“It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
Wow. It has actually more wow than one of the previous taglines, Wow Philippines. We like it, well most Filipinos at least, but why does the new tagline of the Department of Tourism work?
Here are some of the my thoughts.
1. It’s simple. Fuckin’ grade A straightforward tagline. You get it immediately. The words are simple too. Well, granted you understand English. But it’s as simple as it gets without sounding dry.
2. You can interpret it in any way you can. Because the tagline’s simple, it can excite a prospective tourist’s imagination, especially the word ‘fun’. Each of us has our own idea of fun. Beaches? Climbing mountains? Seeing the Rice Terraces? Spanish/American colonial history? It doesn’t matter. When you visit the Philippines, expect to have fun. Which is a promise, which is the basic function of a tagline, which still needs to be fulfilled eventually. But more on that later.
3. The word ‘more’. Is it really more fun in the Philippines? Which sparks a traveler’s interest. And the first step of selling something is getting a person’s attention, which this simple provides. Without ‘more’, it’s just a plain old claim that will get an uninterested, “okay….”
4. It’s conversational. Not my own idea, but I read this somewhere. It’s true that, “it’s more fun in the Philippines,” can be infused into conversations. What’s more is that it can be a great conversation starter. Because it leads the person you’re talking to to ask why.
Now Here’s the Big But
But it’s just a tagline. Again, a tagline is basically a promise. It still has a lot to prove. But the tagline sure is an exciting start. So we’ll wait for the next part, which is the execution. How will the DOT showcase the Philippines as more fun than other countries? I can’t wait to see the campaign unfold. :)
Oh and a tagline can evoke emotions and stir imaginations too. And this tagline evokes positive vibes. It excites a traveler. Aside from learning about cultures, discovering new places, we travel because we want to have fun.
“It’s gonna be fuuuuun!”
And sparking peoples’ imaginations and appealing to their emotion are great ways to sell something to them subtly. They’ll think about whatever fun they’ll have here for countless sleepless nights (because people don’t instantly react to slogans and ads) until they’ll finally decide to book a flight here. Because…
“It’s gonna be fuuuuun!”
On the Swiss Tagline Issue
Some people noted that we have a similar tagline as an old tourism slogan of Switzerland (more info here). Some say we just ripped it off. It may be true, but let me tell you something about writing advertising copy.
Copywriters have what is called a swipe file. These are ads, headlines, taglines, and other copy that they like and could use as an inspiration when writing their own copy. Take a look at Cosmopolitan’s headlines, 10 Ways to…, 5 Reasons Why…, yada yada yada. These are classic taglines that copywriters and other writers have used to death. And no one’s accused them of plagiarizing.
But copywriters don’t keep a swipe file because they’re lazy. They choose materials to add to this swipe file because these are also materials that have been proven to work. Advertising caters to businesses who invest in advertising campaign. An investment that costs money. And businesspeople stick with things (taglines, words, campaigns, etc.) that work because it is what makes them money. It is what also helps recoup their investment.
Not convinced yet? Just believe me, I’m a copywriter. :D
Anyhoo, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts on the comments section. :)
- Cedric
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Great explanation Cedric, some people think its easy to come up with an original tagline in the year 2012. If we’re in 1896 pwede pa cguro, with all the sales, marketing pitch, advertisement slogans all over the world, hard to come up with an original one.
The challenge here, is for us Filipinos to live up and prove to foreigners that we’re not bullshitting them by making them feel that its really “more fun in the Philippines”
This is so informative! Thanks Cedric for this! Whatever they say, still it’s more fun in the Philippines!
“It’s gonna be fuuuuun!” ^_^
Well said, Cedric!
Haters will always be there but I think it’s time to be united. I’m all for the progress of this nation. I believe that tourism would greatly help to move this nation forward.
Tama! There would always be haters! Let’s make this work first people! :D
The tagline really makes you think and wonder about what fun means – for the traveler. It might be lounging on the beach or experiencing quiapo for the first time (as what some jurors for cinemanila wanted to do way back in 2005).
And yes, I look forward to better infrastructure and developments that would support this claim. =)
Very well said. I will share this to those haters. Nyahaha!
Marky: Salamat, indeed. Madami pa tayong kailangang gawin, especially para mapansin din ng mga hindi gumagamit ng Twitter and social networking sites. And yeah, para mafulfill natin yung promise na mas fun nga dito.
Mervz: It’s fun here indeed because we’re here! Haha.
Izah: Thanks! Actually, since mostly positive naman ang feedback sa bagong tagline, I’m confident na hindi naman tayo mahihirapang maging united. :)
Angel: Yes, kahit ano pang idea mo ng fun, it’s ‘funner’ here. Haha.
Alex: Salamat sa pagshare kahit sa hindi haters. :D
Tama si Marky there is no such thing as an original anymore kaya kailangan ng innovation. I am one of those who believe na magiging successful tong campaign na to kelangan lang siguro natin suportahan. The slogan is not a guarantee like you said but it’s a good first step for the tourism industry.
it’s gonna be fuuuuun! :D
Love the new slogan! Good job DOT!
And I don’t get the negativity coming from the ‘critics’.
Thanks for a good entry about this issue. We’ll just have to find out DOT’s plans to make the ‘fun’ come alive.
wala na akong masabi, very well said nalng!
amen, closing prayer na
.. i think that the new tagline can create an interaction in the mind of the one who reads it and considering the word “fun” can sort of switch on one’s endless imagination. :)
Killer: the fact na positive ang response nating my Pinoy sa tagline so far means mas madali syang i-promote sa web. Which again is plus points to them since accdg sa DOT gusto nga nilang gamitin yung hilig natin sa internet para i-market tong campaign na to. :)
Fritz: Fun indeed!
Gasoline Dude: It’s okay to have critics, basta lang may alternatives na binibigay. But so far, mas mabigat yung positive responses, which is great. :)
Boris: Yup, which is why I’m excited what’s in store for us and the tourists we hope would come to the country.
James: Salamat!
Rob: Sakto! :D
Cedric Astig! i believe this is the best slogan so far! :) very well said, i remember Steve jobs line “Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal” and i believe Filipino were the most great and innovative people there is. as mark said sa dami dami ng mga ideas and marketing pitch that were thrown it’s hard to come up with a new one, and were living in a generation were communication are fast.kaya it’s hard but we’re thankful with DOT to choose this kind slogan and it’s work yun naman ang importante eh. original nga pero hindi naman effective.
by the way i have a new discovery for those who wants to travel and explore more fun about philippines especially Dapitan city check them out.
http://www.fantasylandtours.com and http://www.facebook.com/fantasylandtravelandtour
Thanks Jom! :)
agree with you! i hope this new DOT tagline lasts for such a long time and would actually bring in more visitors… crossing fingers now :)
It’s definitely more fun in the Philippines! Wonderful!
I think its because its mostly true traveling in the philippines is really awesome.