Philippines January-June “2016 YouTube Ads Leaderboard”

Google released its YouTube Ads Leaderboard for the first half of 2016 for the Philippines. The leaderboard recognizes the brands whose ads captured the interest of Filipino online viewers based on a combination of popularity and promotion. Aside from highlighting the brands that performed best over the past six months, the leaderboard also shows what can be achieved through the creativity and power of online video.

Topping the list is Nido’s A Mommy’s Sacrifice, an ad with a touching storyline that perfectly depicts a mother’s love. Added to its creative flavor is the use of animation which is a more entertaining way of presenting stories.

Based on the ads that made it to the list, Google highlighted the following key trends:

Filipinos love local ads. This is the second time that homegrown ads dominated all ten spots in the leaderboard, proof that content with distinct local flavor resonates more with the Filipino audience. Through the use of effective storytelling that reflects the local culture and creative execution through music, dance, or drama, Filipinos were able to relate with these brand stories, allowing them to claim it as their own.

Storytelling at its finest. Seven out of ten ads in the leaderboard exceed the 30-second mark, showing that brands are excelling at longform storytelling, exploring the full possibilities of digital’s creative canvas. The length allows for emotionally-engaging content that count as short films and mini-documentaries. Nido’s A Mommy’s Sacrifice in particular is a three-minute long animated film that showcases the magic of a mother’s love by sacrificing certain things for her family.

For kids or the young at heart. Five out of ten ads in the leaderboard feature children that endear themselves to audiences. Bonakid’s Pre-School 3+ ad features three cute kids dancing to a jingle while Downy’s Sofia’s Fan features Sofia, a little girl being followed by her schoolmate because of how good her clothes smell. While kids having fun and doing silly antics give an ad a positive spin, other ads tug at the heartstrings because they mirror interpersonal relationships. One of the ads in the leaderboard is Knorr’s Sabaw at Pagsasama which takes viewers through a trip down memory lane as a soldier remembers his mother who taught him how to be forgiving and generous.

Google shared that the first few seconds of the ad are crucial to piquing the interest of the audience. When it comes to creating effective and unskippable ads, two things matter the most: relevance and creativity. Creativity comes in many forms such as the use of animation or jingles while relevance relies on the brand’s ability to capture realities of life, or taking snippets from popular culture to make their own.

Filipinos’ high regard for familial relationships, love for celebrities, and fondness for music is evident in the leaderboard. Whisper’s All Day Check ad features celebrity Nadine Lustre singing and dancing to a tune that teenage girls would love dancing to while McDonald’s Tuloy Pa Rin ad used a popular OPM song and coupled it with an experience that surely all Filipinos can relate to – heartbreak and moving on.

Here is the complete list: