High Five: Singapore
Lena Paik joined the Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore family at the beginning of 2020. Prior to that, she spent five years working on campaigns for Singapore Tourism Board where she was mostly just being a tourist in her own country. Finding ways to stay inspired is one of the most important things to her, with her favourite themes to explore being happiness, creativity, people and their stories. Here, Lena shares five of the most inspiring creative works from Singapore she has seen in the last few months...
gov.sg - 'It Starts with You'
Agency: ADK Connect Singapore
Speaking from a personal experience, it’s not an easy task to persuade our folks to go to the doctor. Much less encourage them to get vaccinated. Which is why I appreciate this series of films because it cleverly draws a comparison to another vaccination programme in the country that most Singapore Senior Citizens would recall. I love that it taps into the nuances of local culture and language to package a serious but important message in a way that is heartfelt, genuine and relatable to Singaporeans from all walks of life.
Republic of Singapore Navy - 'It’s Not Crazy, It’s the Navy'
Agency: MullenLowe Singapore
The honesty of this spot really moved me – as I'm sure it did with many fellow Singaporeans. Aside from being a beautiful spot with a message of tenacity, grit and collective pride - the piece I thought was ultimately rooted in reality, rallying people to join the Navy by acknowledging how crazy it is. And in doing so, honoured those who have stood by their decisions.
SPCA Singapore - 'Tough People vs Shock Collar'
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore
Production and Post: Heckler Singapore
Closer to home, a couple of us at Forsman & Bodenfors came together to crack this brief from SPCA Singapore on their newest initiative: to ban the use of electric shock collars. We landed on this idea when we tested the shock collar on ourselves and… hated it. Grown-ups flinching and retracting the instant the collar touched our skins were the perfect proof points to our message: if we can’t take it, neither should our pets.
Shavonne Wong's Virtual Models
Agency: GEN V Agency
Ok ok, I know this one isn’t really ‘advertising’ per se - but the task here is to share pieces of work that I’ve seen in my country which have inspired me and this was one of them. In the middle of 2020, we’ve all experienced shoots of all kinds being cancelled or prohibited. This includes fashion photoshoots. So one commercial photographer, Shavonne Wong, figured that if she can’t photograph real models, she’ll just make her own. Fast forward to a year later, she now has five virtual models and each of them even doubles up as a canvas for her to create unique NFT pieces. I mean, being stuck at home can’t get more productive than that.
This is definitely a trend that looks to stay and as an advertising creative, I am really excited to see what other cool brand collaborations or campaigns would come out of this!
Very Small Exhibition - 'Very Momentary Exhibition'
Agency: In-house, Very Small Exhibition
Finally, I’ll leave you with this: awesome creativity that stops you in your tracks. HDB blocks - public housing - have long been a unique part of Singapore’s culture and identity. More than 80% of the country's population live in them, which inevitably results in them having this cookie-cutter look. This is such a simple and beautiful way to bring joy, smiles and a whole lot of ‘whoaaa' into even the most ordinary, unassuming spaces.
