YouTube Marks 20th Anniversary with YouTube Works Awards in Johannesburg

As part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations, YouTube hosted the YouTube Works Awards in partnership with Kantar, which recognizes brands and agencies that have used YouTube to deliver exceptional storytelling and drive tangible business results.

Launched earlier in the year, a panel of industry leaders was convened to judge entries across six categories, with a focus on campaigns that demonstrated effective use of audience insights, creative vision, technology, and cross-platform integration to achieve significant business impact. 

The awards underscore YouTube’s position as a platform that bridges the gap between advertisers and their audiences. YouTube provides a successful platform that also connects new brands to their audience, as 87% of viewers engage with ads, and two-thirds find them relevant and trustworthy through the platform.

Speaking at the event, Kabelo Makwane, Country Director for Google South Africa, said, “Congratulations to all the winners! The caliber of submissions we received was truly outstanding, and they showcased the vibrant ingenuity of South Africa’s advertising industry.”

“We launched these awards to celebrate the innovative talent behind campaigns that not only tell brilliant stories but also leverage YouTube to connect with over 25 million viewers and achieve significant business results. This celebratory moment shows our commitment to the growth of the creative ecosystem in South Africa even as we celebrate YouTube’s 20th birthday,”  Makwane added.

The awards also recognized excellence in the following categories:

• WeBuyCars won the Creative Visionary Award for their ‘Rev-Jou-Jeep‘ campaign, celebrated for its captivating and original creative vision.
• Takealot – Naspers took home the Tech Pioneer Award for their ‘George & Mason‘ campaign, for its bold and excellent use of technology and AI.
• Heineken Beverages was awarded the Hidden Gem Award for their ‘The Beer Ads Without The Beer‘ campaign, honored for its brilliant audience insights that delivered measurable results.
• Dream Drive Technologies received the Underdog Award for their ‘Dream Drive Launch‘ campaign, proving that a significant impact can be achieved on a small budget.

The winners showcased how bold ideas, combined with powerful storytelling and strategic execution on YouTube, can resonate far beyond the screen. The judging process, overseen by Kantar, focused on clear business objectives and demonstrable impact, ensuring the awards are a true reflection of advertising effectiveness.

Candice Thurston, Absa Group Marketing Executive, who accepted both of the company’s awards with her team, said, “We believe that YouTube will be one of our most important channels across all our Pan-African markets in the next few years, and ‘I Grew it” was our first YouTube lead channel campaign. It was created to spark financial literacy and empowerment, reminding South Africans that when you nurture knowledge, you grow independence and confidence. This recognition from YouTube reinforces that your story matters.”