Why I Believe The Tagline "It's More Fun in the Philippines" is KILLING the Philippines as a Whole!!!!
I'm already sick and tired of people who question my marketing knowledge whenever I go against the B.S. slogan that's dragging the Philippines down. Now for one, marketing is needed but I don't want to promote any garbage product. You need an attractive tagline... no questions asked about that fact BUT what kind of attractive tagline is needed. Sure I would be willing to promote the Philippines' tourist spots like Cebu as the business capital, Bohol is also a very good place to be, Siargao Islands is a fun place to surf... but please DO NOT exaggerate any claims. One must remember that taglines aren't as effective as testimonials.
So why do I believe that the tagline "It's More Fun in the Philippines" is killing the Philippines? The fact is simple as I've said taglines aren't as effective as testimonials. One may consider that marketing is needed but one's marketing expenses can go down the drain if your tagline misses the target... and the testimonial proves otherwise. The tagline is preposterous, exaggerated and not to mention, it implies that the Philippines is the best place in the world. While it's not as bad as Bangladesh overall but it does have its own little BBangladeshin Tondo, Manila... one place I would definitely NOT endorse as a tourist spot nor would I even dare endorse pagpag as a delicacy. I am willing to advertise and market ONLY good products.
Let's just think about the problem of "It's More Fun in the Philippines" tagline to the reality of the Philippines' trouble areas. Now it's definitely fun to surf in Siargao or to be in Cebu but it's not because it's more fun in the Philippines. Cebu and Bohol are certainly fun for the food trips and they have a lot of places to get good Filipino food. Siargao is one beautiful nature sanctuary I wish will be preserved and having been there, I am not surprised why foreigners love it there and met a lot when I went there for a vacation. Sohoton Island in Surigao was also really a nice spot for rowing your boat and it's a really great deep breath of fresh air. However would you dare endorse the slums of Tondo as a tourist spot?! Maybe the Department of Tourism would but I would dare not! Also the tagline itself is not only preposterous and exaggerated, it is also a deceptive and no direction campaign.
Now I would like to give an illustration about sloganeering vs. credibility. Now let's think of what if we promote Tondo, Manila. So let's just say that it's promote these taglines "Tondo, Manila - It's The Most Fun Place in the Philippines" and "Pagpag - More Delicious Than Any Food in the World". However the opposite is true. No matter how beautifully you try to wrap poison or garbage, it's still poison. A beautifully decorated rock that looks like candy is never fit for consumption. On the other hand, just think of Cebu with a tagline like, "Welcome to Cebu City" or "Yours Truly Cebu" or "See the Cebuano Difference" or "Cebu Home to Tasty Food Trips". It didn't do much preposterous talking nor does it aim to be the best. However when a foreigner comes to Cebu and tastes some of its Filipino food and appreciates its taste, the testimonials becomes part of effective long-term sloganeering because of credibility over just sloganeering with credibility. While slogans are an important part of business but it must be credible not fake. Nobody would want to eat pagpag no matter how colorful the advertisement is!
Likewise the problem of the Philippines as a whole is because the tagline is generalizing the whole country. So think - don't tell me it's more fun to go the squatters of Tondo when that place is no better than the slums of Bangladesh. Don't tell me that it's fun to be a hostage in the Philippines because it will be no different than being a hostage in any other country. In short, no negative activity should EVER be endorsed to be more fun in the Philippines. And sadly, the tagline is already encouraging Failipino stupidity. Thankfully some Pinoys are awakened and enlightened to warn foreigners which places are definitely not fun at all and encourage them to go to real fun spots in the Philippines without exaggerating their claims!
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