YouTube grows stronger as the new TV, drives better ROI than TV and social media
Continuing the momentum that began a few years ago, YouTube today reaffirmed its undeniable position as the “new TV” in the Philippines. It has achieved this by driving not only national reach but also deep engagement in provincial regions and areas outside Metro Manila, where digital adoption continues to accelerate.
A 2025 survey by Kantar shows that 88% of Filipinos in rural Visayas and Mindanao watch YouTube content daily, underscoring the platform’s extensive reach. This growing engagement also extends to internet-connected TVs, where YouTube views have quadrupled between 2020 and 2024.
YouTube isn’t just leading in nationwide reach and engagement—it’s also the most trusted. Data from Kantar shows that 90% of Filipino viewers say YouTube has the most trusted creators and content, surpassing the 77% average across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Because of the benefits of streaming trusted content on YouTube, Filipinos are able to achieve a “flow state” on the platform—a focused, engaged mindset where they process information more effectively, respond positively to content, and are more likely to make purchase decisions. This gives brands a distinct advantage. Kantar’s findings reveal that viewers in the Philippines rank YouTube as the #1 platform for the best ad experience, outperforming competitors including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
As a result, more advertisers have turned to YouTube to effectively reach and engage their consumers, netting a higher return on investment in their campaigns compared to competing social media platforms. Another study this time commissioned by Nielsen found that YouTube is one of the most effective media channels for advertising. It’s 3.86 times more effective than linear TV, and 2.71 times more effective than other digital platforms.
Reach and trust that lead to business impact and ROI
One evidence of YouTube’s impact on both advertisers and its Filipino viewing audience was that of vitamin supplement brand Myra E under UL Skin Sciences, Inc., the personal care business unit of UL Health Group, a subsidiary under UNILAB, the leading pharmaceutical company in the Philippines.
Myra leveraged YouTube and its advertising platform, especially through regional efforts outside Metro Manila, to drive and influence national business growth. Myra’s efforts resulted in a 2% lift in usage of its supplements nationwide, with a 5% increase in usage in the Visayas and a 7% increase in its share of business in the region.
“Our efforts in advertising on YouTube definitely paid off, proving that the Filipino audience, even in rural areas, is really out there watching, paying attention, and is truly engaged on the platform. YouTube is where the people are, and we’ll continue reaching our consumers here to drive results,” said Paige Vicente Gacutan, Myra E Brand Lead.
“What makes me proud is how the Philippines’ digital economy continues to accelerate even in rural areas—with YouTube at the center of this shift. Just as TV once defined advertising, YouTube is now the new TV: where trusted creators thrive, culture is shaped, and brands drive measurable impact. It consistently delivers stronger ROI than traditional TV and other digital platforms, making it not just a video destination but a true growth engine for advertisers,” said Prep Palacios, Country Manager for Google Philippines.
Celebrating marketing excellence at the YouTube Works Awards Philippines 2025
As YouTube solidified itself further as the platform of choice for video-based marketing, the industry honored the best of the best in this field at this year’s YouTube Works Awards.
Selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts, these winning campaigns showcase a new creative playbook based on multi-format storytelling, authentic brand-creator collaboration, and a full-funnel approach that transforms engagement into long-term business impact.
They exemplify how brands masterfully connected with audiences, drove exceptional results on the platform, and effectively leveraged YouTube’s unique ecosystem to achieve meaningful business results while creating resonant content that captivated the heart of Filipino consumers. Here’s the full list of local winners at the YouTube Works Awards Philippines:
- Best of Philippines
- Grab: Summer
- Multiformat Storytelling
- Grab: Summer
- Masters of Media
- Best of Festive
- Nido 3+: Love Is Not a Word, It’s an Act
In another first for the YouTube Works Awards, the industry’s best ad agencies of the year in the Philippines were also honored and recognized during the ceremony, in addition to the most effective and well-crafted campaigns.
The first-ever winners of the Philippines’ agencies of the year are:
- Media Agency of the Year: Openmind
- Creative Agency of the Year: GIGIL
- Specialty Agency of the Year: Nerve
The Philippine winners will represent the country in this year’s YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia. This year, the competition is fiercer than ever, as YouTube received a record-breaking 800+ entries from various brands across the region.
GCash makes Southeast Asia history
A historic win went to GCash, the first-ever brand from the Philippines to win at the SEA stage of the YouTube Works Awards. With their GSafeTayo: Entertainingly Serious campaign, they effectively communicated a serious advocacy through the lens of humor, which also helped land an important message of cybersecurity and vigilance.
GSafeTayo was launched at the height of SMS spoofing scams that affected over 600,000 Filipinos in 2024. Recognizing its responsibility as a category leader, GCash partnered with YouTube to deliver a powerful multiformat campaign anchored by a 40-second video featuring “Tita Marnie,” whose meme-worthy reaction to nearly falling for a scam made the issue both relatable and memorable.
The campaign was further strengthened by a three-part exposé uncovering how scammers exploit telco infrastructure and educating users on how to stay protected, building trust in a time when it mattered most. Moreover, GCash’s strategy paid off, driving over 70 million views, a 14% increase in brand trust, and an 80% drop in SMS phishing reports within the first month.
“We’ve always known that to combat the very serious threat of cybercrime, we needed a creative approach that would truly resonate with Filipinos. By using humor and relatability on YouTube, a platform that would enable us to reach so many Filipinos, we were able to turn a critical message about cybersecurity into something memorable and impactful,” says GCash Chief Marketing Officer, Neil Trinidad
“This award is a testament to our team’s collaboration, creativity, and commitment to protecting our users. I’ve always believed that as marketers, our greatest influence goes beyond the campaigns we create, but in the lives that we help transform. It proves that with the right strategy using YouTube as the most effective and widely viewed medium, we can make a serious topic like online safety both engaging and effective, helping to keep our users safe from scams,” Trinidad added.
Here’s the full list of winners from YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia:
- Grand Prix
- Dutchie Yogurt (Thailand): Fight For Thais’ Gut
- The Big Bang
- Lifebuoy (Indonesia): Lifebuoy: #KetempelanDingin
- Brands & Creators
- Honda BeAT (Indonesia): Beat the Streamers World
- Best of Festive
- Netflix (Thailand): Songkran Thai Splash
Just as in the Philippines YouTube Works Awards, YouTube also recognized the best ad agencies in Southeast Asia for the first time this year. The first-ever best ad agencies in Southeast Asia are:
- Media Agency of the Year: Mindshare (Indonesia)
- Creative Agency of the Year: Ogilvy Group Thailand
- Specialty Agency of the Year: Little Red Ants Vietnam
By celebrating the best work in the industry and introducing cutting-edge tools to help brands reach and engage their consumers even further, YouTube reinforced its role as the go-to platform for brands in the Philippines looking to connect with people, drive tangible results, and shape the next generation of storytellers and marketers.
