EDITORIAL - Country branding

Marketing experts say nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising. This is one of the points being raised amid the controversy over an effort to create a so-called national brand for the Philippines.

Sen. Nancy Binay brought the issue to the fore when she questioned the messaging in a wrap-around ad that was spotted on a bus in London. The ad featured May Parsons, the Filipina nurse who became the first person to administer the first internationally vetted COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, on Dec. 8, 2020. In the ad was the text: “The nurse who gave the world’s first COVID 19 vaccine. A Filipina. We give the world our best. The Philippines.”

While no one will argue with the quality of the service provided by Filipino nurses, and May Parsons has made the Philippines proud, Senator Binay was not the only one who found the messaging in the ad and the objective confusing.

Is the ad inviting British citizens to visit the Philippines? Then shouldn’t travel destinations, of which the Philippines has many, be highlighted, with as little reminder of the lingering pandemic threat? Is the ad trying to attract investors, with a reminder about the quality of the Filipino workforce? Then the ad might work, but there are a lot of other factors that investors consider before putting their money anywhere, especially in comparison with what the neighbors of the Philippines can offer.

As Senator Binay asked, is the ad trying to sell Filipino nurses? But do the nurses even need selling? Filipino nurses are already in high demand all over the planet. This is creating a problem in the Philippines, as the country cannot adequately replace its healthcare professionals who continue to leave in droves for greener pastures overseas.

The Department of Tourism has clarified that the ad was created by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications headed by Paul Soriano, not necessarily for tourism marketing but for national branding. It’s unclear if the DOT is retaining the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” travel come-on or crafting a new tourism slogan.

Before spending on a new slogan or national branding campaign, the country must first fix the product – starting with the airports. A power outage and getting stuck for hours in a poorly ventilated airport upon arrival or departure hardly inspires repeat visits to the Philippines.

Marketing experts have pointed out that creating a national brand is a complex undertaking that cannot emanate simply from the creative imagination of just one person or office. The first order of business, the experts point out, is to create a good product. With multisectoral consultation, decide the best selling points, around which the branding will revolve. And then begin selling the product.