Department of Tourism Philippines media pitch field down to three

Left to battle it out in the three-way pitch are PHD, Dentsu and local independent Club Media.

The Media Force Vizeum team appealed the decision and were initially allowed to resubmit the missing document. But that decision was later reversed.

“Our recommendation is the direct result and actual collaboration with our offices in all of the markets the government wants to draw tourists from,” said Angelito Pangilinan, head of media services of Aegis Media Philippines. Pangilinan said the agency had FGDs in six different markets and had developed its strategy based on recommendations provided by local planners and strategists in those markets.

The disqualification further narrows the pitch field especially after another network agency pulled out early in the process when it balked at providing a sizable surety. As with most government agencies, the DoT had asked pitch participants to provide surety of either 2 per cent of the total budget for cash deposits or 5 per cent for bond payments.

The three-way line-up has raised some interesting scenarios: The Aegis shop could well find itself collaborating  on the account should the business go to Dentsu, which is now in the process of completing the global purchase of Aegis and its five brands.

However, PHD’s win will mean an extension of Omnicom’s hold of the business after BBDO Guerrero won the creative assignment in a multi-agency shootout following Ramon Jimenez' appointment as DoT Secretary late last year.

A win by Club Media will mean that the business will be handled by an independent local agency working in partnership with media independents around the world to deliver geographical reach for DoT’s international marketing offensive.

There was no incumbent in the role. The DoT urgently needs a media partner as it prepares to take its new brand campaign, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ to the next phase, across global markets and traditional media.

The destination campaign launched largely on social media about eight months and became an immediate internet sensation, sparking a meme explosion. It is estimated that more than 40,000 memes using the campaign template have been created since its launch.

DoT did not respond to adobo’s request for comment.

This article originally appeared in Adobo magazine.