“The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.” – KEN ROBINSON.
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Days before the new tourism campaign was to be launched, DOT Sec. Christine Frasco was ecstatic and displayed her alacrity during several media interviews.
That was the kind of positive profile we need from Cabinet officials who navigate themselves after the destructive COVIOD 19 pandemic – the culprit that killed global tourism in one fell swoop.
However, after the initial ad footage came out Tuesday during a belated DOT 50th anniversary celebration, it received mixed reactions from various sectors in and out of the industry, but mostly voluminous bashing from people who thought the video content and the production design, etc, was not professionally executed.
According to critical comments, the stock footage was principally criticized because they were lifted up from some foreign images and which were recognized as not originally Philippines-que.
While several tourism groups praised the “love” message, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda called Sec. Frasco’s attention for missing out and excluding Mayon Volcano which for decades had been the outstanding tourist attraction in the Bicol region.
Salceda went ballistic in the social media, accusing the failure of the DOT to address appropriately the status of Mayor Volcano as a tourism source of livelihood for Albay residents.
Immediately, Sec. Frasco was quick on the draw, assuring Rep. Salceda that Mayon Volcano and the Bicol region are already slated to be next in the promotional stages of the “Love the Philippine” ad campaign.
“The tourism video that had just been released by the Department of Tourism is only the beginning for indeed, there is just so much to love about our country,” Frasco said in a statement sent to the media.
Salceda has remained cool to the new DOT campaign slogan, asking Frasco to rectify the pixel-like size of Mayon Volcano image because it was not recognizable as the most outstanding tourist attraction in Albay and the Bicol region.
Salceda has boasted that during his term as Albay governor for nine years, tourist arrivals rose from 123,000 in 2006 to 1.3 million in 2015
The ad agency that produced the “Love the Philippines” video slogan and campaign has publicly apologized for the omissions that its production staff committed which are considered a no-no in the industry.
Frasco disclosed that P49M have been allotted for the project.
My beef, if I may, is that the word “Love” has taken a rather romantic meaning that may not be comprehensible to the target publics.
How can a first-time tourist love a country whose airports are dirty, flights are delayed, and airport personnel are discourteous, dishonest and corrupt?
Perhaps, DOT has forgotten that foreign tourists come and visit a country to enjoy its sights, have fun and collect memorable moments they can cherish for a lifetime.
Every tourist – you and I included – visiting a foreign country wants to enjoy, have fun and collect and preserve mementoes of their sojourns abroad.
Why not mix love and fun and try “Love – Enjoy the Fun in the Philippines” instead?
Frasco has decided to coin her own catchphrase to avoid mimicking and copying previous DOT slogans.
Which is what happens because one always tries to be original to be creative.
But the content of the new tourism campaign video was only technically impaired because of the use of stock footages that did not ably represent the message it wanted to convey.
Obviously there was a faulty coordination and collaboration between the DOT and the ad agency which negated the overall efforts to achieve a perfect launch.
Pity.
There is plenty of room for improvement, though.
As if to placate the hurt feelings of Salceda (and the millions of Albayanons), Frasco has disclosed that the DOT “are in fact holding the Philippine Experience: Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravan in the Bicol region this July.”
Except for the unforgiving circumstances at the moment (Mayon Volcano was spewing ashes in its eruptive state), Frasco said the caravan has been reset to August in coordination with LGUs in the region.
In hindsight, we can all give the new DOT slogan a chance. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yaho.com). GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
