The Viral Moriones (Marketing Marinduque)

Here's an unsolicited advice for the province of Marinduque.

Marketing a destination has always been a challenge and perceived to be very expensive (well, in most cases, marketing could really cost gazillions!). So here's a marketing strategy that would cost maybe 500k to pull through. That amount would go to the transport, meals and accommodation of the guys who will be involved.

You see, Marinduque has something very unique that no other province in the Philippines can claim to also have - the Moriones.

Branding-wise, its almost automatic: Marinduque = Moriones..... Moriones = Marinduque.... Much like the equation Tarsier = Bohol, except that there are also tarsiers in the islands of Samar, Leyte and Mindanao, only Bohol was quick and savvy enough to use the tarsier as its tourism ambassador.


So the idea is to go into viral marketing. Bring a bunch of Moriones to Manila (or even Cebu) and make them walk and pose in crowded areas and landmarks.


Yes, people will notice them! Take photos and videos of them and post them in their blogs, facebook walls and even google+ boards. Did I mention Youtube already?

Some might say that it would be no-different from the Ati-atihan. Yes, in a fraction of a way..... But AA has already been ubiquitous in all the cities and towns of the Philippines. While the Moriones still has that sense of mystery and definite uniqueness that will surely make people stop on their tracks and gawk on the colorful, intimidating strangers.

People don't have to go to Marinduque to see a real, live Morion. They can see them in the city, then many would be more curious to know more about the province, and still, a good number may decide to visit that destination. And that, is one guerilla-type strategy of destination marketing.


And to make things really more interesting, invite a Filipino band to join in the fun and eventually create a music video with the Moriones in the city.



And yes, invite bloggers and writers to also join in the walks of the Moriones, see the reactions of the people and get caught up in the virus of the Moriones sowing interest in the people who catch a glimpse of them.