Sloganeering ISN'T Enough to Make It More Fun in the Philippines!

This is better yet an objective than a slogan... 

As said, testimonials will beat taglines.  While there is Marketing 101 to make your product attractive but basics in business will show these 5 Ps in the whole product/marketing mix.  These are Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People.  All these must work together right?  So let's think of the root cause of the problem that's preventing the slogan from becoming a reality.

One can consider the following issues that's rampant in the Philippines.  Its capital Metro Manila has the issues of heavy pollution, high crime, rude people, arrogant people, habitual tardiness, bad workforce and the like which can take away the fun experience.  Sad to say but Pinoys can be easily stereotyped for being rude and crude.  Some Singaporeans face the issue of Pinoy workers who are causing them a lot of problem which in turn, well-to-do Pinoys are really affected in the process.  With Manila as the capital, it's very easy to make a negative image of the Philippines.

Why do tourists and investors prefer other areas of the Philippines like Cebu, Bohol, Iloilo and Bacolod in the Visayas?  Because the places I just mentioned are safer and friendlier.  Some foreign investors just love certain areas of the Philippines because of warm hospitality and values that stand out better than the rest of the Philippines.  Cebu was even said to be better than the rest of the Philippines.  Bohol is also a famous tourist spot which can attract businesses.

Here's the problem with sloganeering only campaign.  Sloganeering is attractive, no questions asked.  But as said, testimonials will always beat taglines.  One can repackage garbage as something that looks good but it's still garbage.  One can advertise trashy service as the best service in the world but the results say otherwise.  One can say, "We serve the best bread in town." but is serving bread that is less than quality.   I would like to give an example of how sloganeering isn't enough.  Let us sell two products to tourists.

Now the first product I would like to endorse is pagpag.  Pagpag is food from the garbage can but the truth is not even out.  Let us wrap the pagpag in a fanciful container.  The container is made from high class materials.  Let us put the label "Pagpag - The Most Delicious Food on Earth".  It will also have the label "Eating Pagpag - It's More Fun in the Philippines".


The second product I would like to endorse is the famous delicacy known as ampao from Carcar, Cebu.  Ampao is puffed rice of Chinese influence and it got Filipinized.  Most of the time, the packaging isn't really all that fanciful.  Sometimes you can see ampao's packaging is not fanciful at all.  Some of them do have nice packages but let's sell those that's wrapped in transparent plastic.

Now let's sell both products at the food fair.  Tourists are coming.  So we have the products Ampao and Pagpag sold.  Pagpag here is deceitfully sold as a delicacy even when it's food from the garbage can.  Some tourists aren't aware of what pagpag really is.  They buy the product and hope it will give them that "Unique Filipino experience." because it was fancifully wrapped in deception.  Only a few tourists would have bought the ampao.

However results will prove otherwise to where repeat buying comes in.  Sure, the people selling pagpag may generate a huge profit for that day but what about in the future?  Just think of what happened to the foreigners who bought the pagpag only to find out it was MOULDING, DECAYING and GOT THEM SICK?!  It will certainly create the reaction, "I would rather go hungry than eat Filipino food again!" reaction.  On the other hand, those who bought the ampao and ate its delicious taste will probably say, "Man ampao is delicious.  I want to go to Carcar and explore its wonders!  Man, ampao is indeed fun in the Philippines even without the slogan on the cover!"  In the long run, more people will buy the ampao instead of the pagpag.

Instead, why doesn't the Philippine government campaign something like "Let's Make It More Fun in the Philippines" instead?  Like think - if the government can start spending on stuff that REALLY matter like reducing pollution, strengthening the positive and resolving the negative about the Philippines, warn tourists of places to avoid and so on, repeating such steps may truly make it more fun in the Philippines.