Travel and Tourism Industry

[Manila-X]

Originally Posted by wino

'Pilipinas Kay Ganda'
DoT unveils new slogan to underscore PH’s warmth, hospitality
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/287929...inas-kay-ganda
By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA
November 16, 2010, 5:41pm
Vice President Jejomar C. Binay (center) and Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim (left) offer a toast during the launching of the new Philippine tourism brand 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda' ('Philippines So Beautiful') on Monday. (Photo by MICHAEL VARCAS)
Vice President Jejomar C. Binay (center) and Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim (left) offer a toast during the launching of the new Philippine tourism brand 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda' ('Philippines So Beautiful') on Monday. (Photo by MICHAEL VARCAS)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DoT) has unveiled the Philippines’ new slogan that depicts the country’s warmth and hospitality.

The new slogan called “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,’’ which replaced “WOW! Philippines,’’ was launched before members of the tourism industry and honorary guest, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The new brand carries both visual and verbal idioms of the beauty of the Philippines through the tagline “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” and a colorful logo that incorporates a coconut tree, sun, and tarsier to depict the country’s unique tropical beauty and sunny dispositions.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim cited “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” as reflective of the optimism being represented by the new administration.

“The new Philippine brand will be the centerpiece of our tourism promotional programs and advertising campaigns in the years to come. It is in keeping up with the President’s philosophy of public-private partnership,” Lim said.

Lim also revealed that although the brand had elicited mixed reactions because of its radical departure from what is currently done by neighboring countries; it is relevant, distinctive, and believable.

“The real challenge is how to make the Philippines attain a competitive identity that differentiates it from what our neighbors are claiming to be. We need to be more daring in expressing our brand, if we are to rise above the clutter,” Lim said.

Lim is hopeful that by using the vernacular language for the tagline, every domestic and foreign tourist will tend to mouth the phrase in same way Hawaii has successfully popularized the expression “Aloha” in a global scale.

But before unveiling the brand concept and logo, the Tourism chief said the marketing campaign is still a work in progress.

“Before we commit to the production and placement of commercials, we would like to share the emerging new brand to everyone first. The Filipinos inputs in supporting and promoting the brand will help strengthen the brand even more,” Lim Said.

The brand, according to Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions Vicente Romano III, may still go through some refinements based on the feedbacks from market testing and Focus Group Discussions that will follow.

Brand activation programs and advertising campaigns will be developed and will be rolled out.




Kung Aloha lang naman ng Hawaii ang gusto nilang gayahin.. edi sana "MABUHAY Pilipinas" na lang ang ginamit nila instead of "KAY GANDA"
the "KAY" word is even awkward.. i dunno who uses that word in the Philippines..

but at least they have put up a phonetics on the brand, so people could pronounce it right.

Mabuhay is still the most catchy word. But it would be better to use "Mabuhay Philippines" than "Mabuhay Pilipinas" if being promoted on a global scale.

[Sleepwalker]

Originally Posted by wino

Some of them are actually helping..

Rob Schneider always wear Filipino t shirts.. or at least mention the Philippine once in a while in his movies
Apple of the Black eyed peas is helping the promotion of the Philippines for free.

Big Stan movie of Rob Schneider mentioned Filipino Kali...

Originally Posted by Juan Pilgrim

The Ideal ad would be Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera and Vanessa Hudgens running nude
on a beach in Mactan Island while Manny Pacquio is after them in horseback.

You have a very innovative and creative mind, Doc....Let me add something...The girls should be bringing Philippine flag, para nationalistic ang dating.

[xxxriainxxx]

Originally Posted by amigo32

hahaha, panay paliwanag tuloy sa branding branding na yan. mura daw yun, eh kung dito na lang sa SSC nagtanong libre pa.

kasi namn

Crowdsourcing. Even Papua New Guinea does that. And a lot of other destinations like Australia, Vietnam, etc.

[Juan Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by Sleepwalker

You have a very innovative and creative mind, Doc....
Let me add something...
The girls should be bringing Philippine flag, para nationalistic ang dating.

Nothing innovative or creative at all if you are going to ask me.

It is BASIC INSTINCT! SEXY SELLS!


If you show a film clip of a close up of Angelina Jolie's luscious red lips slowly and sensuously mouthing
"PILIPINAS ANG GANDA," even without showing a sliver of the Philippines in the clip, believe me hundreds of men
who saw that ad will be booking a trip to the Philippines within that hour.

[xxxriainxxx]

A rather stinging criticism of the PKG slogan from The Asian Correspondent. I may not agree with everything with this article however.

Amateurs behind new Philippines tourism campaign

Nov. 17 2010 - 07:46 am

Vicente Romano III is considered one of the – if not the – most technologically savvy officials of the administration of President Noynoy Aquino. He is an undersecretary –- the second in command -- at the Department of Tourism, in charge of planning and promotion. Prior to his DOT gig, he was a big part of the online campaign that exposed the shenanigans of former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, even helped to launch an online petition calling for the ouster of Estrada in 2000.

It goes without saying that promoting the Philippines online is probably what would keep Romano and his gang very busy. That’s precisely why, I think, he was chosen for the job because as undersecretary for planning and promotion of the DOT, a key part of his responsibilities is online and social media promotion. This is important given that those who would want to visit the Philippines would naturally check out first whatever material on the country is available online.

But guess what happens when you visit www.beautifulfilipinas.com?

You will be redirected to another website showing Filipinas having sexual intercourse and performing fellatio on men. As they say on Twitter, WTF???

You see, Romano and his gang launched a new promotional campaign for the Philippines worth P100 million pesos. They changed the Philippines’s tagline from “Wow Philippines,” which the previous Arroyo administration used, to “Pilipinas Kay Ganda.” No, I won’t provide translation – you go figure that out.

They also launched a new website called www.beautifulpilipinas.com.

Here’s why I’m convinced that Romano, despite all his supposed tech-savvy credential, is an amateur. (That or he allowed amateurs to develop this campaign.) Because, to be honest, I can’t fathom how they could have violated a cardinal rule in creating websites – never use a domain name that is identical in sound, or have a spelling that is almost similar, with another existing domain name. (Unless you intend to steal traffic from that other website.) The fact that the only difference between beautifulpilipinas.com and the porn site is the first P in “Pilipinas” makes this mistake even more mind-boggling.

Does the DOT want to promote sex tourism in the Philippines, as many have pointed out? Which brings me to the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” tagline.

This has been the butt of jokes, not to mention outrage, on Facebook and Twitter, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Firstly, it is in Tagalog. If you’re a European, American, Chinese or even Thai who wants to visit the Philipinas, would you be able to remember this tagline, as you would, for example, “Incredible India” or “Malaysia Truly Asia” or even the deceased “Wow Philippines”? If the government is targeting foreign tourists for this new campaign, why on earth would it use Tagalog? And if they say that the target market is domestic -- Why, Filipinos can’t understand English?

Officials have said that they want to promote the national language. That’s cool, but not in a campaign like this. You don’t want foreigners to learn Tagalog – you want them to visit our shores, spend their money here, and #$%@ our women!

That last bit in the preceding paragraph – let’s not kid ourselves. Tourists do come here to #$%@ our women. I supposed that brings in money. But must the government promote it? Because that’s what “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,” coupled with that egregious website name, sounds like -- a promotion for sex tourism, as has been pointed out on Twitter. Maybe we are in denial here or perhaps the DOT people know something that we don’t. Such as, perhaps more money is being made in sex tourism than tours in Boracay or Sagada?

I understand that the DOT has taken down its porn site and that it’s going to make changes in the new tagline. Fine, although I think that does not erase the fact that Romano and his gang committed a crime here. Romano and his supposedly techie gang cannot use an important industry like tourism as their sandbox for stupid ideas.

I think Romano ought to be punished for this. He should be fired or he should resign and Secretary Alberto Lim should give the job of planning and promotion to someone who is actually good at it, not someone who pretends to be good at it.

I think the DOT should rescind or at least rethink its contract with the advertising agency, reportedly Campaigns & Grey, for the amateurish campaign. I’m pretty sure other agencies can do a better job with a 100-million-peso budget.

Sheesh. How many more faux pas would these amateurs commit before the president realizes how dumb the idea was to appoint people to key government positions just because they joined in the campaign against Arroyo? There’s Ricky Carandang and Edwin Lacierda. Then there’s Mai Mislang. Now this.

Then again, what does this president know, right?

[Sleepwalker]

Walang katapusang kapalpakan at katangahan...Brought to you by no other than our national officials....

Php100M pa kamo...

Trial and error ata ang ginamit nang gobyerno natin ngayon...

[Manila-X]

From ‘Wow’ to ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’
By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:38:00 11/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines—From the generic “Wow” to the hard-sell “Kay Ganda.”

The Philippines, known the world over for its tropical charm, spectacular beaches and smiling people, has a new brand coined in the native tongue: “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” (So beautiful)!

“The brand that you are about to see is relevant, distinctive and believable ... It is something that we can distinctly claim and every foreigner who has visited our shores will attest to,” Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim told stakeholders, VIPs, diplomats, government officials and other guests on Monday night.

Lim led the Department of Tourism in unveiling the new Philippine label in a flashy ceremony that also marked the retirement of the 8-year-old brand “Wow Philippines.”

He said that the new campaign was “still a work in progress” and “not yet final,” and that it would be rolled out to the public early in January. By then, he said, it would have undergone market testing and focus group discussions.

The new brand carries a logo featuring a sun, the ubiquitous coconut tree, and a tarsier (a primate endemic to the forests of Bohol) to portray the Philippines’ distinctive tropical destinations and its people’s sunny disposition, according to Lim.

Speaking later with the Inquirer, Lim said the smiling coconut tree and the tarsier cuddling the first “i” in “Pilipinas” were inputs by President Benigno Aquino III himself when the idea was presented to him.

Best qualities

“The brand ... extols the innermost beauty not just of our destinations but also of our people and everything else that we do,” Lim said in a speech at the launch.

And it was not as if the tourism department fell short of imagination or inspiration in coming up with the new brand. Tourism executives said the brand harped on the Philippines’ best qualities that made it stand out among its glossy neighbors.

From its modest 2011 budget, the tourism department has allotted P200 million for the brand campaign out of the P500 million earmarked for promotions next year, according to Undersecretary Vicente Romano III.

To drive home the point, Romano, who handles tourism planning and promotions, engaged the guests in a guessing exercise: From flashing photos of breath-taking beaches, rustic edifices, and giant shopping malls, which were in the Philippines?

The photos showed beaches in Bali, Phuket, Vietnam, New Zealand, Spain, Maldives, Malaysia, and Boracay and Palawan in the Philippines; shopping malls in Bangkok, Singapore, Malaysia and Metro Manila; and historic structures in Indonesia and Thailand, and the Philippines’ Bacolod and Ilocos.

The guests, including, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Leyte Rep. Imelda Marcos, laughed when they found out that they had scored poorly.

Said Romano: “Our destinations [and] malls, they all look the same. What we need aside from fixing infrastructure is good marketing, and it starts with a new brand.”

“Pilipinas Kay Ganda” was conceived following a study that concluded that “it is as much the beauty of the people as it is the beauty of our scenery” that drew foreign tourists, according to Romano.

Hospitality top drawer

The study showed that Filipino hospitality was among the top drawers of tourists from North America, Europe and Asian countries (except for South Korea).

The tourism department also considered the results of the CNN Consumer Connect and the Global Travel and Tourism Survey for Asia Pacific conducted by Synovate in May-June.

In the survey, 3,500 respondents were asked what holiday activities would interest them in their next vacation. Sightseeing scored 67 percent; arts and culture and beaches also scored high.

Romano said that while other Asian countries used English words such as “incredible,” “amazing” and “cool” in their promotions, the Philippine brand was a way of expressing renewed pride in and hope for the country.

“We are using our native name and the vernacular to tell our story in our own way, to make it rise above the competition,” Romano said.

He said the phrase “Kay Ganda” was also the best way to express appreciation for the Philippines’ scenery, food and music, as well as its people and its attitude.

Using Filipino will also help set off a connection between locals and foreign visitors, Romano later told the Inquirer.

“It will help us engage with foreign visitors because they will be prompted to ask. And when they ask more questions, they will get more interested,” he said.

Ricky Reyes

But social networking sites show that not everyone is happy with the new Philippine brand.

“Why do I expect Ricky Reyes to suddenly appear in the new [tourism] website?” Arnold Romero said in his Twitter account, referring to the noted beautician who uses “Ang Ganda” in promoting his chain of salons and services.

Said another Twitter user, Hazel Hung: “The slogan makes me want to go to a salon and have my hair permed.”

In his Facebook account, Dexter Baldon said the new brand sounded like a Sibika at Kultura textbook for grade school students.

“How about something catchier for foreign tourists?” he said.

Others wondered why the tourism department had to overhaul the brand “Wow Philippines.”

Concerned netizens also warned that one wrong punch on the keyboard could direct Internet users to a porn site rather than the new website www.beautifulpilipinas.com.

Resistance expected

Lim admitted at the launch that the new trademark was “radical and risky.”

He said he expected the tourism department to be met with the same “stiff resistance” that tested Singapore’s complete overhaul of its own campaign early this year.

“But we need to be more daring in expressing our brand, if we are to rise above the clutter,” Lim said, adding:

“Going back to the question, Why not just build on the ‘Wow Philippines’ brand? ... The answer is quite simple.

“At a time when every nation, big or small, is either creating a new brand or repackaging its current one, would you rather rehash an 8-year-old brand? Besides, a new brand always generates a buzz that translates to more media mileage for the same promotional budget.”

Lim said a new brand always took time to be accepted.

“In the end, it is the faith and trust in the brand of the various stakeholders that can make or break a brand ... That’s why I’d like to invite all of you to join hands and rally behind the brand ... Together let’s make [it] not only believable, but also real,” he said.

[Linguine]

Originally Posted by xxxriainxxx

A rather stinging criticism of the PKG slogan from The Asian Correspondent. I may not agree with everything with this article however.

Amateurs behind new Philippines tourism campaign

Nov. 17 2010 - 07:46 am

Vicente Romano III is considered one of the – if not the – most technologically savvy officials of the administration of President Noynoy Aquino. He is an undersecretary –- the second in command -- at the Department of Tourism, in charge of planning and promotion. Prior to his DOT gig, he was a big part of the online campaign that exposed the shenanigans of former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, even helped to launch an online petition calling for the ouster of Estrada in 2000.

It goes without saying that promoting the Philippines online is probably what would keep Romano and his gang very busy. That’s precisely why, I think, he was chosen for the job because as undersecretary for planning and promotion of the DOT, a key part of his responsibilities is online and social media promotion. This is important given that those who would want to visit the Philippines would naturally check out first whatever material on the country is available online.

But guess what happens when you visit www.beautifulfilipinas.com?

You will be redirected to another website showing Filipinas having sexual intercourse and performing fellatio on men. As they say on Twitter, WTF???

You see, Romano and his gang launched a new promotional campaign for the Philippines worth P100 million pesos. They changed the Philippines’s tagline from “Wow Philippines,” which the previous Arroyo administration used, to “Pilipinas Kay Ganda.” No, I won’t provide translation – you go figure that out.

They also launched a new website called www.beautifulpilipinas.com.

Here’s why I’m convinced that Romano, despite all his supposed tech-savvy credential, is an amateur. (That or he allowed amateurs to develop this campaign.) Because, to be honest, I can’t fathom how they could have violated a cardinal rule in creating websites – never use a domain name that is identical in sound, or have a spelling that is almost similar, with another existing domain name. (Unless you intend to steal traffic from that other website.) The fact that the only difference between beautifulpilipinas.com and the porn site is the first P in “Pilipinas” makes this mistake even more mind-boggling.

Does the DOT want to promote sex tourism in the Philippines, as many have pointed out? Which brings me to the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” tagline.

This has been the butt of jokes, not to mention outrage, on Facebook and Twitter, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Firstly, it is in Tagalog. If you’re a European, American, Chinese or even Thai who wants to visit the Philipinas, would you be able to remember this tagline, as you would, for example, “Incredible India” or “Malaysia Truly Asia” or even the deceased “Wow Philippines”? If the government is targeting foreign tourists for this new campaign, why on earth would it use Tagalog? And if they say that the target market is domestic -- Why, Filipinos can’t understand English?

Officials have said that they want to promote the national language. That’s cool, but not in a campaign like this. You don’t want foreigners to learn Tagalog – you want them to visit our shores, spend their money here, and #$%@ our women!

That last bit in the preceding paragraph – let’s not kid ourselves. Tourists do come here to #$%@ our women. I supposed that brings in money. But must the government promote it? Because that’s what “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,” coupled with that egregious website name, sounds like -- a promotion for sex tourism, as has been pointed out on Twitter. Maybe we are in denial here or perhaps the DOT people know something that we don’t. Such as, perhaps more money is being made in sex tourism than tours in Boracay or Sagada?

I understand that the DOT has taken down its porn site and that it’s going to make changes in the new tagline. Fine, although I think that does not erase the fact that Romano and his gang committed a crime here. Romano and his supposedly techie gang cannot use an important industry like tourism as their sandbox for stupid ideas.

I think Romano ought to be punished for this. He should be fired or he should resign and Secretary Alberto Lim should give the job of planning and promotion to someone who is actually good at it, not someone who pretends to be good at it.

I think the DOT should rescind or at least rethink its contract with the advertising agency, reportedly Campaigns & Grey, for the amateurish campaign. I’m pretty sure other agencies can do a better job with a 100-million-peso budget.

Sheesh. How many more faux pas would these amateurs commit before the president realizes how dumb the idea was to appoint people to key government positions just because they joined in the campaign against Arroyo? There’s Ricky Carandang and Edwin Lacierda. Then there’s Mai Mislang. Now this.

Then again, what does this president know, right?

I think nobody resigns or gets fired in this administration of pnoy, especially if you're a close friend or classmate or schoolmate, incompetence and ineptitude notwithstanding....

[Linguine]

Puerto Princesa to welcome Cebu tourism linkages
By Aileen Garcia-Yap
Cebu Daily News First Posted 07:03:00 11/17/2010 Filed Under: Tourism


Puerto Princesa - City officials here welcomed a tourism partnership with Cebu, saying it would prove mutually beneficial.

“Cebu has already become a metropolis on its own. A partnership will help us especially in trading because we get most of our supply of processed canned goods from Cebu,” said Puerto Princesa tourism officer Rebecca V. Labit.

While tourist traffic is increasing, Labit said Palawan still needs to develop support infrastructure like an international airport.

“We are lobbying with the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communication) for our airport to be developed as an international airport so we can have direct flights and improve the tourist traffic,” she said.

Also needed are better road networks and a reliable telecommunications network.

Labit said most tourists complain about the weak transmission signals in some parts of Puerto Princesa City, especially during the rainy season.

Last year, about 268,000 tourists, mostly locals, visited Puerto Princesa last year compared with 1.61 million tourists to Cebu.

As of June, Puerto Princesa already had 230,000 tourists.

Eco-tourism is a major attraction in Palawan. Puerto Princesa underground river in Sabang is considered one of the best natural wonders in the world.

“We feel that we are not yet ready to have so many tourists. That is why we need to develop our infrastructure. We don’t even have five-star hotels here yet,” Labit said.

She said Palawan is positioning itself as the country's eco-tourism capital with the slogan “Ecotourific, A Thousand Pleasures!” in line with the Department of Tourism’s new slogan “ Pilipinas Kay Ganda.”

“We plan to launch this next year. We always do community-based approaches in developing eco-tourism like what we did with our Dolphin Watching, Bakungan River Cruise, Pambato Reef, Firefly Watching in Iwahig, and Ugong Rock,” she said.

More tourism projects are in the pipeline next year such as two hot springs in Santa Lucia and Santa Lourdes and a zipline in Ugong Rock.

“Our direction now is to strengthen our local partners,” Labit said.

[Manila-X]

Critics: DOT's 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda' not so pretty
SOPHIA DEDACE, GMANews.TV
11/16/2010 | 03:19 PM

As far as the online community is concerned, the government's newly-launched tourism campaign highlighting the Philippines' beauty is off to a not-so-beautiful start.

On Monday, the Department of Tourism (DOT) introduced its "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" (Philippines So Beautiful) campaign, but the slogan and its accompanying website (beautifulpilipinas.com) were both met with heavy criticism online.

By Tuesday morning, barely a day after it was launched, the website was taken down for an overhaul.

The DOT said that its new slogan is "portrayed in a colorful, vibrant logo, which shows both the tropical scenery and the happy smiles of our people. A cute tarsier, a marsupial endemic to the country, highlights our unique and playful character."

The tarsier, however, is not a marsupial, but a primate.

The DOT also said that the line "Kay Ganda!" —a common Filipino phrase that literally means "So beautiful!"— can be used to express appreciation for anything, from people and landscapes to music, food and even attitude.

"In a region filled with similar promises, the use of 'Kay Ganda!' stands out, better expressing the joyful and exuberant spirit of the Filipino," it said.

The DOT added that it used the word "Pilipinas" instead of the more familiar English "Philippines" because "Pilipinas" captures the "renewed pride and hope that we're feeling."

Slogan criticized

But the slogan did not sit well with some online users.

On Monday, prominent Filipino tour guide Carlos Celdran posted live updates from the campaign launch on his Facebook fan page, where the new slogan was met with a barrage of criticism.

"Carlos, why is the new slogan in Tagalog? How are we going to target the international market? I kinda prefer the WOW Philippines," said one Facebook user.

Another user said the tagline "lacks oomph."

Still another commenter on Celdran's Facebook page wrote: "Website sucks, look at Manila, what to do 'Fun and Adventure', How much did they spend on that crap... Another case of pouring money down a hole run by someone's friend."

Filipino blogger Noemi Lardizabal-Dado also pooled together quotes from her Facebook friends about the DOT's campaign:

"Is this intended for pinoy balikbayans only? I don't think too many foreigners will understand this slogan —most of them don't read and understand Tagalog," one commenter said.

"The graphics are beautiful but the content is sorely lacking. it gives me the impression that the DOT people do not know their own country. We have more beautiful places to see which were not even mentioned," said another.

"Sounds like a morning show's title..." someone else quipped.

In-depth look at the website

Meanwhile, new media marketing expert Carlo Ople also posted on his blog: "I was a bit surprised to find out that the official slogan... we’re carrying is in Tagalog. This is a bit weird since the target market is obviously the segment that can’t understand our language."

Ople also gave an in-depth commentary on the website's layout.

"The first thing you guys see when you load the site is the vibrant and fun images showcasing what the Philippines is all about. It’s also nice that the developers didn’t use flash for the main banner since that will just make the site load longer and it also might screw up search engine optimization," he said.

Ople praised the site for its easy-to-navigate layout, but quickly pointed out several dead links and numerous copy mistakes.

"The website shouldn’t have gone public yet. There are so many errors that could have been easily spotted with the proper QA. Also, the site really isn’t too 'social' enough. There are no 'Facebook Share' or 'Retweet' buttons anywhere in the website. Since this is international, they should also think about how they could have tapped Digg, StumbleUpon, and other social networking sites that can potentially drive significant global traffic," Ople concluded.

DOT's response

In his official Twitter account, DOT undersecretary for planning and promotions Vicente "Enteng" Romano III vowed to address the online criticism of the DOT's campaign:

"#helpDOT tnks for pointing out problem with http://beautifulpilipinas.com. Will move to another name. Will also correct typos," he tweeted.

In an email to GMANews.TV, Romano said that the website was deactivated on Tuesday to make way for typographical and grammatical corrections. He also said that the site will be moved to a new address because of the existence of a pornography site with a similar name.

"We will just review pages and correct errors before we republish, hopefully in three to four weeks," Romano said.

Romano also clarified that a more improved website is already being planned.

"This is not yet the full-featured website that we are envisioning as part of our digital strategy. That will still be bidded out. Only the look and feel were changed to match the new brand, but the content was lifted from other existing DOT websites. So (the current site) is really just an interim site," he explained.

Romano defends Filipino slogan

Even as he acceded to criticism of the website, Romano upheld the choice of a Filipino slogan for the new DOT campaign.

"(Much) of the criticism comes from the apprehension that (the slogan 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda') might not be understood by foreigners. And yet, many of the foreigners who attended last night’s Brand Preview Event —general managers of hotels and resorts, airline representatives, foreign dignitaries, etc.— loved the new brand," Romano said.

Offering a slogan in Pilipino not only makes us different. It also gives an opportunity to start a conversation and engage them more intimately. It is a matter of execution.

"We have a very limited budget compared to our neighbors in Asia. We’re about 1/17th of Thailand’s budget for 2011. All of our neighbors have chosen an English word to describe its character. If we follow the same path, our brand will simply be drowned out by our neighbors’ bigger ad budgets," he added. - TJD/HS, GMANews.TV

[Manila-X]

Even Japan changed its campaign from "Yokoso Japan" to

[Manila-X]

Even The Pilipinas Kay Ganda logo can be criticized of being an imitation of

[xxxriainxxx]

Originally Posted by WANCH

From ‘Wow’ to ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’
By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:38:00 11/17/2010



Lim admitted at the launch that the new trademark was “radical and risky.”

Somebody needs to tell Sec. Lim that "radical and risky" are not synonyms with "mediocrity and lack of creativity".

[Perseus II]

Originally Posted by xxxriainxxx

Somebody needs to tell Sec. Lim that "radical and risky" are not synonyms with "mediocrity and lack of creativity".

ano kayang ibig nyang sabihin sa "radical and risky"?

[JustHorace]

Maybe the DOT should take its cue from Singapore's new marketing strategy.

These are the best ads I've seen from the current roster of country advertisement shown on international television.

And it's amazing how they finally departed from a merlion-reliant campaign. The merlion does not appear on the adverts.

[Manila-X]

Travel advisory complaint reaches UN
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:13:00 11/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines strongly urged members of the United Nations Security Council to take a "balanced" approach in the international campaign against terrorism and called on governments to "exercise due care and diligence" in issuing travel advisories, particularly those that relate to "possible terrorist attacks."

In his statement during the Security Council meeting in New York Monday, Philippine Deputy Permanent Representative Carlos Sorreta underscored the need to take on a holistic approach in addressing terrorism, pointing out that for counter-terrorism strategies to be effective, "they must be comprehensive and must be addressed by a combination of hard and soft approaches."

He said that balance must also be achieved in the issuance of travel advisories.

"Travel advisories are taken very seriously. Once issued, travel issues cannot be taken back. While the Philippines recognizes the responsibility of States to protect their citizens, we believe Governments must exercise must exercise due care and diligence in issuing travel advisories," he said.

Sorreta stressed, "Advisories affect not just traveling citizens but also the lifeline and the economy of a country that is the subject of a travel advisory."

He explained that in travel advisories, "governments must clearly distinguish between threats posed by ordinary criminal elements and those by terrorists, two very distinct categories."

In one of the Philippine Permanent Mission's strongest statements yet on the subject, Sorreta said during his speech that when a travel advisory cannot distinguish between the two (ordinary criminals and terrorists), the advisory is "a disservice to the country issuing it and the country that is subject to it."

The Philippines was recently the subject of travel advisories from the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia warning against travel to the country after an alleged “cargo bomb" against the United States were foiled on Friday last week.

The Philippines has sought clarification from the concerned governments regarding the issued travel advisories.

In a separate statement, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan said it is important for the Philippines to express its position with the Security Council, especially when the body was discussing items relating to counter-terrorism.

The Philippines has raised the issue of travel advisories in the Asean Summit and its related meetings and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.

"The Security Council has the primary responsibility under the UN Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is the most appropriate venue to discuss ways forward in the collective fight against terrorism and to express concerns at how the international community is addressing terrorism, including travel advisories," said Cabactulan.

The Security Council is made up of five permanent members of China, France, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and the United States and the 10 non-permanent members on rotation. This year, these are: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey, and Uganda.

[reign]

Congress should investigate the 100 million contract entered by DOT with Campaigns & Grey. Another contract involving Kamag anak & Kaibigan incorporated again ?

[Perseus II]

oo nga ... 1 letter lang ang difference dun sa porn site

[Manila-X]

Philippines ditches much-maligned tourism campaign
AFP - 1 hour 51 minutes ago

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/2010111...d-5cc1ef8.html

MANILA (AFP) - – The Philippines said Wednesday it had pulled a tourism promotion campaign off the Internet after just one day, after the rebrand was severely panned by industry critics.

"Bland," "Lacks punch", "Sounds dishonest" were among posts made on popular networking sites about the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" (Philippines What a Beauty) website launched by the tourism department to much fanfare late Monday.

Ministry spokeswoman Evelyn Macayayong said the government acknowledged the criticisms and pulled down the website on Tuesday for revisions.

"The writeups were not thoroughly edited. There were errors, and there are even allegations of plagiarism, that we copied from other websites," Macayayong told AFP.

The aborted tourism campaign was topbilled by a candy-coloured logo of the slogan adorned with a coconut tree, an endangered tiny primate called a tarsier, the sun and waves.

Critics called for the country's eight-year-old tourism slogan, "Wow Philippines", to be retained.

Filipino tourism industry pundit Ivan Henares wrote on his popular tourism blog, 'Ivan About Town': "I can't understand why (we) want to get rid of a brand our country has worked so hard to build and invested so much money on."

Prominent tourist guide Carlos Celdran wrote on Facebook that the government could have done better with "Mabuhay (Long Live the) Philippines," which the ministry had used prior to "Wow Philippines".

"It's our Ole. It's our Aloha. Seriously. It's one word in Tagalog (Filipino) that I think a lot of foreigners might even know," he added.

Macayayong, the ministry spokeswoman, defended the new slogan.

"It raises awareness. It inculcates pride in our identity," she said.

However the government has restored its previous website (at www.tourism.gov.ph) following the criticism. Macayong said she could not say when the edited version of the new one would go live.

The Philippines has been struggling to shake off its image as an unsafe destination after a botched police rescue of foreign tourists seized in a bus by a dismissed policeman in August that left eight Hong Kong residents dead.

Macayayong said tourist arrivals in the eight months to August were up 14 percent from a year earlier to 2.1 million. However, the government has said it expects some fallout from the fiasco for the rest of the year.

[pi_malejana]

trial and error na naman...

ang good news neto, at least nakikinig sila sa mga criticisms..