DOT terminates contract with ad agency over use of stock footage in "Love the Philippines" campaign

 The Department of Tourism (DOT) has terminated its contract with DDB Philippines, the advertising agency behind the country's new tourism campaign "Love The Philippines." This is after DDB Philippines admitted to using non-original stock footage in the campaign's promotional video.

DOT - Love The Philippines tourism campaign ad

The DOT said that DDB Philippines violated the terms under the tourism branding campaign contract by using non-original footage. The agency has since apologized for the incident and said that it will be taking steps to ensure that this does not happen again.

The "Love the Philippines" campaign was launched in June 2023 with the aim of promoting the country as a tourist destination. The campaign featured a new tourism slogan, "Love the Philippines," and a new logo that incorporated the traditional Filipino font, "Barabara."

The campaign was met with some criticism, with some people saying that the slogan was too vague and that the logo was not visually appealing. However, the DOT said that the campaign was well-received by the majority of Filipinos.

The termination of the contract with DDB Philippines is a setback for the "Love the Philippines" campaign, but the DOT said that it is committed to promoting the country as a tourist destination. The DOT said that it will be working with a new advertising agency to develop a new promotional video for the campaign.

The use of stock footage in the "Love the Philippines" campaign is not the first time that a tourism campaign has been criticized for plagiarism. In 2018, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was forced to apologize after it was revealed that its promotional video had used footage from a number of other countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The use of stock footage in tourism campaigns is a common practice, but it is important for agencies to ensure that they have the rights to use the footage before they include it in their campaigns. By using non-original footage, DDB Philippines not only violated the terms of its contract with the DOT, but it also misled the public about the true nature of the "Love the Philippines" campaign.

The termination of the contract with DDB Philippines is a reminder to all tourism agencies that they have a responsibility to create original and authentic content when promoting their destinations. By using non-original footage, agencies not only risk damaging their reputations, but they also risk alienating the very people they are trying to attract.

Sources:

DOT terminates deal with ad agency in 'Love the Philippines' campaign: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/874648/dot-ends-deal-with-ad-agency-over-stock-video-in-love-the-philippines-campaign/story/

DOT orders probe over alleged stock footage in 'Love the Philippines' campaign: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/874544/dot-orders-probe-as-agency-accused-of-using-stock-footage-for-love-the-philippines-campaign/story/

DOT probing alleged use of stock footage in 'Love the Philippines' video: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1796269/dot-probes-alleged-use-of-stock-footage-in-love-the-philippines-tourism-video

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