DDB Philippines, the advertising agency behind the ‘Love The Philippines’ tourism video, apologized to the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the public for using stock foreign footage in the campaign video.
In a statement, DDB said it takes “full responsibility” for the situation.
“While the use of stock footage in mood videos is standard practice in the industry, the use of foreign stock videos was an unfortunate oversight on our agency’s part,” it said.
“Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed,” the agency added.
DDB Philippines said the newly-released campaign video was "intended to be a mood video to excite internal stakeholders" about the tourism campaign.
But it acknowledged that the usage of non-original videos in a campaign promoting the country’s tourism “is highly inappropriate and contradictory to the DOT’s objectives.”
The agency said it is now coordinating with the tourism department, and it assured that it will be compliant in the investigation.
It then noted that no public funds were used and that the video was created under its expenses.
“We sincerely hope this will not diminish the genuine love and appreciation the stakeholders and the public has been showing for the Love The Philippines campaign,” the DBB furthered.
The agency released the statement after the ‘Love The Philippines’ tourism campaign video was criticized on social media due to the alleged use of landscapes in Thailand, Indonesia, and Dubai.
The DOT said it has launched a probe into the allegation.
The tourism campaign video has been removed from the tourism department's official Facebook page and YouTube channel.
