THE Department of Tourism (DOT) will be rolling out a new set of advertising materials worldwide to promote the Philippines as a “fun” destination on international TV networks, digital platforms, and other key advertising locations.
In a recent press briefing, Tourism Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications Howard Lance A. Uyking said the new advertising will feature the 10 tourism products identified as priorities in the National Tourism Development Plan of 2016-2022, and top destinations from the country’s 16 regions. These ads, created by BBDO Guerrero, will be placed by both the DOT and its marketing arm, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).
He said the DOT is also in talks with children’s networks, like the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon to promote the Philippines as a family destination.
“We’re launching our sun and beach ad in time for winter, targeting Western countries. The media placements will be with the usual channels—Discovery, Fox Network Group [Fox News, Fox Sports and National Geographic],” he said. The ad will be launched in mid-December and run until March 2020, he told the BusinessMirror. The DOT’s media placements will be coursed through Touch XDA, while TPB’s placements will be made by IPG Mediabrands.
“Then we will bid again for April [2020] onwards,” to place the ads for the other touri sm products and regional destinations, he added. “But we made it [our contract] flexible so we can change the ads anytime within December and March,” Uyking said, stressing that the advertising will be “nonstop, so there won’t be a month where our ads won’t be seen. It will be a continuous run. So we can change it once every two months since we’ve developed 26 different materials—one for every tourism product and one for every region, that’s 16 regions.”
He also emphasized the importance of the placements in the digital platforms, which account for 60 percent of the DOT and TPB’s promotions. “When you avail of TV placements, like on CNN, BBC, they automatically promote [the Philippines] also in their digital assets, like on their web site, social media, or Instagram.”
Besides the TV spots, the networks, he said, will also provide “additional media value, such as articles, and they also make their own episodes. Like in the case of Discovery, they make their own organic shows to help promote the Philippines in depth. For Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, you expect animated [episodes].”
Under the NTDP, the 10 tourism products are Nature-based Tourism (Nature Recreation and Adventure); Cultural Tourism; Health, Wellness and Retirement; Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Exhibitions and Events, or MICE; Sun and Beach; Cruise and Nautical Tourism; Education; Leisure and Entertainment; Diving and Marine Sports; and Farm and Culinary Tourism.
The DOT has allocated a P500-million budget for its “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” advertising campaign, of which P250 million will be allotted for creatives, and the rest for media placements. (See, “New DOT ‘More Fun’ campaign to get P500 million,” in the BusinessMirror, Aug. 28, 2018.)
Image credits: Celine Murillo