THE Department of Tourism said Thursday it has canceled its contract with McCann Worldwide Philippines after its “Experience the Philippines” ad campaign became the center of plagiarism allegations.
“After a diligent review of the ad materials in question, the Department of Tourism [DoT] has decided to discontinue its partnership with McCann Worldgroup Philippines,” the department said in a Twitter post.
“In the midst of this controversy, the DoT expects a public apology from McCann over the negative feedback that the department has been receiving, owing to the glaring similarities between McCann’s ‘Sights’ ad and South Africa’s ad released in 2014,” the DoT said.
“We also wish to announce that we will reopen the procurement process for the production of a new advertising material which will be consistent with the current slogan… ‘It’s More Fun In The Philippines’,” they said.
“Thus, we encourage those with fresh and original ideas that will showcase our diversely-rich tourist destinations and the unique Filipino hospitality to join this venture,” the DoT also said.
The DoT added that they are exploring all legal remedies that will be discussed with the professional team of McCann.
This was the second time the Tourism Department was caught up in plagiarism allegations. In 2010, its “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” logo appeared to be lifted from a Polish tourism logo, and was swiftly dropped after the similarities were highlighted on social media.
McCann Worldgroup Philippines on Tuesday denied they committed plagiarism in their “Sights” tourism campaign.
“In working with the Department of Tourism [DoT], we have been inspired by the many stories we have seen and heard, about why foreigners choose to visit the Philippines,” said McCann Worldgroup Philippines in a statement.
“Many of them have spoken about our innate warmth, the genuine friendships they have developed here, our hospitality that extends to a sense of family, and the many reasons why it is the Filipino people that truly make it ‘more fun in the Philippines’,” the agency said.
“Our research has also shown that, of the millions of visitors who visit the Philippines, thousands of foreigners from over 100 countries have chosen to live and retire here,” the statement read.
“Our latest film, ‘Sights’, was particularly inspired by the story of a visually-impaired foreigner who has made the Philippines his home and who has come to experience the Philippines in different ways,” they said.
“We acknowledge the feedback that the way this story was told may have similarities with the South African tourism campaign,” the statement read.
“It is unfortunate that the DoT has been called out and accused of plagiarism, for work we have done to highlight the testimonial of a real retiree,” they also said.
“We take full responsibility as ALL ideas and storyboards presented were conceptualized by McCann Worldgroup Philippines,” they said.
“However, we underscore that there has never been any intention to copy others’ creative work. McCann Worldgroup Philippines has always strived to adhere to our guiding principle, ‘Truth Well Told’, in everything we do,” McCann Worldgroup Philippines said.
“We stand by the integrity with which this campaign was developed,” they also said.
According to the posts on social media, both the Philippines’ and South Africa’s videos featured a blind man who experienced the world through their other senses.
It is the second in a series of promotional ads to support the new “Experience the Philippines” campaign.
The man’s disability is not revealed until the end of both the Philippines’ and South Africa’s videos when he pulls out a walking cane.
The striking similarities in both videos sparked questions among social media users.
Just hours after the DoT launched a promotional video in a new tourism campaign last Monday, several people on social media slammed the DoT saying it had plagiarized a foreign country’s tourism campaign, citing its resemblance to the one released by South Africa in 2014 that went viral.
The new Philippine tourism video features a blind Japanese retiree named M. Uchimura, who explored some of the country’s best known tourist spots.
Similarly in 2016, Tourism Quebec in Canada released a tourism video also featuring a blind man.
Quebec’s video also went viral.
However, unlike the Philippines’ and South Africa’s promotional videos, the blind man’s disability was revealed early in video.
Makers of Quebec’s video were also accused of plagiarism.
However, the ad agency that handled Quebec’s promotional video denied these allegations.