GOOGLE released on Tuesday its YouTube Ads Leaderboard for the whole year of 2014 for the Philippines, showing that Filipino audiences respond well to culturally oriented advertisements as local advertising industry has been used to incorporating made-for-Web content in their campaigns.
“The YouTube Ads Leaderboard is a good opportunity for brands to showcase their understanding of the importance of digital marketing in connecting with consumers,” said Ryan Morales, country marketing manager of Google Philippines.
In the last 12 months, the 10 ads that resonated most with audiences across the country via a combination of popularity (organic views) and promotion (paid views) were Coca-Cola, Samsung, Unilever, #AllegricAkoSa, Mang Inasal, KLM Lost & Found service, Air New Zealand, Google, Nike Football and Jollibee.
Whether global or local brands, six of them have a distinctly Filipino flavor.
For one, international beverage giant Coca-Cola—with the “Happiest Thank You” ad taking the No. 1 spot—uses the power of heartwarming authenticity.
“The audience of today can’t stand anything fake or pretentious,” said Merlee Jayme, chief creative officer of DM9 JaymeSyfu.
She said a great piece tells real stories, just as Google’s “Miss Nothing,” a poignant story of Filipinos all over the world connecting via the Web.
Banking on Filipinos having a penchant for known personalities also drives some ads to feature local celebrities as well.
This is apparent in Angel Locsin’s appearing in Mang Inasal’s prank ad and Angela Nepomuceno’s how-to hair video from Unilever.
Jollibee Kids Club takes a slightly different approach with the cute kids in its boyband, who might be the future stars.
With cyber connectivity, the Filipino audience is moved by the same stories as their counterparts abroad.
Riding on the World Cup fever, Nike’s all-star ad featuring football stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., and Wayne Rooney, among others, captivated Filipino interest as well.
As smartphones keep on changing and gain a wider reach, Filipinos were keen to watch an almost four-minute-long ad of Samsung Galaxy S5 highlighting the flagship features of the device.
Air New Zealand entertained local audiences with their in-flight safety video that showcased The Hobbit characters.
For animal lovers, KLM’s well-trained puppy lost and found service ad is a must-see.
The Leaderboard is mostly populated by digital ads, with formats specifically created for YouTube’s audience.
#AllergicAkoSa is a good example of such for it combines the nation’s affinity for music and sharing thoughts online.
“Often, they will rant, rave, and actively talk and share about things that they like and dislike,” Johnson & Johnson’s Senior Brand Manager Paolo Reyes said of the awareness campaign they created about allergies.
Since YouTube viewers have inclination to watch longer videos provided that they have a strong story to tell, five of the 10 videos in the Leaderboard are past the three-minute mark, offering a degree of creative freedom for the brands.
“Recognizing that the digital space is practically bursting at the seams with content choices, it is critical that we offer content that people are actually interested in,” Unilever Hair Marketing Director Dorothy Dee-Ching said.
The content for All Things Hair was defined by the people they serve with by crowd-sourcing the topic from top searches to ensure that the content is just what the audiences are looking for.
“We hope the list of creative ads that people choose to watch will encourage the industry to continue watching out for consumer trends and use them to create really good digital marketing campaigns,” Morales said.