heard about the new (now dropped?) tourism campaign through carlos celdran who was at the launch and was tweeting his dismay over the new slogan ‘pilipinas kay ganda’.   talaga naman.   in what world do these “creatives” live.

napaka-basic: ‘philippines’ for instant recognition, hindi yung mag-iisiip pa ang mga dayuhang turista, ano daw yon?   lalo pa ngayon na matunog na matunog ang ‘philippines’ salamat kay pacquiao, it’s crazy, it’s stupid, to even be thinking ‘pilipinas’.   until these “creatives” can come up with something better, let’s stay with ‘wow philippines’, whose logo can be tweaked, upgraded every which way.

i didn’t catch the website that was quickly brought down in the wake of boos and jeers from everywhere.   but the “new” logo is posted in several sites and, susmaryosep, it’s just a recycled version of the nineties logo.   i wrote scripts for the asean tourism forum festivities that dot philippines hosted back in ‘93 and yun na yon, without lang the tarsier and the smile.   pa-tropical effect for the slogan ‘island philippines’ na ewan kung bumenta.   all i remember is joy soler de castro on her soapbox vs. the traditional & “barriotic” and pitching the philippines’ east-west culture that’s unique in asia, which still sounds good.

but the logo, please, it’s so last century.   new millennium na, after all, and the world’s travellers would want a sense of more than beaches and coconut trees, certainly more than that displaced tarsier and corny smiley, ano ba.

“their neurons aren’t working,” kasasabi ni senator miriam sa dzmm teleradyo.

nakakatawa, pero nakakaiyak din.   puro sablay na lang.   hayyy.   we get what we deserve?   this is all we deserve?

read more:

resty odon’s Looking back: Gordon coined “WOW Philippines” on the spot on TV
PiNaysaAmerika’s Tourism Slogans
ellen tordesillas Not so beautiful ‘Pilipinas kay ganda’
gmanews.tv’s Critics: DOT’s ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’ not so pretty
noemi lardizabal-dado’s Country branding the Philippines
james cordova’s Sun or sex? Philippines’ botched tourism campaign