#MARKiesAwards 2021 spills: TMRW's success in 'capturing lightning in a bottle'

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the annual Great Singapore Sale to go online last year. It took place as a hybrid event - eGSS: Shop. Win. Experience - as part of the SingapoRediscovers campaign and was organised by the Singapore Retailers' Association and done in collaboration with agency TMRW.

Most activities took place online amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and government guidelines where shoppers were encouraged to stay home. Facebook Live and a digital lookbook were utilised during the eGSS, with the lookbook enabling users to purchase items easily on the eCommerce platform OneOrchard.Store. The quick pivot to online impressed judges at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's MARKies Awards 2021, and saw TMRW win silver for Most Effective Use - Content, Most Effective Use - Events (Physical/Virtual) and Best Art Director/Designer. It was also the finalist for Most Creative - Influencers/KOLs and Most Effective Use - Launch/Re-launch.

Shaun Quek (pictured), MD, TMRW shares the most memorable aspect of the campaign and his takeaways from the pandemic.

This interview is done as part of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s winners and finalists’ interview series for MARKies Awards 2021. To find out more about the awards, click here.

Tell us about the campaign you won and what was the most memorable aspect of the campaign for you?

Quek: The sale that was cancelled, happened. For the first time in its entire history, the Great Singapore Sale went online. And when it did, it crashed the internet. So that was great, but for me, the unforgettable part of the campaign was working with all these great people. From clients to retailers to influencers, everyone had the same agenda: to keep the local economy running. It felt like we captured lightning in a bottle.

What do you think makes for great marketing/advertising these days?

Quek: What makes advertising great is the audience. I'm very thankful to be living in a very informed age. Audiences today are incredibly clever, and actually demand for better work. And it’s because of them we get to better what we do. 

What is one specific marketing/advertising trend you are looking forward to exploring and experimenting with in 2021?

Quek: We’re experimenting with multi-player immersive 3D platforms as branded content. We think that’s going to take off in a huge way in the coming years.

What was one lesson learnt during the pandemic that all marketers can take away?

Quek:  #SupportLocal. Always.