#MobExAwards 2021 highlight: Singtel Dash's successful app overhaul strikes chord with consumers

Singaporeans have become more reliant on eCommerce, and expectations for brick-and-mortar to become more digitised have increased. Research has found that coupons and discounts have become a key driver for purchase decisions and the pandemic has driven demand for insurance as well as investment services in Singapore. This surge in demand has led to a glut in apps on the average Singaporean’s phone, averaging about 115 apps which is the highest among countries surveyed. To remain competitive and increase brand recall among users, Singtel launched a campaign for the Singtel Dash lifestyle app.

The campaign was well received and grew Singtel Dash’s brand recognition and brand recall among its target audience. This led to the team clinching the gold award for Most Innovative Use of Mobile and taking a finalist spot for Best COVID-19 Response at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Mob-Ex 2021 Awards.

Challenge

Although Singtel Dash had undergone several iterations such as launching a rewards programme, insurance products and planning additional investment products between 2020 and 2021, Singtel Dash had to deal with many challenges.

Firstly, while Singtel Dash wanted to grow its brand recognition, it faced stiff competition from numerous apps also striving to be everyday apps for consumers.

Secondly, Singtel Dash needed to build brand recall among customers who are constantly distracted and have evolving needs. Even before the pandemic, Singaporeans already spent most of their day on digital devices. When the pandemic hit and WFH became the norm, Singaporeans were further distracted and Singtel Dash had to compete in a heavily cluttered digital sphere. Ever changing user preferences also meant that the team needed to evolve their marketing strategies to remain relevant.

Lastly, Singtel Dash wanted to maintain a singular brand experience amidst different business units and customer base. With Singtel Dash being an all-in-one app that combines remittance, payments and insurance products, users of the apps have different intentions. Singtel Dash needed to support customers of various age groups and nationalities, making it challenging to provide one singular brand experience for every Dash user.

Solution

To solve its current set of challenges, Singtel Dash needed to build a brand identity that could resonate with users beyond the value proposition and core features that the company has continued to refine in the past few years.

To bridge this gap, Singtel’s strategy focused on three main concepts:

1. Create a unified brand language in-app and across social channels that share visual elements across business units but maintain a distinctive personality

As an all-in-one mobile app, Singtel Dash offers a wide mix of financial services. By using common branding elements across all services and marketing platforms, Singtel aimed to create a seamless identification of the overall Dash brand to reduce friction and confusion among its different product offerings.

2. Connecting authentically to its diverse audience by aligning the relevant services’ value propositions with the correct customers’ needs

With the mix of services provided within the Singtel Dash app, Singtel needed to ensure that it reached the right audience with the right service at the right time instead of pushing out a one size fits all message that may alienate certain users. This meant that Singtel needed to truly understand the needs of Dash users and package a value proposition that appeals to them.

3. Building a brand persona that is identifiable and relatable to cut through the distraction

Singtel understood that in the current glut of mobile apps, trying to stand out based on the lowest price offering would not offer long term sustainability. Instead, Singtel wanted to focus on building an emotional bond by drawing relatable associations that would lead to longer usage, drive word of mouth and acquisition of relevant users.

Execution

Singtel Dash went through an overhaul where a new brand logo and visuals were introduced. The home screen of the Dash app was decluttered to provide easier service identification. Style consistency in terms of tone of voice and visual identity was applied across all digital channels as well as the app so that users can transit between marketing channels and app services seamlessly.

2. Creation of character personas to resonate with Dash’s different customer types

The team created a series of characters that embodied different user needs to represent Dash’s diverse user base and versatility of the app:

Chloe- Bargain hunter always on the look out for the best deals and rewards
Sam- Always on the move and looking for convenient and seamless transactions
Shawn- Active multitasker who does not like carrying cash

Singtel also created Dash PET, a reliable companion that helps users in their financial journeys. A series of GIFs were created to illustrate the benefits of Dash PET to increase usage.

3. Reaching out to target audience with mix of engagement content

Singtel boosted the awareness of Dash with regular campaigns and social content and tied them to relevant channels and trending topics. This included:

Contests, games and giveaways

The team scheduled event or calendar-based contests along with appealing prizes as an incentive to keep users engaged and invested in using the Dash app. One example would be the #DashDanceRevolution campaign where users could take a video of their Dash dance on Lula track and upload the video onto TikTok.

The team also created Dash it, Spin it, Share it – an in-app game- where users had to spin a wheel to win prizes during the Lunar New Year period. There were also regular giveaways on Dash’s Instagram page and this increased awareness of the app.

Product content and promotions

The team created regular Instagram and Facebook posts tied to important events with high purchase volume such as Lunar New Year, National Day, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day and tapped on consumer purchase trends such as staycations, online shopping, virtual games and F&B to generate interest. Singtel also included product education and awareness content using Dash It Your Way, Dash Remit and Dash PET campaigns as well as social content pillars - WOW Wednesday, Thursday Trivia Night, and Dash Hacks.

Brand and influencer partnerships

Singtel also leveraged on the influence of synergistic brands such as FAVE, SOCASH and IMDA and key opinion leaders to build awareness of Dash. This included partnerships for content and lead generation. Singtel also created incentive programmes to encourage users to write product reviews on comparison channels such as Seedly.

4. Dash Rewards

Dash Rewards enables users to earn points easily across Dash products and services. To increase usage and stickiness of the Dash app, Singtel provided users with greater options to earn rewards in person at more that 200,000 merchant points, online with Visa Virtual Account, remittances and through integration with Fave.

5. Humanise Dash through storytelling and localisation

With foreign workers accounting for 40% of Dash Remittance users, Singtel wanted to show appreciation for their work and their loyalty to Dash. Singtel also saw this as an opportunity to build a positive brand experience through their own users’ stories.

Singtel also utilised targeted social media campaigns and ran contests and promotions such as fee waivers for remittance especially for healthcare workers and new users. Dash also gave away app credits to drive usage during the pandemic. The campaigns included #DashAHug where users can show appreciation for the loved ones and Real Heroes Contest where Dash users could share inspiring stories.

To better communicate the benefits of Dash to foreign workers, Singtel also produced localised content such as videos explaining the Dash remittance process in various languages.

Results

The campaign successfully grew Singtel Dash’s brand recognition despite the competitive app environment. Dash experienced a 48% increase in Facebook followers. The #DanceDashRevolution campaign garnered over 1.6 million views on TikTok and Dash PET became the highest rated insurance product on Seedly, one of the most popular personal finance portals in Singapore with an average rating of 4.7/5 from 194 reviews. There was also a significant increase in brand recall among customers as well as growth in brand relevance that resulted in lower costs to acquire and retain customers.