Branding the Philippines: Smile Philippines

Several bloggers sent this white paper and I read some pages and decided it's a waste of my precious time. For one, the person who wrote the stuff does not really know what he's talking about and second, the topic is tooo stupid to even spend time about. Why?

This country has been here for the last 45,000 years and you're born here, and you still don't know this country? You finished college, read voluminous books about the history of this country and now, you're asking several people what this country is or is about?

Branding is all about perceptions. Perceptions, most of them, are based on reality. Reality is perceived based on someone's values. Values are ingrained. They are shaped by someone or the society that you're in.

Society, therefore, shapes a country’s branding.

How will a foreign PR FIRM know about the Filipino brand when it thinks along Western lines? Branding is someone's best foot forward and the only people who know this country's best front are those who lived here, not some blond haired stupid guy from Missouri.

Branding is the soul of a product. If someone has to sell this country, one must sell the most important value or asset this country has---its people. 

I have gone to different parts of the world and the reason why I always, always go back here is simply I miss the love of my fellow Filipinos.

The Pinoy is the USP of our country. Pilipinas Kay Ganda project is simply not "it”, because that’s not what we are selling here. We are not selling the beauty of our place. We are selling the beauty of our souls as a People.

Talk about beaches, and we are not the only ones who have them. Talk about resorts, islands, rivers, streams, etc and someone will say Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand all have them.

What these countries don’t have is a freedom-loving race of people, who, despite their poverty, still smiles and tells you to “live long”. Talk about Pinoy—a warm, human being who endures long struggles, who strives for the best always, and looks at life in a totally different way.

Brand the Philippines? Use the words “Smile Pinoy”. We are the only race in Asia that always smiles even in times of great personal tragedy and difficulty. We smile and love our fellow human beings. Those smiles always warm some foreigners' heart.