Filipinos having fun with new tourism slogan

Image courtesy of Rina Bernabe De Alban

MANILA, Philippines—There’s watersports, or escaping the crash of big  waves on Manila Bay in the middle of a storm.  Or extreme biking, that is riding downhill on a wooden bike.  And then there’s the unique Filipino dining experience, from the “gourmet” fare of balut to a selection of breads that literally spell fun: “fun de sal” and “fun de coco.”

Starting a viral phenomenon, netizens have been posting their own take on the Department of Tourism’s new catchphrase, showcasing the Filipino brand of humor to tell the world why “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

Shortly after Friday’s launch of the new tourism slogan, social media users  turned the Philippines’ new pick-up line into an instant online fad, posting their own versions of the tourism come-on on social networking site Facebook or microblogging site Twitter.

If the tourism department showed how the Banaue Rice Terraces made for a unique stair-climbing experience, online users thought the country’s traffic, food and even politics deserved their own “It’s more fun” posters.

At the rate things are going, there could be one for each of the country’s 7,107 islands.

On one of the many Facebook pages called “It’s more fun in the Philippines,” one user poked fun at the Filipinos’ love for videoke, a past-time that has proven deadly for some.

Posting a photo of two men in a sing-off, the user made reference to the Frank Sinatra classic “My Way” and wrote: “Death by ‘My Way.’  It’s more fun in the Philippines.” It was a reference to reports of people getting killed in videoke joints over their singing of the Sinata song.

Citing the bothersome habit of some Filipinos of urinating in public, one user thought “Watering the Plants” is more fun in the Philippines, posting a photo of a boy peeing on the grass, facing a wall.

One thought to give a lighter spin on the notorious Philippine traffic, posting a photo of a traffic enforcer dressed as Santa Claus.

Others went political, saying elections and even impeachment were  more fun in the Philippines.

That the new campaign slogan has gone viral within just hours of its launch could only mean good news for Philippine tourism, said  Assistant Tourism Secretary Benito Bengzon.

“This is really part of our strategy: to let it go viral. We launched it yesterday and since then, it has been trending [in social media].  It’s a very good indication of the kind of interest we are generating in social networks,” Bengzon said on the phone Saturday.

The Department of Tourism had said it would use social media and the Filipinos’ Internet savvy as leverage to promote the Philippine brand in the world tourism market.

“We see the 25 million or so Facebook and Twitter users as our strength in the Philippines.  This is something we could use to capitalize to convey our message,” Bengzon said.

The new tourism line, much anticipated following the controversial and allegedly plagiarized “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” campaign, was among Twitter’s trending topics worldwide on Friday following its launch.

And while many lauded the new line, its similarity to a 1951 Swiss tourism campaign slogan also drew criticism.  Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. defended the slogan, saying it was a coincidence and that nobody could own fun.

In his Twitter account, Jimenez said: “Tourism is successful in Thailand because their positive voice is louder than their negative voice.”

Some Twitter users called the tourism department a copycat for using the old Swiss slogan.

User Mark Manuel @mimattictheory) said: “#itsmorefuninthephilippines,absolutely! but stealing one country’s tourism slogan is not cool!”

Another twitter user Sapphire Ong (@sappong) said that while the new slogan is catchy, “it sounded so much better when Switzerland used it in 1951.”

Many Twitter users felt it was time to move on as the Swiss used the slogan a lifetime ago.

“I don’t care if there’s “it’s more fun in Switzerland”, for me it’s way MORE fun in the Philippines! #itsmorefuninthePHILIPPINES,” said Twitter user Marco Paulo (@countocram).

Model Mikaela Lagdameo (@mikaelamartinez) said on her Twitter account: “Come on! Give me a break! Switzerland 1951? Nega people…stop it…I still say #itsmorefuninthePhilippines !!!”

Apparently exasperated by the early brickbats against the new slogan, Twitter user Elvin Luciano posted: “If you’re so good at exposing faults/fraud, go use your investigating/Googling powers to go after the erring politicians you elected.”

Saying criticism about the campaign was expected, Bengzon said the better gauge of the campaign’s success would be how foreign tourists take it.

“I think what people have to realize is that the application of this campaign is overseas.  We will see how the Japanese react to it, how Koreans or Americans react to it,” said Bengzon.

The Department of Tourism is set to launch an international ad campaign following the slogan’s social media debut.