MANILA, Philippines – The marketing communications company behind the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) “Love the Philippines” campaign has apologized for using stock footages of Thailand, Indonesia, and Dubai in a promo video on the country, noting that the video was meant for internal use only.

In a statement on Sunday, July 2, DDB Philippines said that the presentation uploaded on social media was meant to be a “mood video to excite internal stakeholders about the campaign.”

“While the use of stock footage in mood videos is standard practice in the industry, the use of foreign stock footage was an unfortunate oversight on our agency’s part. Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed. The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT’s objectives,” DDB Philippines said.

DOT Director Ina Zara-Loyola told reporters that the government “did not pay, and will not pay” for the video. The agency declined to comment on the company’s apology.

In its statement, DDB Philippines said: “No public funds were released, or would be released, to fund the video. This was a DDB initiative to help pitch the slogan.”

It added that it was an “isolated incident” and succeeding ad materials for the campaign have yet to be produced.

“We sincerely hope this will not diminish the genuine love and appreciation the stakeholders and the public have been showing for the Love The Philippines campaign,” DDB Philippines said.

The DOT, however, noted that it will “not hesitate to exact accountability and take the necessary action to protect the interest of the country even as it continues to exhaust all efforts to develop and promote the Philippine tourism industry.”

Fast facts

DDB Philippines was paid P49 million for the campaign, including the study and new logo.

The entire rebranding endeavor is pegged at P250 million, according to documents uploaded on the DOT website.

Incorporated in 1992, DDB Group Philippines is the country’s first integrated marketing communications and services network. It is a full-service communications group that has services ranging from advertising, digital, media, activations, and public relations.

The DDB group is comprised of three agency networks – DDB PHL, DDB MNL, Tribal Worldwide; three specialist agencies – Ripple8, Agile Intelligence, Bent and Buzz; and seven strategic business units – Touch XDA, Optimax, Beyond, Field Outsource Asia, Philippine Movers, Strawberry Jam Creative Services Incorporated, and The Bernbach School.

This is not the first time that DDB handled a DOT project. It was behind the award-winning “Balikan ang Pilipinas” campaign.

Other campaigns, which was recognized in the prestigious 2022 Quill awards include: The Philippine International Dive Expo’s “Our Sea, Our Story,” Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation’s “Maniguro, Magbangko” campaign, and the Department of Health’s “RESBAKUNA: Kasangga ng Bida” campaign. –Rappler.com