Notice I didn’t say we couldn’t afford it, though this is often the reason given. The truth is, if we were astute and sophisticated enough to realize the value of promoting the Philippines, we would find the funds to invest in it. But we are not that astute and sophisticated. To promote properly, we would need to invest maybe $5 million to $10 million. That’s probably what it would take to intrude into the consciousness of our target markets and form a positive impression. How do we do that when a mere US$800,000 for PR coverage of the President’s recent trip to the United States raised so much loud and ignorant protest?
As a retired advertising and PR professional I thought then of contributing my lone voice to the fray. Maybe I could tell these people what questions they should be asking. What is the scope of work? What are the deliverables? Is this a reputable firm? What is its track record? Are the fees standard? But it’s useless to try to talk sense to people who refuse to understand. If I’ve learned anything from life, I’ve learned that. So I held my breath.
The greatest obstacle to promoting the Philippines properly is probably the negative image one gets at home for doing the right thing abroad. Remember how street groups started a witch hunt for the private companies who allegedly funded the government’s PR campaign? If there is a single thing private business hates, it’s controversy. So, if they were inclined to help fund a promotional campaign then, that willingness surely withered and died in the face of the ensuing street protests. The irony is that the street protesters and critics get a lot of free media coverage when they criticize the government. They build their images criticizing the government and the media owners pay the bill, though they may not be aware of it.
No reporter or interviewer was astute enough to ask the pimpled youth who was carrying on against the government’s attempt at image-building on all networks, "Aren’t you yourself right now building your group’s image on the free airtime we’re giving you?" Media either doesn’t know or doesn’t want to think that one out. They don’t ask themselves how they stand on national issues. They say they must present all sides and remain neutral but if you actually score that neutrality, you will discover that more air time was given to criticizing the government. Some media outfits make it a point to attack the government. They choose to deliberately create a negative image for their own country at home and abroad. Media could do differently but they just don’t want to re-examine themselves because there would be many difficult questions they probably aren’t prepared to answer. So they stay in the comfort of the status quo without questioning if under the present circumstances, this might be the best thing to do.
Government too needs to work on itself. The ad agency I worked for was asked to produce support material for a selling trip (to travel agents) of the then Secretary of Tourism. "What giveaways do you traditionally buy?" I asked. I was given a list: Caps, keychains, T-shirts, pencils, ballpens. "How do you establish the Philippines’ uniqueness with these items?" I asked. They put a jeepney on them. We bought wood boxes from artisans in the North and used them as jewel boxes to hold bead jewelry from artisans in the South. We wrote about the gifts and packaged them in small banig bags. The underlings at the Department of Tourism then described our giveaways as ugly, nakakahiya (embarrassing) and baduy (pedestrian).
The Secretary loved the gifts and reported later that they were a hit with the foreign audience. This makes a case for having someone with an outside view determine what appeals to a foreign market. It therefore makes a case for hiring foreign consultants to replace the locals who are charmed by caps, T-shirts and keychains. Or maybe it was the price structure of caps, T-shirts and keychains that really charmed the locals.
We sourced our handicrafts from artisans who were not savvy about pricing their work. They did not include gratuities in their prices. If we had opted for caps, T-shirts and keychains, the department’s list of accredited suppliers would have been whipped out. Their suppliers probably gave gratuities. How can one do a good branding job in a situation like this?
We arrive at the hardest question: Who will do it? When we promote a product, including a country, the creative execution – what we say in the ad, the characters we feature, etc. – actually comes last. First, we must research, analyze, think, strategize. We must position the product skillfully. Positioning cannot be done by amateurs. We must find the best professionals and – local or global – they cost money. And, they care about their financial and professional risks. If the prospects appear too risky, they will not be interested. From experience I know that the terms and conditions set by the government and their payment track record present a high-risk situation. One look at the unpaid media bills tells the story.
It’s time we recognized that everything that happens to the Philippines on media has impact on what we call Brand Philippines. That’s why communications must be managed: To ensure that everything enhances the appeal of this brand that we must figuratively "sell" to many audiences if we are to improve our economic value. If the communication is negative, it will erode the brand. If positive, it will build the brand’s value. We want to build value. How do we do that when we are our unkindest and loudest critics?
As an advertising and PR veteran I know what needs to be done and what it will take. What I don’t know is how we can succeed given our contrariness and the way we enjoy working at cross-purposes with each other and with ourselves. So I guess I’ll stay on the sidelines and lecture. Maybe these lectures will bring us closer to the enlightenment we need to make us care about saving ourselves.