BBDO Guerrero | Proximity Philippines wins branding campaign account of the PHL Department of Tourism

The bidding for a new branding campaign account of the Philippine Department of Tourism took quite some time but finally there is a winning bidder . Here is the press statement from the Department of Tourism:

BBDO Guerrero | Proximity Philippines has been selected and appointed as Agency of Record for the Philippine Department of Tourism after making the winning pitch and bid for the country’s tourism branding campaign. They are tasked with creating an idea that will shape all forms of communication for the country’s domestic and international tourism promotions.

The selection and appointment comes after a rigorous pitch which involved seven other agencies – Aspac, DDB, Dentsu, J.Romero, JWT, Lowe and Y&R.

Further development of BBDO Guerrero’s concept is underway and the first iterations of the new campaign will emerge in the course of the first half of 2012. The work will however, cover all major media, both in the Philippines and overseas with special emphasis on digital communications like social media.

Last September, the DOT opted to hold a second bidding process after only one advertising agency qualified – coincidentally also BBDO Guerrero. The Department of Tourism decided to rethink the terms of reference of the project with the assumption to office of the new Tourism Secretary, Ramon Jimenez, Jr.

The pitch review was personally headed by the Secretary, who was keen to encourage agencies to expand their thinking and explore all areas of the marketing offering in order to make the nation as appealing as some of its neighbors who are much higher ranked for consideration by potential visitors.

Secretary Jimenez said, “Because of the requirements of the bid process I had to brief my agencies through a series of public speeches and interviews. In these, I talked about the warmth and the vitality of our people as being what makes our country special. In their campaign, BBDO Guerrero was able to capture and encapsulate this complex problem into a motivating and exciting campaign. They were the last of the eight agencies presenting. And they were the exclamation point at the end of a long sentence.”

David Guerrero, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Guerrero | Proximity Philippines, stated, “Our competition is global. And our responsibility is very local. There could be no better cause or more exciting prospect than communicating one of the world’s most enjoyable travel experiences. We – and our worldwide network – are looking forward to making this a truly memorable and effective campaign that will benefit all of us who live here.”

He continued, “It’s been a pretty good 12 months for us, winning Agency of the Year locally – and Network of the Year globally – but this is the best Christmas present we could have hoped to receive.”

The selection of BBDO comes at an opportune time especially as DOT reports more good news for the year-end. Foreign arrivals from January to October reached 3.1 million, registering an 11.96% increase over the same period last year. All months have chalked up double digit growth rates except for March and May. Positive gains have likewise been reflected by the country’s core markets.

“We are optimistic to reach our 3.7 million target considering that November and December are historical peak periods. We are excited launching the new brand early next year which we believe, will stimulate great interest and conversion. Our hopes are high to reach an unprecedented 4.1 million visitor arrival target. More than the numbers, we hope that we draw in longer-staying tourists who will spend more and stimulate brisker business,” Secretary Jimenez said.

The tourism chief has called for greater participation by Filipinos, here and abroad, to be part of the game change. “Every Filipino is a tourism stakeholder. If we expect tourism to work for us, each must do his part. We can start by sharing our pride of place and create a buzz through social media or through other ways you can,” the former advertising executive added.