Apl De Ap Is Now Tourism Ace

Two sights you rarely get to see — the Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap alighting from a jeepney, and Tourism Secretary Ace Durano bobbing his head to a hip-hop video — popped people’s eyes at the Department of Tourism (DOT) launching of its newest campaign, “Biyaheng Pinoy with Apl,” in partnership with MTV Asia.

A refreshing take promoting the country’s top destinations, the campaign is the product of a long-time collaboration between Apl.de.Ap, or Allan Pineda Lindo, and Durano. The campaign gave rise to several projects that utilize Apl.de.Ap and his music as a platform to showcase the country’s sites to the world.

“As a globally successful Filipino artist, Apl is the perfect icon to represent our country and its fascinating destinations. His music infused with Pinoy pride certainly makes this campaign fresh and exciting,” said Durano.

The project includes a music video entitled Take U to the Philippines, Apl’s complimentary offering to the DOT for the campaign.

The DOT held a soft launch of the campaign in Singapore recently, where the Black Eyed Peas also performed at the F1 Rocks concert.

“The sheer magnitude of fans who watched the Black Eyed Peas in Singapore is just a tip of the global market we are reaching through our campaign with MTV,” said Durano.

The video, Take U to the Philippines, was launched Oct. 1 to a worldwide MTV market.

When asked about his inspiration in making the video, Apl remarked, “I wanted to showcase all the beautiful spots in the Philippines. I wanted to help out tourism, to inspire others to visit the Philippines, to create jobs for people and help out the country and the community.”

Directed by Andrew Lo, creative director of MTV Asia, the video utilizes mixed-motion graphics stylized by The Source, a renowned studio in Hollywood.

Apl himself wrote the lyrics, with suggestions from Durano, to highlight the local texture of tourist destinations — warm blue waters, parties in Manila, unique Pinoy culture, heart-stopping adventure rides and an infinite number of activities found only in the Philippines.

Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. of Tourism Planning and Promotions said, “Although it may seem geared towards the young MTV generation, we are tapping the global traveler and culture connoisseur of all markets. We want the campaign to brand our country as one with an infinite number of exciting activities for adventure and culture lovers.”

The campaign is also supported by on-ground components such as a colorful roaming caravan that will bring festivities from destination to destination, as well as an interactive website, www.awesomephilippines.com.

Another highlight of the campaign is Apl’s search for Pinoy talents dubbed “MTV Emerge.” Through the DOT’s partnership with MTV and his own music label, Jeepney Music, MTV Emerge is a platform for unsigned music talents in the Philippines to showcase their work and to be given an opportunity to win a one-year recording contract with Jeepney Music.

Participants can sign up and upload original music on the MTV Emerge site, where the online community can vote for the finalists of the search, which will then be evaluated by a panel of judges including Apl.de.Ap. The artists with the most talent and potential will be announced in November, when Apl plans to hold a benefit concert on his birthday, Nov. 27.

MTV Emerge not only aims to hunt for the hottest unsigned music talent from all genres of music (indie, rock, hip-hop, R&B, metal, solo artists, DJs, etc.), it is also an online music community where new music from the Philippines can be discovered.

Ace and Apl both refined the campaign over time, adding elements to achieve the goal of hauling in more tourists to the country.

Durano will also take Apl to some of the country’s best beaches, heritage sites and adventure trails, as Apl mentioned having been to Boracay, Cebu and his hometown, Pampanga, but said he’s “never been to places like Baguio.”