Happy birthday to You(Tube)

As is the case with many startup success stories, YouTube’s original value proposition didn’t turn out to be its true superpower.

Befitting its launch on February 14, 2005, the company actually began as an online dating service—“Tune in, Hook up”—before its founders uncovered its broader potential as a video platform. Twenty years on, that potential still seems limitless: YouTube is the second-most visited website in the world (its parent, Google, is No. 1); billions of hours of content are streamed across its ecosystem daily; and some analysts suggest that, as a standalone company, it could be worth as much as $400 billion (that’s more than Disney and Comcast combined).

What explains YouTube’s enduring relevance and resonance with its audiences? And what can brand and marketing leaders learn from its longevity? The answer, I’d argue, lies not too far from where the company started: a relationship mindset.

Variety is the spice of life (and a big part of YouTube’s addictiveness), but strong relationships are rooted in a fundamental promise, made and kept over and over and over again.

For YouTube, that promise was captured by the “Broadcast Yourself” motto it used from 2006 to 2013—though democratizing the creation, distribution, and consumption of video is the brand’s guiding force to this day. The company’s rare missteps, like a “premium” subscription tier that’s never really taken off, tend to arise when it has strayed from this path.

“Broadcast Yourself” oriented the entire organization toward building for creators—a reminder that one’s brand promise must articulate not only what you stand for, but also who you stand for.

Relationships require give-and-take. Though it’s commonplace today, YouTube pioneered the 55-45 ad revenue share with its creators, enabling them to make a living on the platform while also acknowledging its own role in helping their content be found, seen, and shared.

From smarter analytics dashboards to AI-powered production tools, the brand is constantly thinking of ways to add value beyond the transaction—strengthening its bond with creators and keeping them committed to YouTube, even as alternative channels and platforms proliferate.

Though the notion of “broadcasting” suggests a one-way street, YouTube has always understood that true partnership takes two. The company is more transparent than most when it comes to algorithm changes and best practices, offers a range of service tiers for creator support, and enables millions of communities to flourish through features like interactive comments, live chats, and polls.

Though it may not be as vast as YouTube’s, every brand has a community waiting to be heard—as long as you’re willing to listen.

Deep down, YouTube knows I’m more interested in @alisoneroman, @meramangled and @theoscarexpert than I am in YouTube, but that doesn’t stop the brand from finding its time in the sun. Major events like Made on YouTube and VidCon position it as an industry hero, and occasional brand campaigns help launch products like YouTube Shorts in the context of big, bold storytelling.

Its raison d’être is giving others a spotlight and a voice—YouTube demonstrates the power of putting partners first, embracing the shadows, and stepping out only when you have something meaningful to show or tell.

The core elements of YouTube’s brand identity and UI have remained astonishingly consistent for a company that’s grown as quickly as it has. But its steady exterior belies a platform in constant flux. Whether optimizing its infrastructure to ensure flawless hosting and streaming at scale, integrating Google’s search capabilities post-acquisition, or adapting to devices like televisions (where it now leads all other streaming services in share of total viewership), YouTube focuses on changing and innovating in service of the creator, advertiser, and user experience. When it comes to strengthening ties, it’s often the invisible strings that matter most of all.

Analogizing brand and human relationships has its limits. Brands aren’t people, and conflating the two can often lead to cringey communications and delusional self-importance. But that doesn’t mean we can’t all learn from YouTube’s deeply human approach to serving its audiences and building its brand over the past two decades. YouTube’s success was, and continues to be, grounded in recognizing that—whether we’re consumers or creators, influencers or followers—the foundation of feeling loved is being seen. It just happened to take it literally.

This article originally appeared in AdWeek.