ShopBack reignites 'Uptown at Farrer' convo with cheeky twist

ShopBack has unveiled an ad in response to the much-discussed condominium ad "Uptown at Farrer" that made headlines recently. Kickstarting ShopBack's annual shopping festival "ShopFest, at ShopBack", the ad featured the same couple, only this time with their roles reversed. Instead of the male actor narrating, the female is now placed in the spotlight. In a cheeky twist, the ad also reiterates the words "ShopFest at ShopBack" instead of "Uptown at Farrer". 

In a statement to Marketing, Imran Mohamad, head of marketing, ShopBack Singapore, said the ad will be available across ShopBack’s social channels: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. It will also be replayed on ShopBack's "9.9 Magical Livestream" event on Facebook on 8 September. Imran added that it will be using in-app pushes, EDMs, and social media to promote the ad. It will also be partnering KOLs and media partners to further push the ad.

The ShopBack marketing team collaborated with content creator Benjamin Gerard Jose Byrne, also known as "The Smiling Afro", to produce this advertisement. Everything from conceptualisation to production was completed in under two weeks, Imran added.

According to him, the team at ShopBack "loved the refreshing originality" of the "Uptown at Farrer" ad, and saw an opportunity to add its own creative spin by showcasing the female voice as an equal partner to her husband. This comes as the original video received polarising responses, where some viewers thought it did not represent a balanced-portrayal of family gender roles.

ShopBack's ad also flashes the phrase "Better Together" throughout, which Imran said is the theme of this year's ShopFest. "We believe it should not be husband versus wife, or brand versus customer, as we are all #BetterTogether. This is especially important today with the impact of the pandemic, when consumers are looking to save more money and brands need help to drive sales," he said. With the ad, Imran said the company looks to educate and welcome new users to use ShopBack. It also hopes that users will make ShopBack the first stop of their online shopping journey during the year-end shopping season.

ShopBack's campaign stretches over four months, starting September, to unify and connect the key end-of-year shopping events, such as  9.9, 11.11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. According to the company, there are currently 1.5 million ShopBack users in Singapore, who will be able to enjoy exclusive deals and earn cashback from both online and offline retailers during ShopFest.

Last month, ShopBack launched its website and mobile app in Vietnam as it launches its 8.8 launch campaign. It claims to have a roster of over 150 merchants, including international and regional brands such as Lazada, Shopee, Watsons, and Booking.com, as well as local brands like Tiki, Sendo, Juno, G Kitchen, Vascara, and Fahasa. ShopBack Vietnam was launched in beta at the end of 2019, and since then has acquired around 800,000 users. 

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