Insider Spotlight
Speaking at the YouTube Works Awards Philippines 2025 in Taguig City on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, Palacios said the platform’s reach and influence now extend far beyond urban centers, transforming both media consumption and brand marketing.
“Ninety percent of Filipinos use YouTube. YouTube has become their daily habit, redefining the classic genres and putting a spin to linear storytelling we’ve all been used to,” she said. “For them, YouTube is the new TV, the new radio, and the new mainstream media.”
Beyond the Metros
Palacios noted that 88 percent of rural viewers in the Visayas and Mindanao access YouTube daily, underscoring how deeply the platform has taken root nationwide.
“YouTube has set roots far and wide with our content library deepening the farther,” she said, citing content diversity across dialects, contexts, and regional genres.
Winning audiences in the ‘flow state’
Palacios described a shift from mere reach to “mindset marketing,” urging advertisers to meet audiences “in the flow state”—a positive, absorbed mindset conducive to better engagement and higher purchase intent
“Pinoy viewers feel good about the time they spend on YouTube compared to other social platforms, because this is where the flow state is at its peak,” she said.
Creators as cultural authorities
Palacios emphasized that online creators have become “the new cultural authorities” in the Philippines, driving trust and consumer influence through authenticity and long-term audience relationships.
“Ninety percent of Filipinos agree that YouTube has the most trusted creators and the most trusted creator content compared to other platforms,” she said .
She cited creators Life by Mike G, Lisa Brown, and Ninong Rye as examples of genuine, relatable voices shaping Filipino viewing habits and purchase behavior.
AI and the future of creative marketing
Palacios concluded by saying that artificial intelligence will soon “revolutionize the speed, scale, and creative potential” of digital campaigns.
“AI is set to revolutionize the speed, the scale, and the creative potential of everything that we do,” she said. “I have no doubt that we’ll see this technology in more campaigns at next year’s awards.”
She called on brands and agencies to “lead the way” in merging creativity, technology, and authenticity to sustain YouTube’s momentum as the country’s primary content engine.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
