Scoot's sentiments soar after PM Wong flies airline from Laos to Singapore

Local budget airline Scoot has seen its sentiments soar to 89.1% positive and 2.5% negative after Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong took the airline as he travelled from Laos to Singapore recently. 

In a video, which was originally posted by a CNA journalist, Wong boards the carrier and smiles and waves at the crowd of Singaporean elderly travelers who were on a tour in Laos. He then takes a seat in the aisle at the front of the plane. 

Many netizens praised the Wong’s actions, commenting that he is approachable and down-to-earth, and that the flight experience felt "like home" for him.

Others have praised the move as a sign of humility and willingness to connect with ordinary people, said CARMA. 

Don't miss: These families were reunited by Scoot as part of its new heartwarming travel campaign

According to CARMA, Scoot's word cloud also saw words such as 'Wong', 'homecoming', 'Laos', and 'cheer' dominating. 

Media monitoring company Truescope Singapore added that mentions of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong peaked on 12 Oct driven by chatter of him boarding one of Scoot’s commercial flights after attending the ASEAN Summit.

PM Wong’s action was met with mostly positive reactions, not just from his fellow passengers but also netizens on social media. Similarly, Scoot's mentions spiked on 12 October after the news broke that PM Wong boarded one of their commercial flights.

His decision to fly with Scoot drew attention from Singaporeans, with neutral mentions speculating the rationale behind the decision, along with jokes about the plane’s security and condition, and some expressing support and amusement.

Positive mentions humourously noted that the airline had gained prestige, with some associating Scoot as a reliable airline providing good service at a reasonable price.

PM Wong later took to Facebook to share a video of passengers on the Scoot flight waving into a camera. 

"Back from Laos. Felt like home, once I got on the plane! Thanks everyone for the warm reception," he wrote in the caption of the video.

PM Wong took office on 15 May 2024. "I am honoured to be asked to undertake this new responsibility as the Prime Minister of Singapore," said Wong in a LinkedIn post after the appointment.  "I accept this responsibility with humility and a deep sense of duty. I pledge to give you my all in this undertaking," he wrote, adding that together, we can build a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans. 

This was a monumental change for Singapore particularly because Prime Minister Lee has been the face and voice of the country for 20 years now. He has been key in Singapore's nation branding which is described by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) as a country’s strategy to convey a particular image of itself beyond its borders to achieve certain beneficial goals. 

Branding a country is not a simple task and what is communicated – consciously or unconsciously – is as important as the target audiences’ broader perceptions of a country, according to WIPO. As such, with what is imminent for DPM Wong at the moment is how to best craft his reputation and public image, according to Shufen Goh, principal and co-founder of R3 earlier this year. 

When a politician’s credibility is so closely tied to their public image, every choice he makes, whether it’s a speech, a post or a video, will be closely scrutinised.

To do so, Wong has been active on social media platforms to reach the country and the world where they are - online. "The act of using social media seems to indicate an openness and transparency of communication that previous generations of politicians were not expected to embrace," explained Goh at the time. "Unlike Prime Minister Lee who had to pioneer the use of social media while in office, Wong is considered a digital native so the expectation is that he will be savvier in engaging citizens across the digital spectrum, with less tolerance for any missteps," she said.

Wong currently uses social media to connect more personally with his audience, engaging with viral trends and encouraging engagement through stunts such as TikTok duets. For example, when he announced the Budget this year, he used a mix of educational and entertaining online content. He walked in slow motion to the Parliament House to deliver the budget, set to a trending sound and shared that on all his social channels, from TikTok to YouTube and LinkedIn.

"It seemed like a step in the right direction to be able to engage audiences so thoroughly with one piece of content. What’s interesting is he doesn’t adjust his content very much despite reaching very different audiences on each platform – perhaps a calculated choice to come across as more authentic," added Goh.

He uses a soft-power approach to bring awareness and legibility to government initiatives, while maintaining a personable, approachable persona. 

Saying that, in his branding on social media, Wong cannot just box his posts to just focus on trends on the more popular channels such as TikTok and Instagram. Which is why he is also now leveraging LinkedIn to disseminate key information. 

"Politicians’ shift to LinkedIn ensures they do not over-index on a young audience, promoting awareness from professionals and business communities on the platform," explained Goh. 

Adding to her point, Paul Soon, CEO of MullenLowe Singapore and Shanghai noted that using a variety of social platforms is the "surest" way to reach a larger audience and establish a greater influence on the narrative the politicians want to shape regardless of the topic.

"Even MNC CEOs want to know more about Singapore's leaders as human beings instead of just more marketing messages. LinkedIn has broader impact beyond the intended use. It’s a great way to mix business with pleasure," he said at the time. 

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