Pinoys pitch in online for new tourism campaign

Pinoy netizens have gone beyond criticism, taking things into their own hands trying to come up with viable alternatives to the Department of Tourism's (DOT's)"Pilipinas Kay Ganda" campaign. Since its unveiling early last week, the campaign has been met with harsh criticism, especially online. "Why is the new slogan in Tagalog? How are we going to target the international market? I kinda prefer the WOW Philippines," said one Facebook user. Others said the accompanying website to the campaign is misleading, as its URL www.beautifulpilipinas.com is similar to an existing pornographic site. It also didn't help either that the campaign launch featured a performance by a group called Pretty Young Things, instead of world-class talents like Lea Salonga, Arnel Pineda or Charice Pempengco. Going beyond 'slacktivism' Aside from volunteering their opinions on the matter, critics have also poked fun at the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" campaign. Several Facebook users have changed their profile pictures to customized versions of the new logo, created via an online application, which has been taken down by Facebook but is still available elsewhere. Social media is indeed a convenient venue for "slacktivism" —seemingly participative gestures without any real effects, such as joining an advocacy group online without ever attending their events. However, social media can also be used as a venue for truly productive interaction, as shown by the recently created DOT D.I.Y Facebook Fanpage. A curator of suggestions to help come up with a viable campaign for the country, DOT D.I.Y. is the second project of its creator, who prefers to remain anonymous. Getting it done yourself "I think it's better if people think of it as an attitude more than a person. Kaya nga D.I.Y. - if you think you can do better, then do it yourself. Show us how," DOT D.I.Y.'s creator told GMANews.TV. His first project, D.I.Y. Philippines, was a reaction to the furious online activity in the aftermath of the hostage crisis last August 23. He said he set up the website because he was concerned that all the criticism and suggestions on how to better deal with hostage situations might not come to the attention of concerned parties. With instructions on how to turn sentiment into action, D.I.Y. Philippines encouraged Filipinos to contribute by sending in all the relevant videos, articles, memes and photos, which were eventually sent to the PNP. Turning opinion into action Similarly, DOT D.I.Y. is an attempt to bridge the gap between stating an opinion and actually doing something. Step-by-step instructions explain how users can contribute to the project. Two simple questions serve as a guide to coming up with a logo and tagline: "If there was one symbol that we needed to use to tell people how beautiful the Philippines is, what would it be? Along with the logo, what do we want to say?" The deadline for contributions is on Wednesday, November 24, after which, everything will be collated and delivered to the DOT. Putting criticism to good use DOT D.I.Y. clarifies that this is not a contest, but a way of helping DOT as well as the country, just by putting those "powers of criticism" to good use. "Some people are skeptical about submitting good logos given such short notice, so they gave strategic plans instead," said the creator. Apart from design studies and marketing plans, people have also submitted concept boards, and a song. As of Saturday morning, 753 people have "liked" DOT D.I.Y., and more than ten people have contributed design studies and other proposals since the page was created on Wednesday night. - TJD, GMANews.TV