The YouTube Works Awards Philippines 2026 recognized campaigns that combined creative storytelling, creator influence, commerce tools, and Google AI to deliver measurable business outcomes. The annual program brought together creators, brands, agencies, and advertisers while highlighting how YouTube connects audience attention with business performance.
Google said YouTube reaches more Filipino consumers across screens each day than other video platforms. The company also cited research showing that 81% of surveyed viewers in the Philippines consider YouTube creators trustworthy when discussing products and brands they may purchase.
More Filipinos are watching across formats and screens
Filipino audiences use YouTube for news, entertainment, short-form content, podcasts, shopping, and community. More than 19 million Filipinos now stream YouTube directly through connected televisions, while uploads of YouTube Shorts in the Philippines increased by more than 90% year on year as of April 2026.
“From Shorts and long-form videos to living-room TV content, podcasts, and online shopping, YouTube has built a complete ecosystem that connects with millions of Filipinos every single day across every screen and format,” said Prep Palacios, country manager of Google Philippines.
“But our true differentiator is trust. When eight out of 10 local viewers trust product recommendations from YouTube creators, watching turns into ‘sulit’ or wise purchase decisions on our platform,” she added. “By supercharging this authentic creator influence with our scale and Google AI capabilities, YouTube provides a high-value space where brands can thrive and deliver higher ROI.”
Culture, creators, and commerce
YouTube described its influence in the Philippine market through three areas: culture, creators, and commerce. The platform connects audiences with artists, local shows, niche communities, and creators across genres, including BINI, Kuan on One with Melai, Dogshow Divas, and Erwan Heussaff’s FEATR.
For brands, YouTube Creator Partnerships has rolled out in the Philippines as a suite of tools for discovering and working with creators. Marketers can use AI-powered search to find creators by keyword, category, or trend, review audience and engagement information, and promote creator content through Creator Partnerships Boost.
YouTube is also positioning itself as a commerce platform. Research cited by Google found that Filipino viewers use instructional videos, unboxings, and product reviews when making purchase decisions, with reported usage rates of 95%, 89%, and 87%, respectively.
Through the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, viewers can purchase tagged products featured in videos while creators earn commissions. The Commerce Media Suite can also connect YouTube ads with Shopee or Lazada checkout pages and use shopping signals such as searches and cart activity to improve ad relevance.
YouTube reports higher return on investment
Google said Gemini helps power the platform’s advertising ecosystem by interpreting viewer intent and connecting audiences with relevant products and creators. A commissioned meta-analysis by Analytic Edge found that YouTube delivered twice the return on investment of linear television across the Philippine consumer packaged goods studies included in the analysis.
The finding was based on 21 marketing mix modeling studies completed from 2021 to 2025. As a commissioned analysis, the result applies to the studies and category covered rather than every campaign or advertiser.
GCash wins Best of Philippines
GCash received the highest award, Best of Philippines, for its GLoan “Free Health Insurance: Loan Song Syndrome” campaign. The campaign addressed concerns among Filipino breadwinners by presenting emergency financing and associated protection through humor, relatable close-call situations, and a memorable jingle.
The media strategy included 60-second films, six-second bumper ads, and Google AI-powered conversion campaigns. According to the case study, the campaign increased daily users by 14.5% and daily disbursements by 36.7%.
Search interest for “Free Health Insurance” rose by 684%, while the campaign recorded a seven-point increase in the brand attribute “Brand I can depend on for emergency or additional funds.” It also reduced customer acquisition costs by 95% compared with standard search baselines.
“For many Filipinos, providing for the family means finding ways to make every peso count. But when emergencies happen, having quick access to a financial ‘lifeline’ or a loan can make all the difference,” said Neil Trinidad, chief marketing officer of GCash.
“In the end, we didn’t just make GLoan more memorable. We made protection more accessible. Winning Best of Philippines reflects how YouTube helps us connect authentically with Filipinos, proving that when you create value for people, you create value for the business,” he added.
The 2026 YouTube Works Awards Philippines winners
The winners were selected by a panel of industry leaders, with the awards audited in partnership with Deloitte. The Philippine winners will represent the country at the YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia later in 2026.
- Best of Philippines: GCash, GLoan with Free Health Insurance: Loan Song Syndrome
Agency partners: Universal McCann Philippines and Publicis Jimenez Basic - The Big Bang: Del Monte Philippines Inc., Del Monte Centennial Celebration
Agency partners: WPP Media and Dentsu HIIP Philippines - Multiformat Storytelling: Jollibee, Jollibee Christmas 2025: Every Family’s Christmas Joy
Agency partners: WPP Media Philippines and 72&Sunny - Brands & Creators: Colgate Total, Colgate Total featuring Davao Conyo and Dr. Vicki Belo
Agency partners: WPP Media and SOHO - Masters of Media: GCash, GLoan with Free Health Insurance: Loan Song Syndrome
Agency partners: Universal McCann Philippines and Publicis Jimenez Basic - Best of Festive: Maggi Philippines, Get Pasko Ready with Maggi
Agency partners: WPP Openmind and MRM - Media Agency of the Year: WPP Media
- Creative Agency of the Year: Publicis Jimenez Basic
- Specialty Agency of the Year: HIIP Philippines
In Summary
The YouTube Works Awards Philippines 2026 highlighted campaigns that converted culture, creator trust, and commerce activity into business performance. GCash led the winners with its GLoan campaign, while Google also introduced Creator Partnerships and emphasized YouTube’s growing connected-TV, Shorts, shopping, and AI-powered advertising ecosystem.