Irene Joshy is Kantar’s head of creative in APAC.
Across Southeast Asia (SEA), online videos have become a way of life. Already, more than 85% of its online population1 – some 290 million people – are YouTube viewers, and it’s hardly surprising that YouTube has become the most preferred platform for marketers. But its extensive reach isn’t the only reason for its appeal.
According to experts in advertising effectiveness at Kantar, YouTube delivers superior results amongst social platforms. Its compelling multiformat content drives key brand measures most effectively across the funnel to achieve business results.2
To help brands and marketers maximise success on this global video platform, we analysed winning campaigns from this year’s YouTube Works Awards for Southeast Asia and identified three key factors that impact video effectiveness and business outcomes.
1. Make creativity and creative content delivery your top priority
Brands looking to stand out amidst today’s sea of online content know that creating bolder, more engaging video assets is a business imperative. According to industry experts WARC and Kantar, creative and effective ads generate over 4X more profit.
One way for marketers to push the boundaries of creativity is to embrace innovative marketing tools. They offer everything from visual storytelling to AI-powered solutions, which not only provide new ways of creating content, but also personalising and localising it to amplify overall impact.
Multinational company Grab Holdings’ winning videos across SEA demonstrate how an innovative mindset and willingness to experiment with new video marketing strategies and tools can transform creative marketing campaigns and ROI.
Its Greatest Knockout Deals campaign in Thailand, for example, harnessed YouTube’s AI-powered Video views campaign to maximise views of all its video assets, and used Video action campaigns to expand its reach and sales conversions on and off YouTube. Together, those solutions increased Grab’s in-app traffic by 10% and daily sales by 12%.
In Indonesia, Grab focused its Sobat Hemat campaign on increasing its reach and relevance to raise awareness of its user-friendly and affordable ride-hailing services. For that, Grab leveraged YouTube's Ads Creative Studio to generate personalised content and native language translations for different audiences across various cities. As a result, click-through rates (CTR) jumped threefold.
What’s more, it used the Google Weather API to deploy ads two hours ahead of adverse weather conditions in Indonesia, resulting in proactive user engagement. That drove 50% more traffic to its booking page. Ultimately, both efforts successfully increased the market penetration of GrabCar and GrabBike by 1 and 4 percentage points, respectively.
In Vietnam, its Breathe Tet Spirit campaign captivated viewers from the get-go with a long-form video. To more deeply engage viewers in an immersive brand story, Grab developed a series of unique short videos featuring individual characters with emotional stories. That resulted in double-digit monthly user growth and view-through rates surpassing industry benchmarks.
2. Embrace the power of deep emotional connections
Another factor impacting video effectiveness is the ability of the video content to strike an emotional chord with audiences. At Kantar, we found that connecting a funny story with a brand delivers both short-term and long-term impact of over 40 percentile points.
This year’s YouTube Works Awards winners reinforce how long-form content is one of the most effective mediums for driving emotional connection and consideration. With time to delve deeper into storytelling, long-form ads create memorable brand experiences and leave lasting impressions on viewers.
A prime example of that is how Thai real estate company Sammakorn turned consumers’ confusion over its name and that of “Sanpakron” – Thailand’s Revenue Department – into a hilarious four-minute long video, Sammakorn Not Sampakorn. The award-winning brand campaign drew nearly 30% more new users to its website and a 70% uplift in search for its brand name. The video also won Gold in the Cannes Lions Film category.
Another example is Filipino beverage company Coco Tea’s move to cast iconic broadcaster Ces Drilon in a comedic video Cool, where a series of unfortunate events turn her into “Stress Drilon” – a word play on the street lingo for someone who is stressed out. That relatable campaign amassed over 25 million views and 50% growth in sales.
Two other winning long-form videos – Malaysian Bank RHB’s Forgiveness (5:27 min) and Singapore car dealer Carro’s No Drama, Just Quality Used Cars (2:14 min) – also tapped into the power of cultural resonance and community to meaningfully differentiate their brands.
3. Collaborate with creators to break the fourth wall
On stage, the “fourth wall” refers to the imaginary space separating actors from audiences. And in the case of video marketing, creators break the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience. This connection enhances not only engagement, but also builds rapport and trust.
In SEA, most viewers consider YouTube creators to be voices of authenticity. According to recent research, more than 84% of viewers in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam agree that YouTube creator content is trustworthy.3 As their reliable, authentic narratives resonate deeply with audiences, collaborating with YouTube creators is another way for brands to enhance their ad effectiveness.
Case in point is Nescafe Thailand's Best Taste campaign. By partnering with Thai creator Noom Kanchai, who is known for having an authentic voice, and the popular TV and YouTube show Hone-Kra-Sae, Nescafe was able to amplify its brand promise and campaign effectiveness. Its video campaign achieved 77 million views, with a view-through rate 30% higher against industry benchmarks, and it doubled its sales volumes and rose from a challenger to lead brand position.
With over 5,000 channels and more than 1 million subscribers today,4 YouTube’s SEA regional ecosystem and content volume continue to grow rapidly. And innovative cross-marketing collaboration opportunities will enable brands and creators to reach even more viewers.
For instance, the launch of the YouTube shopping affiliate programme in partnership with Shopee in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam is set to benefit creators with new monetisation opportunities, and customers with products to discover from creators they trust. This will open doors for brands to expand audience reach in authentic and relatable ways.
Ultimately, however, innovative campaigns will still be needed to achieve positive business outcomes. And there’s no time like the present to master the fundamental pillars of cut-through creativity, genuine emotional connections, and creator collaborations to create successful YouTube marketing and video campaigns that deliver results.
