10.1.12

# ItsMoreFun: It's not who made it first, it's who made it better




When I first saw the new tourism brand, It’s More Fun In The Philippines, I was like “wow, that’s funny!”. After a year of research, the DOT boys can only came up with this? I was totally dismayed. It seemed too plain, too lame and too generic - at least, until I saw the promotional photos, the leaked video, the website and read the future plans of Mr. Secretary. It may not be as brilliant as “Wow Philippines” but it’s not cringe-worthy. Being too generic could actually work out in our advantage if done right.



Then someone released the bomb: a Swiss poster using the same tagline, well, “It’s More Fun In Switzerland”. As expected, passed on by tweets on Twitter and statuses on Facebook, the old Swiss poster suddenly became the toast of town. Angry, flabbergasted netizens flooded every social networking site there is. I read some comments that they find this mediocre; some say a copy cat. But I think some people (read: haters) overreacted over that old Swiss ad. Seriously, I don’t think there’s need for us to make a big fuss out of it.

First off, like what I said, the line “it’s more fun in” is too generic. Anyone can use it. So it’s not surprising if it may have been used before. And it was.

Second, the Swiss poster is not even a campaign; it’s just for an advertisement. And anyone who went to school knows the difference between the two. It’s not that hard, right?

And my gosh, the ad was used in the freakin’ 1950s. That’s more than half-a-century ago for crying out loud! Seriously, who remembers that one? I doubt that the Swiss knows that they used that before.

I don’t think it’s plagiarism. I think it’s a mere coincidence that really means nothing in the end. Some stupid people just wanted to find holes in it. They search deep into details that are not significant and unnecessary. Some even came up with a brilliant idea: drop the 5.6 million-worth brand. *start of rant* Seriously people? Are we gonna spend the six years of this administration trying to come up with the most brilliant tourism brand? Why not we just let this one go so that the DOT can start with the campaign? *end of rant* Seriously the intellect of some of these people is totally questionable.

Some also suggested to just revive the old “WOW Philippines”. In my opinion, we shouldn’t. Though I admit that it’s the more creative slogan with all that wow acronym stuffs, the line seems to be a jargon to some foreigners. “The Philippines went with WOW Philippines which said absolutely nothing about their country. WOW WHAT? A few more words won’t hurt. Wow naman pare. Wow talaga. LOL. I’m almost pretty sure the one who came up with it was holding a bong! The old Pearl of the Orient is one of the best I have ever heard.” ~ Pisanu, Thai-Belgian blogger (bisean.blogspot.com). Besides, the campaign was poorly executed. I barely saw its ad spots on the television unlike the “Amazing” or the “Truly Asia” ads that were being advertised every 5 minutes and 36 seconds. And besides, the former website makes me wince.

Hell, enough with the bad vibes. I told you that I wasn't satisfied with it at first but slowly fell in love with it as I walked through the possibilities and here are the reasons why.

7 reasons why I think the new brand and the campaign could work out

1. With billions of words tossed every minute of every day, I’m glad they chose “It’s More Fun In the Philippines”. The idea of making a tagline is pretty brilliant. It’s what will make us stand out. It is not as conservative as what you might prefer but it does set a different tone than existing slogans. So thumbs up DOT.

2. The slogan itself is a good punch line. It can be an actual part of a conversation. It comes out naturally, not forced. And what I also love is how I can use a bunch of lines as a segue into the slogan. I’m just wary that some stupid people may end up using it to a negative or sarcastic effect.

3. And the banig-inspired logo? Ah, I can’t think of a more perfect logo. I really don’t mind if the country is in color yellow. It’s well designed and not a pain the eyes. It gave the whole look a different effect on the viewer. Again, a breath of fresh air.

4. The website is also commendable. It gave me a festive-vibe. I dunno, maybe because of the banderitas and all which I think totally captures the feel of our country. I can’t wait for it to be officially launched. Excited much. I hope they would provide more-specific information about our attractions like tour packages, hotel accommodations, convenience of transportation and stuffs. Online reservations would be a plus, too.

5. What I personally love about the new campaign is that it encourages people to be part of the whole campaign. It’s a silly but a brilliant idea. Personally, I had fun tweeting about it. I can extend it anyway I want. Yes, we may not have the tourism budgets of the Thais, Singaporeans or Malaysians but we have Twitter and Facebook userstons and tons of it.

6. Mr. Secretary himself. I love the way he defended his work, no “yung satin mas makulay, may tarsier at may sun” bs. It shows maturity. This only happens when you have competent people in the government and not a bunch of air-heads. Hear that President? And he has a twitter account, yay!

7. And if you people don’t know, there's such thing as “truth in advertising”. The line maybe simple but it’s honest and direct to the point. No bs or whatsoever. Overly pessimistic netizens won’t succeed for the simple reason that the line is so real, it’s so us. I, and every Filipinos around the world, knows that “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” so don’t argue.

I think this is worth giving a try. Of course, it takes much more than a catchy slogan to bring tourists to our shores but I think if the slogan is the start, then this is a great start. I’m really excited for the international launch in April. I can’t wait for the promotional vid to be released. (For the record, I love “Forever Young” and “If you’ve waiting, you’ve been waiting for long” ads, both from NZ.) I hope that they can come up with a song that can go viral. And if “It’s More Fun In The Philippines” is shouted by a celeb at the end of a highly-stylized commercial, all the better!


Give the new slogan a rating: (+/-)

A. I can’t think of a better slogan. Two thumbs up DOT!
B. It’s million times better than the previous attempt but still WOW Philippines is the bomb.
C. Nice try guys. Back to the drawing board.
D. WTF, Pilipinas Kay Ganda for the win!
E. Fuck you DOT! Bow.

Shameless plug-in. :)



47 comments:

Hoobert the Awesome said...

As weird as it may sound but I have this thing for tourism brands. I spent considerable amount of time researching about these stuffs through the net before. I am especially impressed with Belize’s “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret”. It’s a mouthful but really clever. Same in the case of Colombia’s creepy-but-smart tagline “The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay”. In Asia, what I like most is Cambodia’s “Kingdom of Wonders”.

Anyway, what’s this I hear about Thailand changing its tagline to “Miracle Thailand”? I think it would be a bad move. Nah, just saying.

McRICH said...

i heard in the news that WOWPhils did not click. thats why they changed it to what you have discussed above.

More than the funfare, i think safety of tourists and economic stability are the things they should prioritize in order to make their campaign work!

RIZALENIO said...

Brilliant...finally, a write up with balls. First time I read a very entertaining and informative review about our new DOT campaign. I support this too coz its true - it's more fun here in our country! :)

Thanks for dropping by my site so I could find you here. I just wish we can say too that its more safe and more clean in our country.

Jhen said...

I give it an A+....I love the way you justified the reasons why you love the new slogan. true generic sya so it's catchy besides the fact that it can be used by many...and for the Filipino themselves to be involved in the campaign is definitely brilliant. at least naemphasize na each of us has a responsibility to make this campaign work and for our economy to boom big...hindi ung puro dahil sa government dahil sa mga rich pips...because all of us are responsible for it :) two thumbs up Hoobert -- you're totally --the Awesome!

rob said...

.. i think it's a good one. the word "fun" itself can heigthen ones curiosity and imagination. it's a true fact anyway that there is too much fun stuff to do in pinas! :D

Tal said...

B+, it's more fun in the Philippines, I agree but I like 'Wow Philippines' more, so to compromise let's make it Wow! It's more fun in the Philippines!. :D

Orange Pulps ♥ said...

"it's more fun in the philippines."

i don't know but it sounds funny, really. i'm not sure though which part is, but talagang ewan.

i do hope this one works.

rolynjane54.blogspot.com :)

June | Life and Spices said...

letter B. honestly bert.. you gave so much justice on this one,. being a travel blogger this slogan is plain and simple yet it's very catchy..i even made my own version of it..:)

kg said...

although the new slogan is OK for me (kesa naman Pilipinas kay Ganda!), i still like WOW Philippines more. if i'm not mistaken, WOW here does merely mean the expression "wow". it also means World of Wonders. :)

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Hello there Mcrich! I have no idea kung paano mine-measure ang success ng isang tourism slogan. So I can't say if the slogan clicked or not. All I can say is that napabayaan yung WOW campaign. It wasn't consistent. The reason I think was the lack of government support (read: BUDGET). Though I commend the efforts of former Sec. Dick.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

I am flattered with the nice words Rizalenio. You're such a charmer. :) I'm glad that you liked it.

Yeah I'm hoping for that too. But this isn't a one-man effort. We need to be a TEAM.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Thank you Ate Jen. I'll give it an A-. I'm still waiting for the promo video to be released. I think mga April pa yun. I can't wait. Hahaha. Excited much.

I just hope yung new website features sharing widgets sa mga social media sites. Ganun nung sa Singapore.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

I totally agree Kuya Rob. The word "MORE" do the wonders. Some suggested to scrap the word 'cos it sounds too desperate. But in my opinion without it, it's just plain and boring. So yes to #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines!

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Haha. That made me laugh Talinggaw. Sa sobrang tuwa ko naipost ko siya sa FB. Haha. It's a pretty good suggestion btw. :D

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Hahaha Orange. Funny? That's new. I heard na mediocre then copy cat/unoriginal then boring DAW. Pero bago sakin yang funny. Haha. :) Anyway, to each his own.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

First off June, don't call me Bert. Ang ewww lang. Lols. Call me Hoob or whatever. Wag lang Bert. Please! Haha.

Thanks so much. Don't you know I'm part of Justice League? Haha. :D

Hoobert the Awesome said...

You're right Ate Grace. WOW is a creative slogan. It stands for a lot of stuffs.

World of Wonders
Warmth Over Winter
Wander Over Wrecks

Tas dami pang iba. Nakalimutan ko na. Haha. Tumatanda na kasi ako. Lols. :D

June | Life and Spices said...

copy sir!

Hiyono said...

Napaka-indifferent ko na talaga. Ngayon ko nga lang nalaman na may super issue pala about dun sa "It's more fun in Switzerland" thingy.

Thanks for giving me yet another thing to reflect on. But honestly, I don't really care that much anymore. Ayoko na nga ng mga bumibisita. Parang lumalabas lang lalo balita na ang panget sa Pilipinas.

I do believe it is more fun in the Philippines though. I love it here. There's no place like home, ika nga.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Hahaha thanks June. Yo' the man!

Hoobert the Awesome said...

You should watch prime time news more often Yono. Pero di kita masisi cos puro bad stuffs na lang ang nasa news: accidents, politics, scandals, patayan blah blah blah. Nakakainis na din. Nakakasira ng good vibes. Kaya madalas e kumekendeng-kendeng na lang ako. Hahaha.

Mai Yang said...

Hey! oh my. sorry it took me a while to reply, or did anyone replied to your query already? I mean, about you comment in one of my post?

well, re your comment: Yes. Natuloy kami sa Vigan, althu di naman talaga na meet ng Vigan ang expectation so (kc eversince Highschool I've always dreamed of going to Vigan and then un lang pala? hahaha) but anyway, maganda din naman sya eh..pero, wala lang..
another thing, we're staying at "homestay" I will post his link on my next post para naman in case you wanna go to Ilocos, re.recommend ko sya sayo, sulit, sobra! cheaper pa =)) ayan..hehe! thanks for dropping by at my blog :) have a great day! anyway..ang cute ng concept mo! nakktuwa :)

Mai Yang said...

ah! isa pa, ang galing mo magsulat at mag english! hahaha! I'm so jealous T_T hehe

Mai Yang said...

plus, plus, plus..I read your "meet the blogger"
too bad to know you already have a gf. hahaha! but anyway, you're definitely awesome and funny, I guess :D looking forward for some shared friendship in the future. hahahaha!

Hoobert the Awesome said...

It's okay Mai. Kanina lang naman ako nag-inquire sayo. Nangangarap din kasi akong makapunta ng Ilocos this year. Haha.

Homestay? Yeah basing it from the pics that you posted, maganda nga yung place. :)

Aw. Thanks thanks. Kinilig naman ako dun. About the English thing: Di naman masyado. :)

Enjoy your stay there.

Mei said...

At first I also thought that the slogan is boring. But as what I could see right now, it's working. Many filipinos are creating their own version of the slogan. through internet, a lot of people could see it. so the internet is a big help to this campaign.

June | Life and Spices said...

sama ako! wanna see wind mill, vigan, tas makatikim ng food..me mga light house ba? XD top 5 ko yan na destination..

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Yeah true Mei. It became viral. Nakakatuwa. Pero di pa rin maalis na may mga haters and bitters talaga na nagpapakalat ng mga bad images. Very uncool.

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Yeah June. And not to mention Pagudpud. Yay!

Yes I think so. Daming sikat na light house up north. And ang iba sa kanila, haunted DAW.

June | Life and Spices said...

i really promised to myself that i'll be in Vigan and Zambales this year..yeah pagudpod pa.. haunted..mas exciting yan!

Hoobert the Awesome said...

^ Really? Nice. Nakakainggit naman. Ako di pa sure. Meron pa akong places na dapat i-tick off sa list ko. Hahaha. Pero who knows?

June | Life and Spices said...

nu ka ba..lam mo naman ang promise meant to be broken..but i'll go there no matter what! stubborn much? lol

Hoobert the Awesome said...

^ Lols. Di ko alam yun. Ako yata ang taong di sumisira ng pangako. Chos! Haha. Sige, sige then keep me updated. Sana makapunta din ako.

Anyway highway, kelangan ko ng maligo bro. Ambantot ko na. At saka darating na sila Mama. Lols. :D

PS. Di na naman ako maka-comment sa blog mo. Bakit naman kasi may visual verification pa? Lols. Nakikialam?

June | Life and Spices said...

update kita pag nasa vigan na ako..XD

lol..at nag paalam talaga na maliligo ka?

hoobert, kaw nga me word verification ako pa? wara walang spam..

June | Life and Spices said...

o padi..wara na ako word verification..kahugak! hahaha

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Ayun. Good boy. :D Ibalik mo na lang ulit pag naka-comment na ako. Haha.

Nyek. Meron pala akong word verification? Di ko alam. Haha.

Maki Cabrera said...

I really like the slogan and it's working very well. So to naysayers, just "shut up and stick to your corner!!"

Chyng said...

what i like most is this tagline includes that every filipino is part of it. hindi lang basta tourist spot.

so, kelan tayo magkikita? hinihintay na kita..

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Tumpak Mark! I was browsing through a forum last night and nabadtrip ako, andami pa ring haters. Seriously #ItsMoreFunToMoveOn. :)

Hoobert the Awesome said...

I'll send you a pm na lang Ate Chyng sa FB. :)

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I'll give it an "A."

When the issue against it was raised on TV, I myself was trying to think of a new slogan. But my ideas were no better either. ^_^

I had thought of:

"Chill in Philippines!"
"Viva Pilipinas!"

Then decided to leave everything to the DOT. lol!

Unknown said...

Cge na nga @ DOT... :D

nice site u've got, full of informations... :p

Hoobert the Awesome said...

After the terrible Pilipinas Kay Ganda slogan was dumped for some obvious reason, I also came up with some suggestions to the DOT. I thought "Philippines. More Than You Can Ever Imagine" or "7,107 Reasons To Have Fun In The Sun". Pero lahat wordy. Hahaha. :)

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Oh thanks for that Escape. Sana nakatulong `to sayo. :)

Christian | Lakad Pilipinas said...

I agree with you on all points! I specially like the banig logo, very very Filipino :)

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