as young, they are southern and not from Utah or California and are a little more boring than other vloggers (to kids, not to me, I love their vlogs) I feel bad for saying these things because I love them so much.

Their energy levels aren't bouncing off the walls like E+J and DB. All an act obviously but E+J and DB's are trying to fill the shoes of a children's entertainer at a party, or kids TV presenter type of thing. Katie's energy is just more real, calmer and mature so kid's probably feel they are watching their mom rather than an escapism type kids show.

The main difference is C&K are reality daily vloggers where the others mentioned are reality show vloggers. Kids will always pick the show type YouTubers over the more real hum drum ones.

(If you recall the 4 sub groups I made a post about a few pages back, C&K fall into a different category than the likes of E+J and DB)

Unread post by **Scar2016** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 1:38 am

Too late to edit above.
Apologies, the long post on the 4 sub groups was on Bonnie's thread. I'll post it here too but with some edits in line with the specific discussion on this thread:

It seems there are 4 main genres of YouTube family vloggers:

1) The Real(ity) Daily Vlogger (Cullen & Katie) -
The real as you can get families on YouTube and as such are more hum drum. These vlogs are more mature by nature, calmer and about actual family daily life and therefore less likely to appeal to children, as kids will feel like they're actually watching their own parents (yawn, boring <---the kids thinking not mine) and instead, likely go to YouTube for escapism type shows.

2) Reality Vlogging 'Shows' (E+J and DB's) -
Those that create a YouTube-esque character for their kid's and/or themselves and have a loose script or dynamic, eg; high energy, happy-smiley, perfect cookie cutter life. An alter ego of sorts if you will. Obviously kids lap this genre up because it is an idealized and sanitized version of real life, much like mainstream kids TV shows are. All adult related themes and topics are, for the most part, kept out and an over saturation of child centric scenes and topics are a constant.

3) Character themed family vlog's aka dressing up in a Disney character costume and playing out a fantasy fairy story. April & Davey's big buck's channel comes to mind and the very young kids cannot get enough of channels like this on YouTube. They're even bigger than #2) above.

4) Shock Value Real(ity) Vloggers:
These overlap with #1) in the sense they are real every day families showing their family life, but they have chosen to capitalize (or at the very least have chosen to include rather than exclude) on their children's accidents/pain/privacy/embarrassments etc. I would also include child nudity/bath time/potty training etc. I could say more on this group but as the topic on this thread is about #1) and #2) I'll leave it there.

Unread post by **tratra58** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:16 am

Scar2016 wrote:Too late to edit above.
Apologies, the long post on the 4 sub groups was on Bonnie's thread. I'll post it here too but with some edits in line with the specific discussion on this thread:

It seems there are 4 main genres of YouTube family vloggers:

1) The Real(ity) Daily Vlogger (Cullen & Katie) -
The real as you can get families on YouTube and as such are more hum drum. These vlogs are more mature by nature, calmer and about actual family daily life and therefore less likely to appeal to children, as kids will feel like they're actually watching their own parents (yawn, boring <---the kids thinking not mine) and instead, likely go to YouTube for escapism type shows.

2) Reality Vlogging 'Shows' (E+J and DB's) -
Those that create a YouTube-esque character for their kid's and/or themselves and have a loose script or dynamic, eg; high energy, happy-smiley, perfect cookie cutter life. An alter ego of sorts if you will. Obviously kids lap this genre up because it is an idealized and sanitized version of real life, much like mainstream kids TV shows are. All adult related themes and topics are, for the most part, kept out and an over saturation of child centric scenes and topics are a constant.

3) Character themed family vlog's aka dressing up in a Disney character costume and playing out a fantasy fairy story. April & Davey's big buck's channel comes to mind and the very young kids cannot get enough of channels like this on YouTube. They're even bigger than #2) above.

4) Shock Value Real(ity) Vloggers:
These overlap with #1) in the sense they are real every day families showing their family life, but they have chosen to capitalize (or at the very least have chosen to include rather than exclude) on their children's accidents/pain/privacy/embarrassments etc. I would also include child nudity/bath time/potty training etc. I could say more on this group but as the topic on this thread is about #1) and #2) I'll leave it there.

I will say this again, this is an excellent breakdown of YouTube channels. The channel I spoke to about who the vlog YouTube Has Changed is Clintus TV who expressed concerns about these changes and he would fall into Group 1 and said six or seven years ago all people wanted was presented by Group 1. I will add another sub group for myself *or personal opinion* to those who are in Group 4 too and they are Train Wrecks (Sam and Nia) where you see some disturbing mental health behaviors and I think some watch (not that this is bad) like when you slow down on the road to see a car accident.

So I wonder what the Clintus TV or Cullen & Katie channels do if they do not evolve with the changes in YouTube. The impression I got from Clintus TV, he was grateful for where he was at (he had a gaming channel too) and I don't think he was going to change up his daily vlogs who he said were boring somedays since most of us agree, life is boring.

Group 3 is amazing and from April and Davey's backyard remodel, they are doing very well!

Unread post by **angelfire89** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:58 am

Saw MGs toddler bed on Instagram. I'm so happy that they actually used the convertible crib for her toddler bed. Most of the other vloggers have just bought a whole new bed for their kid when they grow out of the crib (EJ used Jackson's convertible for a while but... it was a brand new one they bought to match Calvin's. And now he's in a full size bed.)

Another example of Cullen and Katie being more real and grown up than other YTers.

Unread post by **lmmomSD** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 9:01 am

SlyFox definitely falls into group 4! The last three days, their title has had the word "terrifying" in it, and has been about their daughter's unhealing eardrum. I'm seriously thinking of sending them a thesaurus to their P.O. box.
Back to C&K, Gaines was so cute with her big girl bed! I'm glad they shut down the jumping on the bed with Brooks right there, but the "Mommy, get OUT!" was kinda surprising.

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Unread post by **lmmomSD** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 9:04 am

Too late to edit, but I also agree that it was great that they actually converted Gaines' crib into the toddler bed instead of buying a whole new setup.

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Unread post by **ladymama** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 9:29 am

Re: the potty in her room.

I get it

they have a big upstairs and a lot of room for her to wander. My daughter had a potty in her room at that age for a different reason, but I would absolutely make the same decision as them if I lived in that house

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Unread post by **kw_11** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 9:47 am

I just watched today's blog and Cullen's editing is such a tear jerker! The music in the background talking about how you'll always be my baby as he took her crib apart and then as she was climbing up the stairs and finally when she finally saw her big girl bed. It's so clear that every little step they take with their kids is big not only for the children, but for them too. It must be so hard letting go of the bed she's slept in since she was just a little baby. Cullen is SO talented in his editing and the love he has for his children is just so clear to me.

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Unread post by **jaynshann** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 6:04 pm

Gotta admit l teared up big time. I remember Katie being pregnant with M.G. and being a tad concerned about Cullen as a Dad. He just seemed like such an immature adult it was hard to picture him being a good parent. He's such an amazing Dad though. I love how he parents hip to hip with Katie. She says something about how they're gonna do something with MG like work on the pull-ups at night again and he pipes in with his 2 cents. It seems like he has an opinion on every part of his kids' world and considers nothing just Katie's job. I know most Dads leave a lot of areas to the Mom and you'd think with Katie being a child psychologist, he'd feel inferior. He seems to have strong feelings regarding everything with his kids. What a great message to them regarding their worth.

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Unread post by **Amelia322** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:23 pm

lmmomSD wrote:Too late to edit, but I also agree that it was great that they actually converted Gaines' crib into the toddler bed instead of buying a whole new setup.

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Also same theme since the first nursery reveal!!! Ollies already on his 10th theme and he's only 3!

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Unread post by **minmouse** » Sun Jan 15, 2017 5:21 am

I took a peek at the vlog today because it looked like MG was excited about her toddler bed. She is adorable! Let me say that I did not watch the whole video. Did anyone notice that when they are in MG's room with her you can see Brooks in the background and they had him propped up in a beanbag chair? Did they say anything about this? I was shocked since that is pretty dangerous. I know it isn't very high but even a small topple can be dangerous if he falls the wrong way. I just don't understand why they put him there and not on the floor.

Sun Jan 15, 2017 5:37 am

minmouse wrote:I took a peek at the vlog today because it looked like MG was excited about her toddler bed. She is adorable! Let me say that I did not watch the whole video. Did anyone notice that when they are in MG's room with her you can see Brooks in the background and they had him propped up in a beanbag chair? Did they say anything about this? I was shocked since that is pretty dangerous. I know it isn't very high but even a small topple can be dangerous if he falls the wrong way. I just don't understand why they put him there and not on the floor.

They do the same thing with the swing, rock n play and bouncer. He is never strapped in. He is going to fall one day and hit his big adorable head on the floor.

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Unread post by **Lurker4Life** » Sun Jan 15, 2017 7:18 am

This was their response to a comment asking if they were going to pain the wall (I can't screenshot) just for anyone curious

Yes! We're planning to paint it revere pewter like the hallway so it flows better - and matches better in the kitchen overall!