There is nothing wrong promoting the Philippines as a Tourist haven and advertise its beauty and wonders to the world. But let us do it in a manner appealing to both local and international market alike.
This is a comparative analysis of the Department of Tourism's PILIPINAS, Kay Ganda! A proposed slogan in lieu of WoW PHILIPPINES! Launched in year 2003, received international recognition and have effectively helped the country in promoting tourism development initiated by former DoT Secretary and now Senator Dick Gordon.
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(PROPOSED DoT CAMPAIGN SLOGAN 2010)
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To make it easier and make our life simple let me apply the comaparative
SWOT analysis of the most talked about new tourism campaign slogan under the
Aquino administration.
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| (PRESENT RUNNING CAMPAIGN SLOGAN since 2003) |
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SWOT is an acronym for Strength, Weaknesses, Oppurtunities and Threats. Applying this method is very critical in every endeavor/project and it will help determine if our objective is achieved and on the right path. I am convinced that the new logo is more appealing because of its aesthetic appearance. It is animated and playful while the current logo connotes seriousness and it conveys a strong expression of the country being WOW and that is the STRENGTH it connotes. A campaign slogan that conveys a strong meaning and it speaks for itself. PILIPINAS, Kay Ganda! written in tagalog word means Philippines, so beautiful! is not so catchy compared to the present slogan. It has to be translated to be understood internationally.
As far as my knowledge is concerned, targeting a global market, medium should be in english as a universal language to easily recognize your product being marketed and that customer recall is imperative for this matter because you have to establish what is says about the product and that includes one of its' WEAKNESSES in this category.
OPPORTUNITIES may not be gained if it already failed achieving the first two principles. Nowadays, tourists are no longer inquisitive about foreign language as a tool to attract them. As a tourist I wouldn't give time researching the word because I want convenience and I want it understood at once. Unless you would stay for a long period of time and wanted to learn the native language of a particular country. The idea may be noble but correct perspective should be in place otherwise THREATS of losing our prospective clients could cause trouble to the objective we have set forth.
Bottomline, proposed campaign slogan is already a failure. If the purpose is to promote tourism among locals, by all means, go for it! BRAVO! Unfortunately that is not the case. Department of Tourism's mandate is to promote the Philippines not just locally but most importantly in the global market. BRANDING is very significant in the tourism and hospitality sector. Principles should be strictly followed. Creating another campaign will just create confusion and we will not be able to establish recall of the product. CONSISTENCY must be adhered to.
On that note, it is better to retain the current campaign slogan and I personally suggest to modify and make it more appealing. WoW PHILIPPINES! is already a brand. It has already achieved international recognition and it only needs a re-launch to intensify the campaign and the best part there is, we would be able to save millions of pesos from the taxpayer's money. As such, there is no better way of saying it but WOW!
Giving out clemency in the name of reconciliation is so absurd! These people involved in the military stand off headed by Sen. Trillanes is a different thing. It was a rebellious act where there were serious deliberate threat to civilians, damage to private property et.,al. Despite the admittance of gravity of the offense they have committed under the Philippine law they have given amnesty thru the president's constitutional "power vested upon me" thing. This could become a precedent to future mutineers and offenders that they could claim and ask for the same pardon granted by Pnoy. 
