The island nation is lumbered with some unfortunate clichés it hopes to shrug off: laughable politicians, devastating typhoons, communist insurgencies, abject poverty and a population that would rather live and work abroad.
And yet there are many positives to trumpet, says David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero Ortega, an agency in the running for the business. “The Philippines scores highly for its proficiency in English, young population and globalised outlook,” says Guerrero.
Its economy, for so long the laggard of Asia, is experiencing its fastest growth spurt since the 1997 financial crisis. Exports shot up by 13 per cent in the first quarter of 2007, and investors — such as the semi-conductors giant Texas Instruments — are beginning to show faith. As for Filipinos themselves, they are a caring people, Guerrero adds (most foreign-born nurses in the UK are from the Philippines). And they are, of course, ‘the entertainers of Asia’ (many Filipinos star in shows in the West End and Broadway). “All of that feeds into a brand positioning that needs to incorporate elements of warmth, openness, creativity and a sense of surprise,” he says.
New activity will focus on wooing foreign investors. It may also revisit the ‘Wow (‘wealth of wonders’) Philippines — more than the usual’ campaign, launched in 2001 to revive an industry crippled by stories of kidnapped tourists. To a degree, the campaign has already succeeded — and is a vast improvement on the scatter-gun approach of its predecessors. In 2000, the Philippines attracted two million visitors. More than three million are expected in 2007 — mainly from Korea and Japan. But, given that Southeast Asia will welcome a record 71 million visitors this year, the Philippines’ share is modest — as is its ad budget. It has had to focus on highly targeted, non-traditional media — such as branded London taxis — to flaunt its assets.
By contrast, Malaysia, the tourism hotspot of Southeast Asia with 28 million visitors this year, can afford to outspend its neighbour. Malaysia also has the luxury of a wholesome, family-centric reputation, says Datuk Vincent Lee, chairman of Naga DDB, the agency behind the seven-year-old ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ campaign. This is unlike Thailand, Malaysia’s closest Southeast Asian rival (15 million visitors), which has tried — and failed — to rid itself of its seedy image with the now defunct ‘Unseen Thailand’ activity, says Lee.
Elsewhere, the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ campaign has had its critics, but the island state has seen yearly visitor numbers grow to 10.3 million this year — more than double that of nearby Indonesia, which has struggled with an unsafe image and a limited tourism budget. ‘Incredible India’ gets more plaudits, although India will receive only 4.9 million visitors this year — not many more than up-and-coming Vietnam. “’Incredible India’ is a strong idea that succinctly captures the diversity of India well,” says Piyush Pandey, national creative director of Ogilvy & Mather India.
Rowan Chanen, regional ECD of Y&R, isn’t convinced. “Most tourism campaigns in Asia have ended up in exactly the same place — pretty pictures with absolutely no idea at all. While we all love seeing how ‘amazing’, ‘incredible’ or ‘unique’ a destination is, it gets a bit silly when they all position themselves in precisely the same way — so the biggest spenders tend to win.
“What’s needed are consumer insights that position a country in a meaningful and relevant manner. And then tell that story in an amazing, incredible and unique way.”
