MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) retired the popular slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” after over a decade of viral campaigns, as Southeast Asian countries compete to lure millions of tourists in the mood for a revenge spending spree.

On Tuesday, June 27, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco unveiled the country’s new slogan: “Love the Philippines.”

Frasco said the rebranding is a timely response to the changing demands of the industry and shifting tourist preferences amid the pandemic.

“We are now in the process of enhancing; there are so many aspects of Philippine tourism that go beyond fun,” Frasco said.

Marie Adriano of DDB Group Philippines, the DOT’s partner for the campaign, said trends also point to going beyond leisure.

“Love is the positive theme they (tourists) associate with our country, frequently mentioned in high volumes globally. And while fun remains a positive thing…there’s less volume of mentions,” Adriano said.

‘More fun’ legacy

Frasco acknowledged that the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign launched in 2012 was a success, adding that she will build on her predecessors’ work to further push the country as a premier tourism destination.

The old slogan, while simple, banked on Filipinos’ high social media usage and the rise of memes.

The DOT, then headed by the late Ramon Jimenez Jr., encouraged people to create their own campaigns by providing them with the right fonts and logos.

Filipinos reacted negatively at first, since the “WOW Philippines” brand which started in 2002 was already well-known.

But the rebranding came at a time when social media was taking off. BBDO Guerrero, the advertising agency behind the slogan, banked on Filipinos’ creativity and humor, as well as their ability to make memes go viral on social media.

In 2017, then-tourism secretary Wanda Teo planned to scrap “It’s more fun in the Philippines” and replace it with “Experience Philippines.” But the tourism branding video was widely criticized, with people saying it was similar to a South African tourism ad. McCann Worldgroup Philippines took full responsibility for the video but said it did not intend to plagiarize others’ work.

Former tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat retained the “more fun” campaign when she was appointed DOT chief mid-2018.

Last May, the government drew flak for using the tagline “We give the world our best” in an advertisement seen on a bus in the United Kingdom. The ad showed Filipino-British nurse May Parsons, who administered the world’s first approved and fully tested COVID-19 vaccine.

Frasco defended the slogan, which came from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications, while also clarifying that it was not the Philippines’ new tourism slogan.

“We don’t want to commodify our people, and we don’t want to be tagged as a labor-exporting country,” Senator Nancy Binay said at the time.

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Not just the Philippines

Back in February, Hong Kong launched its massive publicity campaign “Hello Hong Kong” to position itself as a more approachable destination. It then gave away half a million plane tickets a month after the slogan launch.

Singapore, which has used “Your Singapore,” also changed its slogan to “Passion Made Possible” in a bid to cater to all types of tourists.

Thailand retained “Amazing Thailand,” but created more ad campaigns branded as “Amazing New Chapters” to build on the current branding. – Rappler.com