The Philippines tried to launch a post-pandemic revitalisation of its tourism industry, but in lieu of a tourist wave it just landed major embarrassment.

A local ad agency created a video full of foreign footage as it tried to promote the Philippines, damaging the reputation of the country after international backlash. Recently, Getty Images conducted a study that underscores the incident, looking at what audiences in Australia and New Zealand care about in tourism marketing.

Greater transparency is clearly desired, as 89 percent of consumers want brands to be honest about altered or inauthentic images, so other countries should take care not to repeat this mistake.

The ‘Love the Philippines’ debacle

The Southeast Asian country launched its new tourism campaign in late June, replacing the old slogan ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines!’ which had run for over a decade. The transition to ‘Love the Philippines’ certainly garnered attention with its first video, but for all the wrong reasons.

Within days of the video’s release, the agency behind it, DDB Philippines, came under fire for having included stock footage of other countries. Various landscapes the ad presented as Filipino are in fact in Indonesia, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and even Switzerland.

The Department of Tourism (DoT) released a statement blaming the advertising agency, saying that it had “sought confirmation from DDB on the originality and ownership of all materials”. 

DDB Philippines later apologised for the “unfortunate oversight” but the DoT still terminated its contract with the company.

Travel brands be warned

Misleading tourism marketing undermines what consumers are actually interested in.

“This backlash demonstrates people’s desire for realism. Our data tells us they are looking for images and videos that reflect real local culture, real people and real experiences,” says Kate Rourke, head of creative insights Asia Pacific at Getty Images and iStock. 

According to the Getty Images study, 69 percent of consumers care that marketing for travel shows authentic images. Two thirds of people are unable to recognise altered or computer-generated images, which is a concern in the dawning age of AI.

“Travellers in Australasia value unique and personalised travel experiences which allow them to explore their own personal interests.” says Rourke. 

An interesting tourism campaign centred around authenticity recently came from Fiji, which in March asked locals to capture 24 unedited photos in 24 hours on disposable cameras.

Tourism Fiji’s latest campaign, the ‘Shot of Happiness Project’ via Red Havas, wants to reclaim ‘happiness’ in a world dominated by social media. 

For 24 hours, starting 20 March at 12:00 FJT, Fijian locals have been tasked to capture 24 unfiltered shots using classic, disposable cameras of the archipelago of 333 islands with ‘zero’ chances at retakes.

Social media has changed the way we live our lives. Despite social media platforms being so entrenched in our lives, a 2021 survey conducted by UNICEF-Gallup showed that both young and older people are least likely to trust these platforms. Although the hashtag #happy has over 688 million posts on Instagram, there’s evidence that almost one third of people around the world do not feel happy because social media widely propagates an utopian lifestyle.

As a constructive mechanism to help people, not just in Fiji but across the world, to celebrate those little unedited joys in life and live life as it comes, Tourism Fiji’s newest Shot of Happiness Project campaign is telling a compelling story of the Fijian land and its people through a series of unfiltered visuals. 

What’s more is that this campaign is also “flipping the narrative” as Tourism Fiji chief marketing officer, Emma Campbell puts it, and “shares the story from a visitor’s perspective”.

“We know consumers are looking for meaningful travel experiences and in a world where Instagram versus reality is a culturally relevant phenomenon, the Shot of Happiness Project aims to debunk the world’s perception of what happiness looks like on social media and give the world a taste of what they can see and experience in Fiji,” says Campbell.

Saying goodbye to an ‘edited’ life

Following the successful launch of Tourism Fiji’s global brand platform, ‘Where happiness comes naturally’, the latest campaign aims to encourage the world to rework their muscle memory to cut back on the time spent on social media and instead spark more moments of authentic happiness.

An expert in Positive Psychology, specialising in happiness, Dr Lea Waters talks about the negative impacts using social media has on our daily lives since. She says there is a desperate need to constantly draw comparison between personal experiences and the fake depictions of happiness online.

“Exposure to sunlight, connection to nature and being within a community that focuses on sharing can help us feel more stable and valuing these things over material possessions is something we can learn from Fijians, as this is what makes them so happy. With this in mind, there’s no better nation suited to take the lead on changing perceptions of happiness around the world,” she says. 

So far, @tourismfiji has posted some of the most genuine photos. These aim to take audiences back to a bygone era of film photography and give the world a taste of the atmosphere in Fiji. 

Executive creative director of Host/Havas, Jon Austin says, “We’re thrilled to be working with the wider Havas Village to build on the ‘Where happiness comes naturally’ brand platform and narrative.”

“We reckon the world can learn a lot from Fiji, and we’re proud to be the ones who get the opportunity to shine a light on the incredible island nation and a way of life that requires no filters, effects, or multiple takes to show true happiness,” he adds.

Celebrating life in its purest form

For more unconventional tourism campaigns on social media, see how ‘unfluencers’ traveled to Esperance last week.

Two popular influencers from Western Australia have become ‘unfluencers’ while travelling in Esperance on the state’s south coast. They’re deliberately not posting about the region’s attractions as part of an unusual tourism campaign developed by 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub Perth for regional tourism organisation Australia’s Golden Outback (AGO). 

The integrated campaign showcases Esperance as the perfect antidote to always-on city life, framing its distance from major cities – and patchy internet – as a means for true disconnection. Using the tagline ‘So Far, So Good’, it aims to promote travel to the region in the quieter autumn and spring seasons.

Influencers become ‘unfluencers’

To kick the campaign off, local WA influencers Rahnee Bransby and Zak Hasleby toured Esperance. But in a campaign twist, they pledged not to post or use social media, giving them the chance to ‘truly disconnect’, and instead connect with the location and people they are with.

They did, however, post about their holidays after the fact, sharing images supplied by AGO to their socials.

The campaign hits the airwaves

As part of a campaign partnership with the radio station Nova 937, the influencers checked in with Breakfast host and Esperance local Nat Locke before and after their trips. Nova is also encouraging all of Perth to ‘Pledge to Not Post’ to go into a draw to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Esperance.  Both the campaign and competition will be promoted through the partnership (and ironically on social media).

“Talking about the impact the social media ‘break’ had on our unfluencers has also generated strong conversation among people that might otherwise only see the classic ‘beach shots’ that Esperance is so famous for,” says Mediahub Perth’s general manager Kylie Macey.

“Taking away the ability to post while visiting Esperance also meant we found other ways to reach our audiences, with radio, owned and earned media and fast-to-market content becoming more of a focus. We’re excited to see how far and wide the reach of our unfluencers will be.”  

Promoting different facets of WA

303 MullenLowe and Mediahub Perth previously worked with representatives of AGO as part of the ‘Queens on the Edge’ campaign to promote the South West Edge.  

AGO CEO Marcus Falconer says it’s sometimes hard to differentiate between regions to visit in WA. Esperance is already known across the globe for its beaches, so it became important to promote a broader picture of what the town has to offer.  

“What makes Esperance particularly special is its distance,” explains Falconer. 

“Yes, it’s a long way from Perth. Yes, its internet is sometimes patchy. But it’s also a place where people can go to breathe, and enjoy both an incredible region while connecting with loved ones and nature. And that’s what this campaign communicates so effectively, that it’s so far – it’s good. We can’t wait for people to put their phones away, and see for themselves.” 

Read about Marketing‘s favourite tourism campaigns of 2022.

2022 was a crucial year for travel marketing – one that will possibly go down in history. 

For the last two years, the tourism industry was at a standstill, with little reason to spend its scarce dollars on advertising when few people were allowed to cross borders.

Bouncing back was no easy task either. Airlines, hotels and the industry at large were met with staff shortages, a lack of flights and a global cost of living crisis impacting the price of almost everything.

In the face of these challenges, marketing teams pulled off some creative campaigns that capitalised on pent up wanderlust.

As businesses reap the rewards of those campaigns during the holiday season now, Marketing’s editorial team are taking a look back on our favourite tourism campaigns of 2022.

1. Liv’s favourite: Iceland’s ‘out-horse your inbox’

As a self-confessed phone addict, and a big emailer, going offline for the holidays is no easy feat. And, Iceland understands it. With the line “nothing ruins your vacation like work” as an opener, this campaign spoke directly to me. The suggestion of hiring a horse to respond to your emails because “no one will know the difference” while showing off all the unique sights of Iceland is a clever way to capture the audience’s attention. I know it made me want to both log off and get on a one-way flight to Iceland.
The best part? The campaign’s website allows you to choose your horsey helper.

2. Sophie’s favourite: Destination Canada’s campaign with Spotify

‘Discover Canada through Music and Sound’ was far from a tired tourism campaign laden with cliches and sweeping shots of beaches. Destination Canada partnered with Spotify to bring personalised playlists that featured the sounds of Montreal, Calgary or Vancouver. In true Spotify fashion, these towns were given personalities like “The Trendsetter”, “The Bohemian” and “The Maverick”. Guided audio walks and meditations effectively transported listeners to Canada, while the accompanying musical histories of different locations offered a memorable take on destination marketing. Destination Canada cleverly harnessed Spotify’s power to hyper-personalise for a truly immersive tourism campaign.

3. Benay’s favourite:  Tourism Tasmania’s lazy summer campaign

Tasmania makes lazy seem cool, chanting its motto, ‘coming down for air’ ahead of its summer 2022/2023 campaign. From the bustling city scenes to enjoying nature, the campaign really sparks to the desire to slow life down and enjoy Tasmania’s surroundings. This soft approach has chosen sympathy and ‘relatability’ over the grand promises of travel. It encourages you to explore life to the full in the simplest way possible, which is the most Tassie thing to do.

Destination Canada has partnered with Spotify for a campaign that invites Australians to “discover Canada through sound and music”.

The choose-your-own sound adventure allows visitors to the Destination Canada website to “select their vibe” – they can either ‘Turn It Up’ or ‘Take A Breath’. 

Personalised playlists

The Turn It Up option leads to personalised playlists based on user answers to a quiz:

“Are you a chill pace or a driving beat?”

“Are you soaking in sunset or dancing till sunrise?”

Depending on what they click, users end up with a Spotify playlist featuring the sounds of Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto. Attractive assets and descriptions of the cities accompany the playlists on the website, including musical histories of the local areas. Cities are given memorable personalities like “The Trendsetter”, “The Bohemian” and “The Maverick”, offering niche insights into these destinations.

Immersive guided walks

For something more relaxing, users can opt to Take A Breath in the Canadian wilderness with guided walks and meditations.

Destination Canada has enlisted the likes of travel content creators like Jeanne Rondeau-Ducharme to take listeners on auditory journeys through serene countrysides, with backdrops of trickling streams and chirping birds.

A unique approach to tourism advertising

With this interactive campaign, Destination Canada has found a way to connect with potential visitors and educate them about the country on a more personal level than the usual tourism TVC can.

“People come to Spotify to experience inspiration and discovery, and this campaign showcases how digital audio can be leveraged by brands to effectively reach listeners in a creative way,” says Spotify’s regional head of ad sales, AUNZ, Adrian Bingham.  

“‘Discover Canada through Music and Sound’ is an inspiring call to action and a strong example of the innovative ways that Spotify can help brands drive impact.”

The campaign was also an opportunity for the partners to collect listener data.

Users who opt to log in to their Spotify accounts to view playlists agree to share their account data with Spotify and Destination Canada. This includes giving access to their top artists and content and allowing the partners to take actions like uploading images to personalise their profile or playlist cover, and create, edit and follow playlists.

“We look forward to delving into the data and taking our learnings to develop the campaign further,” says Destination Canada CMO Gloria Loree.