In a dramatic shift in the Philippines’ media and advertising landscape, YouTube has solidified its position as the undisputed “new TV,” driving unprecedented reach into the country’s most remote areas and delivering a return on investment that significantly outperforms both traditional television and competing digital platforms.
For businesses, particularly in the competitive fintech space, the message is clear: the Filipino audience has moved, and their trust and attention are now firmly on YouTube.
The platform’s dominance is no longer an emerging trend but an established reality. According to a 2025 Nielsen study, advertising on YouTube is a staggering 3.86x more effective than on linear TV and 2.71x more effective than other digital channels. This superior performance is fueled by deep audience engagement that extends far beyond metropolitan hubs.
Google Country Manager for the Philippines Prep Palacios underscores YouTube’s strength
nationwide with the finding that 88% of Filipinos in rural VisMin regularly use the platform
A landmark 2025 Kantar survey highlights this provincial power, revealing that 88% of Filipinos in rural Visayas and Mindanao watch YouTube every single day.
This expansive reach is built on a foundation of trust that other social media platforms have failed to replicate. The Kantar data shows that an overwhelming 90% of Filipinos trust creators on YouTube more than those on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, where the average trust level hovers at just 77%. This trust creates a highly receptive environment for brands, which is why Filipino viewers ranked YouTube as the #1 platform for the best ad experience.
To bridge this data-driven insight with real-world business impact, YouTube’s influence can be best understood through the success stories it enables — particularly among fintech innovators like GCash.
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 helped land an
important message of cybersecurity and vigilance.
At a time when trust in digital platforms was being tested, GCash’s campaign became a timely example of how creative storytelling on YouTube can both entertain and educate.
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. 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 allows us to reach millions — we were able to turn a critical message about cybersecurity into something memorable and impactful,” said 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,” Trinidad added.
YouTube Works Awards: From platform power to industry recognition
GCash’s achievement is more than just a campaign win — it symbolizes a broader shift in how Filipino brands leverage YouTube to drive both awareness and measurable impact.
The full slate of winners and runners-up of the 2025 YouTube Works Awards PH
This powerful combination of nationwide reach and proven ROI was on full display at the 2025 YouTube Works Awards Philippines, an event honoring the country’s most innovative and effective campaigns. The ceremony highlighted numerous success stories, with fintech giant GCash providing a standout example.
To tackle the cybersecurity crisis involving SMS scams, GCash launched its “GSafeTayo” campaign on YouTube. The humorous and relatable series successfully educated millions, garnering over 70 million views, driving a 14% increase in brand trust, and leading to an 80% drop in SMS phishing reports within the first month.
The campaign’s incredible success earned GCash the prestigious Masters of Media Award at the ceremony — and later made it the first and only Philippine brand to win at the YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia.
Judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts, the awards recognized campaigns that masterfully connected with audiences and drove exceptional business results. GCash was joined by other top brands and agencies who demonstrated creative excellence on the platform.
2025 YouTube Works awards Philippines winners
Here’s the full list of local winners at the YouTube Works Awards Philippines:
Campaign winners
- 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
Agency of the Year winners
- Media Agency of the Year: Openmind
- Creative Agency of the Year: GIGIL
- Specialty Agency of the Year: Nerve
These Philippine winners will now advance to represent the country at the YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia, where competition is fiercer than ever, with a record-breaking 800+ entries from across the region.
