“It’s More Fun in the Philippines” launched in London

The country’s new tourism campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” was recently launched in London via double-decker buses, taxi cabs, and underground stations. The 25 double-decker bus and 50 black cabs sport a uniform design of the campaign slogan and logo and different faces of the Philippines. The subway stations, on the other hand, feature images of the Ifugao Rice Terraces and the Puerto Princesa Underground River, both proclaimed as World Heritage Sites.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. said that the timely execution of the ads has been deliberate and well studied. “Imagine the gross impact of these ads. London has a population of about 7.5 million and attracts around 15 million international visitors, half of the total arrivals for the country. We are generating awareness not only among the British population, but also among visitors to United Kingdom (UK), rated number seven among the most visited countries in the world,” the Secretary said.

Moreover, the bus and underground rail two-week advertising effort coincides with the worldwide marketing campaign through CNN International. Meanwhile, media hype through the London cabs will continue to run until early next year, with the opportunity to capture the millions of visitors attending the Queen’s Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics and the season 2012-2013 of the Fulham Football Club of the English Premier League, estimated to draw 690 million household viewers.

The bus routes are in selected areas in Central London (i.e. Chelsea, Sloane Square, Golders Green, Swiss Cottage, Oxford Circus, Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly, Aldwych).

The London cabs come with a 30-minute digital ad which will feature the 30-seconder “It’s more fun in the Philippines” TVC and 15-seconder tarsier TVC recently launched worldwide via network giant CNN. “The Philippine Department of Tourism is the very first national tourism organization to advertise through the taxis’ digital platform and these will be shown in the 1,400 units owned by Verifone Media. Using receipts with the meme “Commuting: It’s more fun in the Philippines” showing kayaking in Kayangan Lake in El Nido, Palawan is another medium to capture the interest of passengers. We will soon furnish these cabs with flyers to contain more fun information,” the tourism chief said.

Meanwhile, different Philippine posters are found at strategic stops near London’s touristic areas such as Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and Tottenham Court Road. Vertical posters and escalator panels feature the underground river and rice terraces through the memes, ”The Underground:  More Fun in the Philippines” and “Stairway to Heaven:  More Fun in the Philippines,” respectively.

The UK is a major source market for the Philippines being the top generator from this region. Last year, it ranked 9^th overall with an unprecedented 104,000 arrivals, registering a 7.78 percent increase over the 2010 performance. Through these publicity efforts and other promotional activities, the country hopes to gain a bigger slice of this growing market.