Ad agency McCann denies plagiarism in Experience the Philippines TV ad

McCann Worldgroup Philippines, the advertising agency behind the Philippines' latest tourism ad, has denied allegations of plagiarism.

In a statement, the firm said its TV ad "was inspired by the story of a visually-impaired foreigner who has made the Philippines his home and who has come to experience the Philippines in different ways."

"In working with the Department of Tourism (DOT), we have been inspired by the many stories we have seen and heard, about why foreigners choose to visit the Philippines," McCann said.

"Many of them have spoken about our innate warmth, the genuine friendships they have developed here, our hospitality that extends to a sense of family, and the many reasons why it is the Filipino people that truly make it 'more fun in the Philippines'," it added.

McCann said that based on its research, thousands of foreigners chose to live and retire in the country.

Just hours after the release of the new campaign, netizens took to the social media to point out the similarities between the new "Experience the Philippines ad" which was released on Monday, and the Meet South Africa campaign.

Both ads featured a tourist, revealed to be blind at the very end of the spot.

Still, McCann said that it would take full responsibility over the matter.

"We acknowledge the feedback that the way this story was told may have similarities with the South African tourism campaign," McCann said.

"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," it added.

"We take full responsibility, as all ideas and storyboards presented were conceptualized by McCann Worldgroup Philippines. We also underscore that there has never been any intention to copy others’ creative work," Mc Cann said.

"McCann Worldgroup Philippines has always strived to adhere to our guiding principle, 'Truth Well Told', in everything we do. We stand by the integrity with which this campaign was developed," it added.

Tourism assistant secretary Frederick Alegre earlier in the day defended the "Experience the Philippines" ad, saying that despite the similarities the agency was able to present the campaign in a different manner.

"You know how the creative agencies work, they're able to present it in different manners. I think it's safe to say that this was presented in a different manner because we really have retirees in the Philippines that enjoy staying in the Philippines," Alegre said in an interview on GMA News To Go. —NB, GMA News