2-7-2023 (MANILA) Philippine tourism officials found themselves in an embarrassing situation as the creators of a promotional video for the country’s holiday destinations admitted on Sunday (Jul 2) that they had used stock footage from other countries. Advertising agency DDB Philippines issued an apology for featuring “highly inappropriate” images, including rice terraces from Indonesia and sand dunes from Brazil.
The agency was responsible for producing the video as part of the government’s “Love The Philippines” tourism campaign, which had a budget of US$900,000 and was launched on June 27.
Following allegations that the video contained “non-original shots,” the country’s tourism ministry initiated an investigation. The video was subsequently removed from its Facebook page.
Well-known Filipino blogger Sass Rogando Sasot had taken to Facebook to point out that several images in the campaign video were actually from other countries. A fact-check conducted by AFP confirmed the presence of footage from Brazil, Indonesia, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates in the video.
DDB issued an apology on Sunday, acknowledging the use of “foreign stock footage” and describing it as an “unfortunate oversight” on their part. The agency admitted that proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed, emphasizing that the use of such footage contradicts the objectives of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in promoting the Philippines.
Furthermore, the tourism ministry stated that it had repeatedly sought confirmation from DDB regarding the originality and ownership of all materials used in the video presentations. Despite assurances from DDB that everything was in order, it appears that the agency failed to deliver on its promises.
Investigations into the matter revealed that some of the images used in the promotional video were readily available on stock footage provider websites. For instance, footage of rice terraces matching those in the video was found on Pond5, with the location identified as Ubud on the Indonesian island of Bali. Similarly, Videvo featured the same aerial shot of sand dunes as used in the DDB advertisement, attributing the location to Cumbuco in northeastern Brazil. Other footage included a fisherman wearing an uncommon hat for the Philippines and a person driving a buggy over sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates.
Tourism Minister Christina Frasco previously disclosed to local media that the new branding campaign had cost 49 million pesos (US$900,000). Frasco mentioned that the ministry conducted a global survey, which revealed that post-pandemic tourists sought “authentic interactions with communities.” Consequently, the new campaign slogan replaced the old one, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
Tourism plays a vital role in the Philippines, known for its pristine dive spots and white sand beaches. However, the country struggles to attract the same level of arrivals as its neighboring countries due to inadequate infrastructure and high costs. In 2020, there were only 2.7 million inbound tourists to the Philippines, a significant drop of 68 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, as reported by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization.
