McCann Worldgroup Philippines on Friday said it has yet to receive a formal letter from the Department of Tourism (DOT) about the cancellation of its contract but it respects the decision of the agency.
“While we regret the decision of the DOT to discontinue our partnership, we continue to believe that it is in the best interest of all parties to discuss a sensible resolution to this matter,” it said in a statement.
“Nevertheless, we respect any decision made by the DOT and, while regrettable, we thank the DOT for the opportunity to serve, and we wish them continued success in their future endeavors,” McCann said.
The DOT on Thursday announced that it will “discontinue its partnership with McCann Worldgroup Philippines” amid accusations that its latest commercial was copied from South Africa’s tourism campaign.
READ: DOT ends partnership with McCann over controversial ad
The ad agency said it only learned about DOT’s decision Thursday afternoon “through various news reports and the press conference held by the Department of Tourism (DOT).”
“At the time of this press release, however, McCann has not received a formal communication from the DOT about termination of our contract,” it said. KS/IDL/rga
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