DOT now investigating alleged use of stock videos in ‘Love the Philippines’ campaign video
The Department of Tourism is looking into allegations that the campaign video for the country’s new tourism slogan “Love the Philippines” featured stock footage.
In a statement on Saturday, July 1, the DOT said it’s now conducting an “exhaustive investigation” into the claims, which came after netizens posted stock videos that look similar to some of the frames featured in the ad. They alleged that they were not taken in the Philippines and were only downloaded from subscription stock footage website Storyblocks.
According to the DOT, they “repeatedly sought confirmation” from its partner agency DDB Philippines “on the originality and ownership of all materials contained in the AVPs and key visuals presented to the department.”
“In all these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order,” it said.
"While no public funds have been paid for the AVP in question as this particular component of the launch was released on the account of DDB, the DOT holds the responsibility of promoting the country to the highest standard.”
“Therefore, it will not hesitate to exact accountability and take the necessary action to protect the interest of the country even as it continues to exhaust all efforts to develop and promote the Philippine tourism industry," it added.
The DOT launched the new “Love the Philippines” slogan on Tuesday, June 27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Philippine tourism. The department’s secretary Christina Frasco described it as “a recognition of our natural assets, our long and storied history, our rich culture and diversity.”
“[It] is not a mere branding campaign, but rather a call to action to every Filipino citizen to remember the beauty of our country, to honor our past, and to look forward to the future armed with the virtues, (and) values of being a Filipino,” she added.
The campaign video that it came with is now unavailable on YouTube.
PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to DDB Philippines for a comment on the matter, but has yet to receive a reply.