The Philippines’ Department of Tourism launched a new television commercial entitled Sights on June 12, coinciding with the country’s 119th celebration of Independence Day. The one-minute ad features a retiree, M. Uchimura, as he experiences the sights and sounds of famous tourist destinations in Luzon.
The new ad was released on television as well as through the department’s Facebook page. To date, it has over 1.7 million views and over 41,00o shares.
Viral Video Praised By Netizens
The video received mostly positive comments, commending its heartfelt message about the Philippines and most especially the Filipinos. It features the real-life story of a Japanese retiree who has made the country his home.
M. Uchimura is seen enjoying his experiences at several Luzon sights, such as the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, the Banaue Rice Terraces and the Sand Dunes of Paoay. A voice over of an elderly man with a Japanese accent punctuates the scenes. The copy goes: “Here, you don’t have to see the sun to discover radiance. You don’t have to see colors to experience vibrance. You don’t have to see smiles to know you are safe.”
In the last scene, Uchimura is seen enjoying a chat over drinks with a couple of friends in Calle Crisologo, Vigan. As he gets up to leave and pay for his share, one of his friends offers to pay the tab. Before taking his first step, he brings out a walking cane revealing that he is blind, which ends with the copy: “You don’t have to see to feel you are home.”
Criticized As Unoriginal, DOT And Ad Company Speaks Up
According to an Inquirer report, several hours after the ad was released, some netizens took to Reddit to point the striking similarities between the new ad and a tourism ad of South Africa in 2014.
The South Africa Tourism ad also features a blind man, going around different sights in the country with a group of friends. Towards the end, we also find out about his disability.
On June 13, a spokesperson for the department denied that the concept for the ad was copied. According to an ABS-CBN report, DOT said that while it had “similarity with the ads of South Africa, the biggest difference really is that is a true story. The Japanese retiree is an actual retiree residing in the Philippines.” It also follows the approach they are doing to have foreigners share their “testimonials” about their experiences in the country.
In related news, the ad agency behind the commercial also spoke up about the controversy. In another ABS-CBN report, McCann Erickson said in a statement: “It is unfortunate that the DOT has been called out and accused of plagiarism, for work we have done to highlight the testimonial of a real retiree. We take full responsibility as ALL ideas and storyboards presented were conceptualized by McCann Worldgroup Philippines. However, we underscore that there has never been any intention to copy others’ creative work.”
Watch the new DOT ad via Facebook seen below.