How does a country like the Philippines re-brand itself? My homeland... the land of promise has finally unveiled a new advertising campaign, designed to draw distinct experiences unique to Filipinos. 

It's More Fun in the Philippines.

It's all about being real. Mon Jimenez, the top honcho in Philippine tourism got it right... to attract foreigners, we got to start where the Filipinos are. Instead of the old school, spray and pray style of marketing, the key is to generate buzz through social media.

Most importantly, Filipinos should own it, love it and promote it.

Jimenez pointed out: "What differentiates the Philippines from every [other place] in the world, as we said from the start, is the Filipino. [It's] his special gift for transforming what is already a beautiful place into an unforgettable special place. You take two identical islands, put Filipinos in one, it’s going to be more fun there."

Filipinos make the country like no other. It's our God-given knack to improvise, adapt and be creative.  From Daly City to Dubai, Honolulu to Hong Kong, Saudi to Sydney, Filipinos are well known for our warm hospitality, genuine heart of service and contagious smile. We make the world more interesting. Heck, we even made our own Pinoy Siri.

Social media is the place, product and presence. Social is all three-in-one. It's the place where Filipinos from all the world can gather... share their collective experiences and foreigners get a taste of our own culture. It is a product in itself... where we showcase the very best through the power of story. Filipinos love to tell stories virtually about anything. It is where we can show our collective presence. 24/7, every day, every hour, every nano-second, we can tweet, buzz and share our likes for everyone in the world to see. 

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Side note. Some suggestions to improve branding:

1) The Twitter handle @DOTPhilippines with the name "Tourism Department" is very limiting. Think about Filipinos overseas. Think about the Foreigners who do not have a clue what DOT means. Remember, your target market. How about changing the handle to @PhilippineTourism with something more identifiable like the name "Philippine Tourism."

2) Who owns Philippines.com? It's a shame that a prime URL like this does nothing to promote the Philippines. Take a note from NewZealand.com. 

3) The main Philippine tourism website takes forever (about 30 seconds) to load from a viewer in the US. Plus it is NOT mobile friendly. If you cannot scale, skip the website. Go all out on Facebook, Twitter, Tripadvisor and Pinterest. Be different, spark conversations. Entice the Filipinos from all around the world to share stories on what truly makes the Philippines a magical place. We need legends. 

This is a great start... can't wait to see what's to come. 

Mario out.