In an unfortunate turn of events, ad agency DDB Philippines is now facing backlash for its tourism campaign that featured footage from other countries. The promotional video, which received enthusiastic support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., showcased stunning rice terraces and sand dunes that were actually filmed in Indonesia, the UAE, and Switzerland. The BBC reports that DDB Philippines is now issuing an apology for their mistake, which cost them $900,000.
The campaign, labeled “Love the Philippines,” was launched to replace the previous slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” However, Filipina blogger Sass Rogando Sasot questioned the authenticity of the footage, prompting further investigation. The Guardian reports that AFP discovered multiple images used in the video were sourced from stock photo providers. The rice terraces footage, for example, was from the Indonesian island of Bali, and the sand dunes imagery was taken in the UAE and Brazil. Additionally, an airplane portrayed as landing in the Philippines was actually filmed in Switzerland.
DDB issued an apology on Sunday, acknowledging the “unfortunate oversight” of using stock footage in their “mood video.” The video has since been removed from their Facebook page. Both DDB and the Department of Tourism (DOT) clarified that public funds were not used for the campaign. Nevertheless, criticism poured in over the agency’s plagiarism. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda expressed his disappointment, stating that for something as significant as a country’s image, plagiarism should never be tolerated. (Read more Philippines stories.)
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
