I got that news that Philippines-born member of the Black-eyed Peas Apl.de.ap recently launched a new music video / tourism spot called "Take Me to the Philippines" on MTV Asia. It's a catchy little number and a slickly produced music video, created by LA-based We Are Royale, with support from the Philippine Department of Tourism. On the plus side, I really like Apl.de.ap's sunglasses.
I do have to say that, similar to the last major Department of Tourism effort in Second Life, "Awesome Philippines," this music video is very light on content and information, heavy on style and flash. The decision to use completely CGI rendered backgrounds (created in Los Angeles) is a curious choice for what is essentially a musical tourism brochure.
So while Apl.de.ap can sing about taking you "straight to the island / Water so warm, You can just dive in," you don't actually see any actual Philippine's islands or water or any real depictions of the country. In fact the only thing genuinely Filipino is Apl.de.ap himself, and the pretty woman dancing with him, presumably. Everything else in the video is simply a digital interpretation of a beach paradise that could be almost anywhere in the tropic zone, with the exception of a couple of very subtle Filipino cultural references.
I suppose there is some possibility that this might spur more travel to the Philippines, but I have a hard time imagining how.
