Using stock images in ad campaign is not unusual but DDB Philippines has been caught out using stock images and video clips of other countries in its tourism video for the Filipino government on Facebook. The clips featured footage of rice terraces available on stock video site, Pond5, which are apparently of Ubud in Bali, aerial shots of sand dunes from Cumbuco in north-eastern Brazil, according to stock site, Videvo, a fisherman casting a net while wearing a hat that is not typically worn in the Philippines, a person driving a buggy over sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates and an airplane landing in Switzerland. The error was revealed by French news agency, AFP, and Filipino blogger, Sass Rogando Sasot.

The video was part of a AU$1,350,00 Love the Philippines campaign, that launched in late June.

Christina Garcia Frasco, The Philippines Minister of Tourism, stated that it had sought confirmation repeatedly from DDB Philippines that the materials used in the video were its own and were original and that no public funds were used to make the video.

DDB Philippines apologised in a formal statement, “The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines in highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT’s [Department of Tourism] objectives.” The video has been removed from Facebook.