Clear and effective communication is essential for any organization, but it is especially important for tourism agencies
The Department of Tourism’s recently unveiled new slogan “Love the Philippines” met with mostly negative reactions from the public because it sounded boring, unoriginal, ungrammatical, demanding, and generally underwhelming.
Many remarked that there was no need to replace the old one—“It’s More Fun in the Philippines”—or even the one before that, “Wow Philippines”—which were catchy and effective as evidenced by tourist arrivals and other statistics.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
There also needs to be a continuity of the brand, instead of changing the slogan with every new president or DOT head.
Continually messing about with what ain’t broke just shows ego and a lack of discernment.
I’m not going to rehash the other criticisms, of which many have been written and some by advertising mavens who cast an expert eye over the slogan and logo. Let’s look at a couple of other points that this issue raises, and the lessons learned.
First, in addition to the criticisms of the slogan itself, the DOT also came under fire because footage of foreign tourist spots was used in the promotional video for the “Love the Philippines” campaign.
The video featured images of beaches, mountains, and other scenery that were not in the Philippines.
The advertising agency responded to the criticism by saying the video was a “mood video” meant for internal use only and that it would be taken down.
While we are all human and part of the human condition is that we make mistakes, this one could have been avoided if more care had been taken by whoever was responsible for handling socials.
This is a reminder of the importance of careful planning and execution when it comes to any kind of marketing and organizational communication.
As the client—and clients have final approval—DOT should have checked all materials before release.
Any competent operations manager knows to double-check and triple-check.
This is also why all organizations that have a communication initiative need to put editors and communication managers in place to check the work of implementors.
Second, the “Love the Philippines” slogan fiasco points to the need to create and disseminate clear and unambiguous communication at all times.
To do this you need to hire people who have the skills to communicate well.
I have noticed that time and again with government agencies, even government media agencies, not a lot of priority is given to hiring people who can write grammatically, accurately, and logically.
Not a lot of attention is paid to communication in general.
This misstep in turn devolves on the organization and makes it look sloppy and inefficient.
In this digital age, it also means a loss of opportunity to reach out to stakeholders.
Clear and effective communication is essential for any organization, but it is especially important for tourism agencies.
Tourism agencies need to be able to communicate effectively with their target audience, which can be global.
This means their in-house and outsourced creative teams need to be able to write and speak in a clear, concise, and engaging way.
The major lesson from this debacle is that the DOT—and the government in general—need to hire qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable writers to ensure clear communication.
They also need to have people on board who can pay attention to detail and double-check materials before they are disseminated.
This is something so basic and commonsensical that it is annoying to see a large and well-funded agency such as DOT make this rookie mistake. Again, don’t blame the third party.
The WEF Future of Jobs 2023 report has identified communication as one of the top 10 most sought-after soft skills.
This means there is a high demand for skilled writers in the workforce. Government agencies need to be able to attract and retain such communicators.
Writing and speaking skills are essential for success in all areas of life.
They are also increasingly important in the workplace, particularly in today’s globalized economy.
For this reason, it is important to develop writing and speaking skills at all levels of education.
Schools should offer courses in writing and public speaking, and they should encourage students to practice these skills in their everyday lives.
By developing clear communication skills, students will be better prepared for success in the workplace and life.
One way I work for this advocacy is by sharing news about the literary community—about writing and books and reading and the people who do them. We need to emphasize the importance of writing and communicating well.
DOT and the rest of the government should take the lessons from this debacle to heart and start putting more effort into communicating better, not just making a splash.
* * * FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO / Email: writerjennyo@gmail.com
