Filipino viewers, creators, and marketers still choose YouTube as the platform of choice based on a 2022 survey conducted by Ipsos.
Based on the study, YouTube is the video service Filipino viewers will miss the most if ever it goes offline. The same survey also noted that Filipino viewers say that they found good content on YouTube with 97% saying the platform would still carry their favorite content a year from now.
“YouTube is where relevant content and connections are created every day. It is where storytelling, in all its forms and formats, emboldens community, drives culture, and deepens the bonds between viewers and creators in a safe and common space,” according to Jolly Estaris, Head of Video at Google Philippines during the recently-held 2022 Brandcast in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig last 25 October 2022.
The Filipinos’ love for YouTube is evident in the increased watch time in several categories in Q1 2022 compared to the same period last year. In particular, watch time of food craving videos grew by over 55% while Philippine viral trend videos grew by more than 10x. Content around families has also caught the attention of more viewers this year as family travel videos logged a 60% increase, while parenting videos’ watch time grew twice that of the previous year.
Where people watch YouTube has also gone beyond mobile devices. In May 2022, over 16 million Filipinos streamed YouTube on their TVs. This has changed how Filipinos define TV viewing with 87% of those surveyed saying that YouTube is TV when viewed on their connected TVs.
All these led to YouTube’s marketing effectiveness being 3.2x greater than digital platforms and TV in the Philippines combined from 2017 to 2022. In addition, the platform boasts a return on investment (ROI) 1.5x higher than the total media ROI from 2017 to 2022 across all platforms in the country.
Alongside the increasing demand for relevant content, Filipino content creators are also seeing their communities grow. YouTube noted that 4,600 channels now have over 100,000 subscribers (40% increase, year-on-year) and 350 channels with more than 1 million subscribers (35% increase, year-on-year).
The platform’s vast array of content proves that no matter the audience’s interest–whether mainstream or obscure–there is something on YouTube that will fit the bill. This is why the platform matters to brands–YouTube has established itself as a critical way in which Filipinos connect with brands they care about.
YouTube Works Awards Winners Named
Also at the 2022 Brandcast event, YouTube announced the winners of the 2022 YouTube Works Awards in the Philippines, in celebration of ingenuity and impactful storytelling.
“This year’s YouTube Works journey showed us how brands took their storytelling a notch higher to engage with consumers as we move from the shadow of the pandemic. In addition, the return of YouTube Brandcast as an on-ground event after two long years feels great! We get to award each brand in-person and showcase YouTube Works as a celebration of what brands and agencies in the country can achieve with YouTube as their video platform,” according to Gabby Roxas, Country Marketing Manager for Google, Philippines, and South Asia Frontier Markets.
Accenture’s #StoriesofAccenture Vertical Film Festival: Gravity won the Grand Prix, the highest recognition given to a campaign that is not only effective, but also creative, innovative, and data-driven — driving demonstrable business results. The same campaign also bagged the Force For Good award which honors campaigns that best demonstrate brand values and proven impact on social issues.
“I believe that brand campaigns can always make a difference beyond business results. This year’s YouTube Works winners strategically used the platform in crafting creative, effective, and meaningful campaigns that will inspire the next generation of brand storytelling on YouTube,” said Golda Roldan, Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson Philippines, Chairman of 4A, and head of the 2022 YouTube Works Awards jury.
Using an immersive rotating screen experience, the poignant video highlighted the character’s inner turmoil. The chaotic scenes simultaneously highlight the importance of having a workplace that provides a dynamic environment while providing emotional support to help its workers thrive and get through life’s challenges.
The Best Collaboration award, which celebrates the best strategic and creative collaboration between brands and YouTube Creators, was given to Orocan’s Ms. Hurt campaign. This features host and drag queen Paolo Ballesteros as the titular Ms. Hurt, bringing her audience to a vlog-style tour of her house and bags including the Orocan Ice Box.
Brands create campaigns that tell a story to their target audiences and the Best Storytelling award celebrates this. Union Bank of the Philippines’ Heaven is the winner of this category. Their campaign featured a commercial where a man named Dante enters the underworld of inadequate bank practices, showcases all of Union Bank’s solutions, and creates a better banking experience for consumers.
Jollibee’s Now Showing: Love for a Perfect Pair took home the Brand as Creator award–given to a campaign that best demonstrates brands behaving like creators and using YouTube formats that tap into consumer trends and growing communities. The 36-minute short film was a triumph for the beloved world-class Filipino fast-food chain and heralded the return of the popular Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz love team. Rounding up this year’s awards is Diskartech’s Carabao which won The Challenger award, which is given to small and medium-sized brands that were able to do more with less. The Carabao showed how easy it is to get loans from Diskartech by presenting it fantastically and humorously via a person popping out of the backside of a carabao.
The Best Personalization award, which recognizes brands that find creative ways to make sure their messages are tailor-made for their audiences, remains unclaimed for two years in a row.
This year’s winners were determined by an esteemed jury composed of marketers, digital experts, directors, creatives, and content creators from all over the country:
- Angie Tijam-Tohid, Executive Creative Director at Havas Ortega Group
- Dan Villegas, Director for TV and film
- Dave Drilon, Chief Digital Officer of total Publicis Groupe PH
- Digs Dimagiba, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of the Analytics, Brand, Communications & Marketing Technology (ABCMT) Group of Metrobank Philippines; President of the Internet & Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP)
- Golda Roldan, Head of the 2022 YouTube Works Awards jury; Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson Philippines; Chairman, 4As
- Lyqa Maravilla, Educational Content Creator
- Marius Talampas, Commercial and film Director at Arcade Film Factory
- Mick Atienza, Treasurer, PANA; AVP of Consumer WiFi and Mobile, Smart Communications Inc.
- Neil Trinidad, VP & Head of Cryptocurrency, GCash
- Pamela Takai, Chief Marketing Officer, Nestle Philippines Inc.
- Ryan Reyes a.k.a Ninong Ry, Content Creator
- Sol Romero, Managing Partner, AOR Head of the Nestle account in Openmind
- Trixie Diyco, Executive Creative Director at Publicis JimenezBasic