Is it really more fun in the Philippines?

It's more fun in Switzerland

Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the “WOW PHILIPPINES” campaign that the Department of Tourism launched during the time of the former Tourism Minister Richard Gordon and the then PGMA.  It’s just that the current occupant of Malacanang just don’t want to be associated with the former administration’s program.  "WOW PHILIPPINES” can stand side by side by Malaysia Truly Asia or Incredible India.  It’s also very short, catchy and descriptive.  The problem with the Filipinos is we lack continuity.  That’s probably one of the reasons why we lag behind our Asian neighbors.

Last week, the current Tourism Minister who happens to be a former advertising executive launched the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” slogan.  Moments after it was launched, the cyberspace was bombarded by the copy of Switzerland’s 1950s campaign “It’s more fun in Switzerland”.  People were so disgusted that the government spent more than Php. 5 Million to pay BBDO Guerrero yet the finished product was another plagiarized slogan.  This is the second time that the Tourism was caught red handed.  The first one was when they launched “Pilipinas kay Ganda” with the then Tourism Minister Alberto Lim.  It turned out that the logo was an exact replica of the Polish Tourism Campaign.

The dictatorship of Abnoy should have retained the “WOW Philippines” if it could not come up with a better slogan and campaign.  Plagiarizing something is an insult to Filipino nation.  We’re supposed to be the nation with creative talents.  Why in the world can’t we come up with our very own and unique tourism campaign?  The dictatorship of Abnoy even condemns SC Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo for allegedly plagiarizing his rulings yet he condone to plagiarism committed by the Tourism Ministry.  It’s a classic example of hypocrisy in the highest order.

Even if the current Tourism Minister was caught stealing cookie in the cookie jar, he’s still insisting that what happened was just coincidental.  What could be coincidental when there’s google?  Haven’t BBDO Guerrero googled “It’s more fun..? For sure, they’ll know that Switzerland has already launched that campaign 60 years ago.

The Tourism Minister once said that selling the Philippines is like selling Chicken Joy.  Is this what he means when he say it?  Copying and plagiarizing tourism slogans from other countries and pass it on as original.  The worst thing is, not admitting to mistakes and spending several millions of pesos as a consequence of their mistakes.