Advertising firm apologizes for tourism video blunder

FILE: LOVE THE PHILIPPINES. The new tourism campaign slogan of the Department of Tourism. The “enhanced” tourism campaign slogan, launched by the department during its 50th-anniversary celebration at the Manila Hotel on Tuesday (June 27, 2023), replaces the 11-year-old It’s More Fun in the Philippines. (Photo: Department of Tourism – Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The advertising firm contracted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for the “Love the Philippines” campaign has “profusely” apologized to Secretary Christina Frasco, the entire agency, and the Filipino people “for the apparent use of non-original/stock footage in the audio-visual presentation (AVP).”

In a statement on Sunday, DDB Philippines said it is taking full responsibility for the blunder.

“As DOT’s agency on record for the launch of this campaign, we take full responsibility over this matter,” the statement read. “We are fully cooperating with and assure our full compliance towards the Department of Tourism’s investigation of this matter.”

The AVP uploaded on social media on Friday has been taken down as of posting time.

It was first pointed out by blogger Sass Sasot in a Facebook post Saturday after noticing that at least six of the clips featured in the promotional video are not located in the country and were sourced from a stock video footage site.

Immediately, the DOT said in a statement late Saturday that an “exhaustive investigation” is underway “to determine the veracity of, and to gather the full faculty of facts on, these allegations.”

DDB assured that the AVP “intended to be a mood video to excite internal stakeholders about the campaign” was produced at its own expense and no public funds were released or would be released.

“This was a DDB initiative to help pitch the slogan,” DDB said.

DDB said that while the use of stock footage in mood videos is standard practice in the industry, the use of foreign stock footage was an unfortunate oversight.

“Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed. The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT’s objectives,” it said.

DDB said the succeeding advertising materials have yet to be produced for the campaign.

“We sincerely hope this will not diminish the genuine love and appreciation the stakeholders and the public have been showing for the ‘Love The Philippines’ campaign,” DDB said.

The DOT unveiled the enhanced tourism campaign slogan  “Love the Philippines” on Tuesday, replacing the 11-year-old “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” with an intent to come up with one that showcases the “Filipino brand.”

“The campaign Love the Philippines is not a mere branding campaign, but rather a call to action to every Filipino citizen to remember the beauty of our country, to honor our past, and to look forward to the future armed with the virtues, (and) values of being a Filipino,” Frasco said during the launch coinciding with DOT’s 50th anniversary celebration at The Manila Hotel.

“Love the Philippines is a recognition of our natural assets, our long and storied history, our rich culture and diversity,” she said.