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Behind the Work in association withThe Immortal Awards
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Your Shot: Singaporean Of The Day

08/05/2013
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Tribal DDB creative challenge the country’s unemotional image

Last year Singapore was branded the unhappiest, most unemotional nation on earth by a Gallup poll – it’s enough to get the most stoic Singaporean hopping mad. Determined to disprove the stereotype, a team from Tribal DDB Asia set out to document the exciting and inspiring people who populate the dense and diverse city. We caught up with Jeff Cheong, Vice President, Tribal DDB Asia to find out about a project that has caught the imagination of the local press.

 

LBB> In the press coverage it says that a group of you from Tribal DDB came up with the project after a Gallup poll claiming Singaporeans are unemotional - what was the conversation that triggered the project? And how did you decide that this particular approach was the best solution?

 

JC> To be labelled 'emotionless' made everyone emotional. When the news hit the shores a month later, many conversations were generated.

 

Amongst ourselves, we chatted casually over coffee and lunches. We asked ourselves if we had lost our sense of humour, our smiles and our hopes. And in those conversations, we were able to cite one or two cool cats in Singapore who embrace life and do things passionately. As story-tellers, we thought it would be good to start a series of documentaries to draw these day-to-day Singaporeans out of their shells. It didn't take long for us to arrive at 'Singaporean of the Day'.
 
LBB> The project was in response to claims that Singaporeans are unemotional - why do you think people hold this stereotype? And why did you think it was important to challenge it?
 
JC> Don't be fooled by the quiet, seemingly-emotionless demeanour of Singaporeans – there’s life yet on the insides.   Every one of us here knows someone from our Facebook friend list who is passionate about life, positively proud about Singapore though will never say it, and is positively supporting a cause. (They just don’t like research very much).

 

 

LBB> How did you research and find the right people for the videos?
 
JC> By being very attentive and observant. We find them through friends, relatives and colleagues who know that we are on this journey to document Singaporean’s story. And our viewers write in to nominate people too!
 
LBB> What has been the response from people who have viewed the films?
 
JC> We've got many people who want to come on-board to join us on this journey as volunteers. Many just want to experience it even without relevant skills. And that is exactly the sort of spirit we want to generate. I think this project has moved many people emotionally and to see them sharing excitingly makes us happy.
 
LBB> What has been the trickiest or most challenging thing about this project?
 
JC> Balancing the day job and finding time to do this. The process of curation is a long and arduous one. It's like building a new friendship with a person, especially when we do not know the interviewee at all. We have to establish the trust before he or she feels comfortable sharing their story.
 
LBB> And, having met with and interviewed such a range of interesting people what's been the most surprising thing that you have learned?
 
JC> Nothing beats hearing the story live. With every story we learn a new lesson. We leave each session feeling inspired and we cannot wait to replicate that experience in the video.
 
For us, the one that tugged our heartstrings most is Dr Kenneth Lieu, the devoted husband who cared for his wife despite being in a coma for the last five years.

 

 
The most inspiring one was Bjorn Low, the urban farmer who left his high-flying job to become a farmer in the UK and then returned home to Singapore to start an urban farming movement.

 

 
Big Zull of The Idea Empire shows us how you can combine passion and heritage to modernise culture for the next generation.

 

 
LBB> Even though it's a personal project, how did the agency support it?
 
JC> I'm lucky because DDB Group Singapore is an agency that encourages entrepreneurship and personal action. And my two bosses have been most supportive of this passion project. They close both eyes when we over run during lunch.

 

The project has also now taken a whole new social format where we have volunteers coming on-board to help with the crew work.
 

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