YouTube’s top ads in the Philippines for 2013

MANILA, Philippines – Watching television can sometimes be annoying when commercials are taking too long. Some of us tend to channel surf instead than just wait for the program to come back on.

But in the last few years, it seems that this has been a challenge the Philippine advertising industry was willing to take on, and some TV commercials started becoming more interesting and fun to watch.

Some even have better, more meaningful messages than just telling the viewers to buy something they don’t really need. Such ads have also taken over the Internet as a lot of consumers spend their time in front of their computers.

Youtube Philippines shared its Ads Leaderboard’s results for the year 2013, coming up with a list of the most successful advertisements in the country. With 80% of these ads Filipino-made, Google Philippines’ marketing head Ryan Morales said this is “a testament to the creativity of the FIlipino advertising industry” and how “many of our practitioners create content that is best-in-class.”

What’s common in these 10 ads that made them so popular? Morales said that it is their ability to engage the viewers – a new trend in advertising.

10. Jessy Mendiola surprises Teng Brothers (mcdonaldsPH)

We’ve seen McDonalds make heartwarming commercials before. This one, is a mix of heartwarming and sexy – the wholesome kind brought about by the presence of Jessy Mendiola. A college basketball star decides to surprise his brother with a “chance” meet-up with his reported crush. With almost 3 million views, this ad is not far from the McDonald’s tradition of ads that you remember even after a few years.

9. Labels Against Women (Pantene Philippines)

As part of its “Whip It” campaign, Pantene took on the issue of gender bias. The ad became viral in just a month after it debuted on the Internet. Creative Director of digital agency MRM Worldwide Manila Lisa Sioson noted, “It didn’t sell shampoo. It was selling a movement against sexism.” 

8. Introducing Samsung Galaxy S4 (Samsung Mobile)

Relatively long at 4 minutes, this informative ad breaks down the features and specs of Samsung’s then-latest addition to its smartphone family. Samsung Galaxy S4 is also the second most searched term on Google Philippines in 2013, and the top searched smartphone. 

7. Toffee’s Best Dog Bath Ever (NestlePurinaPH) 

What’s more adorable than a cute, talking dog? “You can’t go wrong with a cute, talented dog. It’s no secret that the greatest phenomenon on YouTube is how furry animals can increase audience retention. The whole spot also seemed like a film: less selling, more doggie tricks,” said Sioson.

6. Ramon Bautista, SmartNet Da Moves (smartcorporate)

Internet star Ramon Bautista stars in this commercial which practically sells itself with free service.

5. Four Seasons Tang-Go with Ryzza! (TangMNL)

Ryzza and a social impact. Ryzza Mae Dizon is a talented, award-winning child protégé who’s been a favorite among kids and adored by adults. Using her celebrity status, Ryzza dances her way to encourage fellow kids as well as mothers to be active, creative and motivated.

4. Iya Shines (PantenePhilippines)

Another one from Pantene, this time, featuring a couple that can make anyone go “aww.” Along with all the sweet peoposal videos out there on the Internet, this ad (first aired on TV as a teaser and led to the YouTube video) inspires couples everywhere.

3. Ely Buendia, Rico Blanco, Raymund Marasigan, and Barbie Almalbis collaborate! (smartcorporate)

Sioson noted the musical powerhouse cast and relatable song for this ad, the combination of which has a strong appeal to Pinoys. The patriotism also doesn’t hurt. The collaboration has gone further to lead the “country’s first interactive concert” aired live on YouTube.

2. Ramon Bautista vs Parokya Ni Edgar (NescafePH)

“I know a lot of people who didn’t press the skip ad button on this one,” Sioson said. “They were either a fan of Ramon Bautista, Parokya, or Shaider and Power Rangers. The whole video played like some crazy, ’80s B-movie…and we got entertained! For consumers, that’s what YouTube videos are all about: entertainment.” And it seems that Sioson is right with the video now registering over 1.7 million views.

1. Dove Real Beauty Sketches (doveunitedstates)

A reminder to every woman that she is beautiful – no matter what other people say. The ad prolongs engagement with the audience as it prompts them to visit a site where they can view the individual sketches in the campaign. The ad now has over 61.5 million views.

Which one’s your favorite? Do you know other notable advertisements? Share them with us in the comments section below. – Rappler.com