The mysterious sponge man along Orchard Road is actually a Lazada campaign

Lazada has managed to turn the attention of Singaporeans once again, this time, turning Orchard Road into a fashion show with "Sponge Man".

In a recent video by Instagram user @OrchardRoadFashion, a man is seen wearing a gown made out of sponges standing and posing along Orchard Road. Shoppers were also spotted stopping to take photos with and of him. The stunt has been revealed to be part of Lazada's new campaign in collaboration with BLKJ Havas to transform everyday items into fashionable statements. 

At the same time, the campaign aims to highlight Lazada's mission to provide the most competitive prices on everything from daily necessities such as diapers and sponges to trending must-have fashion items. 

Don't miss: Interview: Lazada SG takes 'Squid Game' to homes in gamified campaign 

This comes as Lazada strives to make every product - from essentials to lifestyle items - more accessible and affordable for customers as part of its 'Always the better price' proposition and 'Lowest price guaranteed' promise. 

Lazada will be rolling out localised versions of this activation across five Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand throughout the month of January. 

“Our customers already rely on us for their daily needs, but with 'always the better price, we’re going a step further,” said Marcus Chew, chief marketing officer, Lazada Group.

“This campaign reinforces our commitment to better prices through our lowest price guarantee, while showing showcasing our diverse categories offerings. From everyday essentials to stylish fashion pieces, we're giving shoppers more ways to look good, feel confident, and flaunt their smart choices without breaking the bank," added Chew. 

Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO and co-founder of BLKJ Havas stated, “We're thrilled to have brought this bold and fun campaign to life, showcasing how better prices can turn any purchase into a reason to celebrate and share. By working with Lazada to make the work 'un-advertising’, we've successfully captured attention in a truly unique way." 

Lazada has had a successful run of activation and campaigns in the past couple of months. Most recently, its 12.12 campaign took Squid Game to the homes of consumers where it challenged users to a game of 'scissors, paper, stone' to win the 'Queen stash' (SG$500 worth of vouchers).

For its 11.11 sale, the eCommerce platform unveiled that a shocking wedding-cheating drama that went viral on TikTok was actually its campaign to promote its deals and in October, it stirred conversations amongst Singaporeans with controversial statements that took over MRT stations in the country. 

The first of its recent string of activations that caught our attention, was its activation at a screening of Mad Max: Furiosa where it took audiences at a movie theatre by surprise with an on-ground activation before the start of a movie, to drive attention to the brand's message. As part of the activation, a man in the crowd was seen interacting with a Lazada ad, breaking the fourth wall. 

Related articles:  
This shocking 'wedding-cheating' drama is actually a Lazada ad 
Lazada CMO comes forward on the mysterious OOH ads which took Singaporean commuters by surprise  
Interview: Lazada's CMO on the haunted CCTV footage that was actually an ad