MANILA – In time for Philippine Independence Day, the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched its new TV commercial (TVC) and slogan, “Experience the Philippines”.
The new TVC features a Japanese retiree wearing a tourist hat and dark glasses named M. Uchimura. He tells his story of his stay in the Philippines, talking over different famous destinations in the country. His voice-over said, “here, you don’t have to see the sun to discover radiance. You don’t have to see colors to experience vibrance. You don’t have to see smiles to know you are safe.”
While the ad had the usual sceneries of islands, seas, mountains, rice terraces, sand dunes, and people smiling, the twist and the most compelling call came towards the end. As Mr. Uchimura stands from a table outside a restaurant located along the streets of Vigan, he brought out a walking stick revealing that he is blind. He then says, “you don’t have to see to feel you are home.” The spot ends the tagline “Experience the Philippines”.
In a release by the DOT, Secretary Wanda Teo said, “the basic element of ‘fun’ remains, as it is truly the Filipinos who make the total tourism experience fulfilling and memorable. The heart and essence of the tourism thrust is the people.”
The new tagline notably is still in the colors of the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, which indicates that the DOT is continuing to make use of the former slogan and concept.
The TVC is the second in a series of advertisments to be released by the the DOT in the succeeding months. The campaign is handled by McCann Worldgroup Philippines for the DOT.
Watch the full spot here:
