Exclamatories v.3

An imaginarium of pop culture tidbits, shredded to pieces, stir-fried to the point of being burnt, laced with powdered lithium, Auto-tuned, Photoshopped and served on a kitschy platter.

Posts tagged 1 for fun

Jan 7

Not that fun?

#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines #1ForFUN

Of course, people would have tons of reactions on the new tourism slogan. I, for one, am in love with it and that’s why I have to defend it at some level. Here’s my point-by-point response to the criticism:

1. It’s a product of plagiarism.

Agreed, the slogan is exactly the same as the Swiss slogan used in 1951. But “It’s more fun in the Philippines” is not meant to be an original concept. It’s meant to communicate a unified truth about the country and answer the question, “Why should I visit the Philippines?” Besides, every new idea is a derivative of an old one. At some point, Sydney, Australia used the slogan, “There’s no place like it,” which sounds a lot like “There’s no place like Hong Kong.” And are you seriously telling me that “”Hong Kong, Live it. Love it!” “Live it. Visit Scotland” and “Belize. Mother nature’s best kept secret” are original?

2. It’s a weak campaign.

We can’t really judge how successful a campaign will do before it even starts. Comparisons to “Malaysia. Truly Asia” are irrelevant because the Malaysian campaign is a really expensive and comprehensive one. Obviously, we can’t take that route because Malaysia has already practically “owned” Asia. If we did, then that would be an act of copying. So we have to turn to something else. Highlighting specific tourist destinations in the country isn’t the best idea because it risks alienating the other destinations. Not all 7,107 islands have white-sand beaches. Not all provinces have picturesque mountains. Not all towns have five-star accommodations. But all of them can offer fun. More fun, which is exactly what people are looking for when they travel in the first place. Some may want something “truly Asia,” others may want something “incredible” and “amazing,” still others may want to experience the “best place, best taste.” But everyone wants fun. And that’s where the strength of the slogan lies.

3. It’s misleading.

Sure, we, Filipinos, think it’s not that fun in the Philippines. But that’s because we’re looking at it from a “local” point of view. The Philippines does not have the best quality of living, but we do have a lot of fun activities for tourists. As Filipinos, when we travel domestically, don’t we believe that it’s really fun? We have one-peso airfare. Isn’t that more fun? The best beaches in the world are just less than an hour away. Isn’t that more fun? From Manila, we can drive up to Tagaytay just for the natural air-conditioning. Isn’t that more fun? We have one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Isn’t that more fun? We don’t believe it because we focus on the negative things about the country. But we have to realize that marketing slogans are supposed to place a product in the best possible light, not present it negatively.

4. It’s not as good as WOW Philippines.

Actually, it is. And we have to retire the old campaign precisely because it’s old. We have to keep up with new trends, refocus our attention to younger markets and show the world that we are hip and cosmopolitan. The hashtags, the copies on the It’s More Fun… Web site and the social media drive all work toward that. The challenge now is if the product (i.e. the country) can deliver. And we can. You know we can. Because admit it, it is really more fun in the Philippines. (However, we really do have to do something about our airport, but that’s another story.)

Posted at 11:42 AM 80 notes Tagged: 1 for funit's more fun in the philippines

Jan 6
#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines #1ForFUN The new tourism marketing slogan works on so many different levels. It’s about experience, suggesting uniqueness and being incomparable. It’s a sweeping statement, indicating confidence in the claim. It’s a simple, yet universal, message, potentially having the ability to reach and penetrate a wide audience. The keyword is “fun,” and people want to have fun when they travel. It’s useless proclaiming we have the best beaches or the most colorful festivals or the tastiest mangoes because those would only entice those who want to go to the beach or want to soak in a different culture or want to eat mangoes. Selling fun is straightforward but diverse. It immediately tells you that there are beaches elsewhere, but it’s more fun in the Philippines; there are mountains and caves and valleys elsewhere, but the ones in the Philippines are more fun; there are malls and coffee shops all over the world, but it’s more fun to go malling and have coffee in the Philippines. Basically, it’s like saying we have a lot of things going on here—and this is why past campaigns have been confused and confusing—and it’s really fun. Finally, we’re using diversity to our advantage. We’re embracing all 7,107 islands and presenting them as a package. And that is the best way we can sell tourism. Finally, we’ve pinpointed exactly what makes the country an ideal place for a vacation. The campaign also reaches out to every Filipino. It encourages us to welcome tourists and make their visit to the country more fun, for them to remember that the Philippines is “#1 For Fun.” The Web site tells us more. It highlights the different places in the country and, thanks to great copywriting skills, these very places can be seen from a new perspective, incorporating current trends and pop culture. For example, “Status updates. More fun in the Philippines” accompanies an underwater visual, promoting our fantastic dive spots and underwater biodiversity. (At the same time, it hints at the possibility of finding a WiFi signal even if you’re at the most remote location, which is a necessity these days.) Now, you’re not simply going to be “WOW”-ed by the endless wonders. You’re not just going to marvel at everything that’s “Kay Ganda.” You’ll participate. You’ll enjoy and have the time of your life, wherever you are in the country, whatever activity you choose to do. And you’ll come to realize that it is “more fun in the Philippines.” Let’s talk about the logo. Immediately, you’ll notice the simplicity of the typeface and the updated colors. It shows that the campaign is geared towards younger travelers and it positions the country as a hip and, well, “fun” destination. But there’s still a lot of culture in it because of the map designed like banig, again, in an updated vectorized manner. It’s eye-catching but not in an imposing way. It’s current but not too much to the point of alienating the elders. And most importantly, it does look like a lot of fun. Really, the Tourism Department and Secretary Ramon Jimenez did a wonderful job. Let’s hope they’ll be able to sustain this momentum. (Spread the word! Go to http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/)

#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines #1ForFUN

The new tourism marketing slogan works on so many different levels. It’s about experience, suggesting uniqueness and being incomparable. It’s a sweeping statement, indicating confidence in the claim. It’s a simple, yet universal, message, potentially having the ability to reach and penetrate a wide audience.

The keyword is “fun,” and people want to have fun when they travel. It’s useless proclaiming we have the best beaches or the most colorful festivals or the tastiest mangoes because those would only entice those who want to go to the beach or want to soak in a different culture or want to eat mangoes. Selling fun is straightforward but diverse. It immediately tells you that there are beaches elsewhere, but it’s more fun in the Philippines; there are mountains and caves and valleys elsewhere, but the ones in the Philippines are more fun; there are malls and coffee shops all over the world, but it’s more fun to go malling and have coffee in the Philippines. Basically, it’s like saying we have a lot of things going on here—and this is why past campaigns have been confused and confusing—and it’s really fun.

Finally, we’re using diversity to our advantage. We’re embracing all 7,107 islands and presenting them as a package. And that is the best way we can sell tourism. Finally, we’ve pinpointed exactly what makes the country an ideal place for a vacation.

The campaign also reaches out to every Filipino. It encourages us to welcome tourists and make their visit to the country more fun, for them to remember that the Philippines is “#1 For Fun.”

The Web site tells us more. It highlights the different places in the country and, thanks to great copywriting skills, these very places can be seen from a new perspective, incorporating current trends and pop culture. For example, “Status updates. More fun in the Philippines” accompanies an underwater visual, promoting our fantastic dive spots and underwater biodiversity. (At the same time, it hints at the possibility of finding a WiFi signal even if you’re at the most remote location, which is a necessity these days.)

Now, you’re not simply going to be “WOW”-ed by the endless wonders. You’re not just going to marvel at everything that’s “Kay Ganda.” You’ll participate. You’ll enjoy and have the time of your life, wherever you are in the country, whatever activity you choose to do. And you’ll come to realize that it is “more fun in the Philippines.”

Let’s talk about the logo. Immediately, you’ll notice the simplicity of the typeface and the updated colors. It shows that the campaign is geared towards younger travelers and it positions the country as a hip and, well, “fun” destination. But there’s still a lot of culture in it because of the map designed like banig, again, in an updated vectorized manner.

It’s eye-catching but not in an imposing way. It’s current but not too much to the point of alienating the elders. And most importantly, it does look like a lot of fun.

Really, the Tourism Department and Secretary Ramon Jimenez did a wonderful job. Let’s hope they’ll be able to sustain this momentum.

(Spread the word! Go to http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/)
Posted at 11:42 AM 5 notes Tagged: 1 for funit's more fun in the philippines