YouTube Leads SEA With ROI, Trust, And Creativity
YouTube Leads SEA With ROI, Trust, And Creativity
YouTube’s Unstoppable Reach
The latest research is clear: YouTube is the number one video platform in Southeast Asia, outpacing TikTok, Meta, and every other competitor in daily reach. In 2025, YouTube isn’t just where people watch—it’s where they trust, engage, and act. YouTube Leads SEA With ROI, Trust, And Creativity
According to Kantar, YouTube creators are trusted by 90% of Filipinos, 88% of Thais, and 86% of Indonesians. That’s significantly higher than the competitive average in those markets. Trust is the new currency in digital marketing, and YouTube has it in abundance.
For advertisers, this isn’t just a vanity metric. It’s the foundation of campaigns that actually convert. When audiences believe in the messenger, they believe in the message.
ROI That Leaves TV in the Dust
Let’s talk numbers. Across Southeast Asia, YouTube consistently delivers more than 2x the ROI of linear TV. In fact, Analytic Edge reports:
- Indonesia: 4.1x ROI vs. TV
- Thailand: 2.9x ROI vs. TV
- Vietnam: 2.3x ROI vs. TV
And when stacked against other digital platforms like TikTok and Meta, YouTube still comes out on top:
- Indonesia: 1.5x ROI
- Thailand: 1.6x ROI
- Vietnam: 1.2x ROI
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Nielsen found YouTube to be 3.86x more effective than linear TV and 2.71x more effective than other digital platforms.
For me, this is the real story. We’ve long debated whether digital could truly replace TV in terms of impact. The numbers show it already has. YouTube isn’t just competing with TV—it’s outperforming it by a wide margin.
The YouTube Works Awards: Creativity Meets Business Impact
The YouTube Works Awards Southeast Asia 2025 celebrated campaigns that didn’t just entertain—they delivered measurable results. And if there was a theme this year, it was humor. Brands leaned into quirkiness, relatability, and storytelling to make their messages stick.
- Dutchie Yogurt (Thailand): Won the Grand Prix and Multiformat Storytelling awards with Fight For Thais’ Gut. A martial arts-inspired short film blended Thai humor with brand heritage, achieving a 95% view-through rate and an 11% sales lift.
- Netflix Thailand: Took home Best of Festive with its Songkran Thai Splash campaign.
- Lifebuoy Indonesia: Won the Big Bang category.
- Honda Indonesia: Secured the Brands & Creators award.
These campaigns prove that creativity, when paired with YouTube’s reach, can drive both cultural relevance and business growth.
GCash: A Philippine First
One of the standout moments was GCash’s historic win—the first-ever Philippine brand to take home a YouTube Works SEA award. Their GSafeTayo: Entertainingly Serious campaign tackled the very real issue of SMS spoofing scams, which affected over 600,000 Filipinos in 2024.
Instead of fearmongering, GCash used humor. Anchored by a 40-second video featuring “Tita Marnie,” whose meme-worthy reaction to nearly falling for a scam made cybersecurity both relatable and memorable, the campaign struck a chord.
The results were staggering:
- 70 million views
- 14% increase in brand trust
- 80% drop in SMS phishing reports within one month
As someone who has seen countless “serious” campaigns fall flat, I admire how GCash flipped the script. They proved that even critical topics like cybersecurity can be engaging when delivered with creativity and authenticity.
Agencies in the Spotlight
For the first time, the YouTube Works Awards also honored agencies:
- Mindshare (Indonesia): Media Agency of the Year
- Ogilvy Group (Thailand): Creative Agency of the Year
- Little Red Ants (Vietnam): Specialty Agency of the Year
This recognition highlights the ecosystem behind the campaigns. It’s not just brands and creators—it’s the agencies that strategize, execute, and push boundaries.
My Take: Why This Matters
I’ve covered enough marketing trends to know that platforms rise and fall. But YouTube’s dominance in Southeast Asia feels different. It’s not just about being the biggest—it’s about being the most trusted and the most effective.
For readers, the benefit is straightforward. If you’re a business owner, marketer, or creative professional, YouTube isn’t just another channel—it’s the channel. It’s where your audience is, where they’re paying attention, and where your investment delivers the highest return.
And for everyday viewers, this means better content. Brands are incentivized to create campaigns that are not only effective but also entertaining, informative, and culturally relevant. In short, ads that don’t make you want to hit “skip.”
The Bigger Picture: YouTube as the New Marketing Engine
By celebrating the best campaigns and introducing new tools for advertisers, YouTube reinforced its role as the go-to platform for video advertising in Southeast Asia. It’s not just about reach—it’s about results.
The combination of trusted creators, measurable ROI, and creative storytelling makes YouTube a unique force in the digital economy. And as more brands embrace this ecosystem, we’re likely to see even more innovative campaigns that blur the line between entertainment and advertising.
For me, the takeaway is simple: YouTube has become the new marketing engine of Southeast Asia. And if the numbers are any indication, it’s not slowing down anytime soon.
