Strangely Wonderful
For the Australian market, Singapore Tourism Board filmed the Strangely Wonderful side of Singapore
When I got this brief, I had already been working on the STB account across 2 agencies and 4 years and by this time, had created anything from TV to digital campaigns for Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and the UK. We were tasked to create TV commercials for the Australian market, but wanted to work closely with our office in Sydney to create a multicultural spot that remained distinctly Singaporean.
Singapore? Yuck
Australians think Singapore is super sterile, an overly polished gem of an island that lacks any real-world charm and character. While it’s true that most of our culture is imported, that doesn’t mean that charm is lacking here.
Finding Passage
We flew to Sydney to brainstorm with our Australian counterparts, they knew how to talk to Australians, we knew what we wanted to tell them. It was a true cultural exchange as we found out what tickled them, and we told them what made us Singaporeans.
“That’s weird”
For a first-timer, Singapore’s got some pretty strange habits. We place tissues on tables to reserve them, our idea of weather forecasting requires a chili and onion skewered into the ground. And then we’ve got singers to entertain ghosts, men that train bird singers, mobile bicycle discotheques, the list goes on.
“But it’s also wonderful”
The idea came out of the ether and through my mouth when I muttered those words. The perfect canvas to play with a dry Australian touch of humour while talking about Singapore’s quirkier side.
Weirdly Wonderful Singapore
Filmic stories about strange Singaporean characters. A girl dreaming to one day be a singer… to ghosts. The world’s best vocal trainer, for birds. A DJ, that doesn’t spin on decks, but wheels. Our client eventually changed the line to Strangely Wonderful Singapore and took the tone down a notch, but it was originally meant to have a dry, deadpan kind of humour that Australians love.
Not just film
We compiled rows and rows of Strangely Wonderful things that Aussies could do in Singapore, turning them into thematic trails that our freshly minted Singaporean enthusiasts could follow. There were also mini-documentaries created to supplement the history behind Singapore’s strangely wonderful cultures.
Client
Singapore Tourism Board
Agency
JWT Singapore
Chief Creative Officer
Valerie Cheng
Art Director
Jared Kang
Writer
Alexander Lim
Production House
Freeflow Production
Director
Roslee Yusof
