NDP roundup: How are SG brands and agencies flexing their creative muscles?

With National Day around the corner, firms in Singapore are starting to flex their patriotic muscles. Over the past week, we have seen a slew of campaigns come through in the newsroom, and a quick stroll in any mall in Singapore will see stores proudly displaying their in-store promotional collaterals.

Hoping to encourage Singaporeans to unite amidst the uncertainty ahead, this year the Singapore government has come up with the theme, “Stronger Together, Majulah!”. According to the NDP’s website, “Stronger Together” reminds Singaporeans that unity amidst our diversity is what makes us stronger. “Majulah” (onward), encapsulates Singapore’s hopes and spirit as a nation since our independence 57 years ago and is a rallying call for Singaporeans to strive for a better future and grow from strength to strength as we emerge from COVID-19.

Here’s a roundup of how brands and agencies have put their own rendition to the theme through the advertising.

DDB Group Singapore
As part of the sixth iteration of its annual upcycling project, the LampPost Project, DDB Group Singapore (DDB) has released a limited-edition reusable book bag that sells for SG$28 a piece. Each book bag is sewn by underprivileged Singaporeans from Sembawang Family Service Center's SOWERS Project (SFSC) using recycled National Day 2021 banners and flags. Through this project, SFSC seeks to empower individuals from underprivileged backgrounds by equipping them with skills and a means of earning supplementary income. Profits from the sale of the bags will be donated to the National Library Board’s (NLB) kidsREAD programme, a nationwide reading programme designed to foster a love of reading in children from less privileged families, ages four to eight.

GERMS
Digital agency GERMS has launched an NFT initiative for this year's National Day titled “We Are SG” (WASG), which utilises 9,822 NFT artwork collections for Singaporeans. On launch day, Singaporeans will be able to mint this NFT for free. GERMS said that the WASG initiative seeks to be accessible and pertinent to all Singaporeans, with NFT art that reflects common people and cultural features recognisable to them. The NFT artworks will be revealed when they are minted on the launch day, 9th August via WeAreSG.io. In addition, each distinctly Singaporean trait is created as a layer, and the 9,822 artworks will be generated from a myriad combination of these layers. GERMS claims that the WASG community will allow brands to deepen their connections and target new audiences beyond their traditional marketing channels. Businesses will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and enrichment courses, receive selected merchandise, and host limited product drops.

GERMS has also produced a series of simple step-by-step tutorials on the WASG website to assist first-time NFT owners in creating a wallet and minting their first-ever NFT in an effort to educate Singaporeans about NFTs. There will be 12 rare NFTs with one-on-one features among the 9,822.

Google Pay
Google Pay has launched a special in-app game titled “Lion City Cake” that runs from 1 August to 14 August. The game aims to make digital payments more rewarding and fun for Singaporeans this National Day, according to Google Pay. Building on Google Pay’s popular social game, “Huat pals”, this seasonal mini-game allows users to win a cashback reward of up to SG$57 and other special merchant vouchers by simply completing three eligible transactions in the app. Users can access the Lion City Cake game from the homepage of the app where they can help an otter family decorate a special birthday cake inspired by Singapore’s 57th birthday.

In completing various different transactions and actions, users can decorate each layer of the cake with icons synonymous with Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands, Changi Airport and the Dragon Playground.  Alongside the mini-game, Google Pay has also introduced a quiz feature, where customers may answer a quick question about Singapore each day. By partaking in the quiz and answering at least three out of five questions correctly, players will be rewarded with one additional voucher.

POSB DBS Bank
As part of the DBS PayLah! effort to honour and support hawkers, DBS has made its own rendition of the classic "Rasa Sayang" song. The song titled "Food is Power" is performed by “The Hawker Sayangs”, DBS' in-house hawker choir. The film, which was shot at a hawker centre, depicts locals' regular interactions with hawkers via lighthearted and comical lyrics. "I miss her shouting my order - KOPI C SIEW SIEW DAI PENG" and "I might not be her only sayang, but I love her Nasi Padang anyway" are a few of instances of the lyrics that have been utilised. Despite long-standing support for hawker culture on the part of DBS PayLah!, this is the first time a choir has been put together by DBS to sing a song for a campaign. The film, which was created in collaboration with The Secret Little Agency (TSLA), will be distributed on social media, in theatres, online, and in out-of-home media.

Porsche
Porsche and rising local DJ and producer MYRNE is reimagining National Day classic, “Home” using sounds from a Porsche Taycan. The sounds were sampled from the natural tones and sounds from a Porsche, comprising from thudding close of doors, the winding of seatbelts, and the quiet hum of the electric motor that crescendos into an electrifying crescendo during sporty acceleration. Through the collaboration with Porsche, MYRNE wanted to take common and unnoticed sounds like the sounds cars make in everyday operation, and turn them into something special, according to MYRNE. In this instance, MYRNE showcased the potential musicality of a Porsche by creating an unexpected listening experience in celebration of the upcoming National Day. Through the collaboration with Porsche, MYRNE sought to transform natural tones and sounds, such as those produced by running vehicles into something exceptional. In this instance, MYRNE celebrated the upcoming National Day by producing an unusual audio experience to highlight the potential musicality of a Porsche.

Singtel
Singtel launched its annual National Day film titled “The Making of a 5G Nation” and pushed the spotlight on its unsung heros who work tirelessly to make the National Day Parade a reality.  The film conveys how Singtel's telecommunications infrastructure and engineering know-how have been essential to the National Day Parade's staging since the 1960s, from the early days of 3G to today's fully 5G nation. The film also highlights the many Singtel stakeholders and employees who have contributed to the advancement of the nation as well as their involvement in the National Day Parade. This is the first time the brand has highlighted its planners and engineers, the unsung heroes that silently toil behind the scenes, year after year, to put on one of the most anticipated events in the national calendar.

Stellar Ace
Stellar Ace has unveiled their latest virtual influencer, the WINKmets which features Cashie Greeny, Shopper Pinky, Chef Reddy, and Gamer Bluey. These avatars will be featured across the island in Stellar Ace’s Home, Travel, Eat, Shop, Play (HTESP) consumer daily touchpoint ecosystem. Each WINKmet carries a unique DNA filled with its own personalities to “seamlessly interact well with anyone in Singapore”, according to Stellar Ace. They will also be “discovering and sharing trends in finance, retail, food, technology, gaming and more”. These influencers will share their personality and stories with unique artificial intelligence voices modelled after SMRT staff that had been identified through an internal voice search campaign in June 2022.

TEAM LEWIS
Global marketing agency, TEAM LEWIS, has also recently launched an interactive microsite to celebrate the little and interesting vignettes of everyday moments that make locals uniquely Singapore. Titled “The Singapore Pattern” (Good Morning Edition), the microsite features live polls that seek to uncover what the quintessential morning routine looks like for the average Singaporean. With more people commuting back to the office, TeamLewis aims to highlight these localises experiences to address “Singaporeans’ innate curiosity by allowing them to kaypoh how their preferences differ from their peers” and encourage them to “express their Singaporeans spirit by sharing personas inspired by local culture” on their social media platforms.

Tribal Worldwide Singapore
Tribal Worldwide Singapore has collaborated with 2022’s National Day Parade Commander Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Fu to launch a nationwide TikTok challenge. Launched as a tribute to Singapore’s much-loved ‘Parade and Ceremony’ segments of the NDP, the challenge requires locals to piece together a ‘jumbled up’ NDP command by commenting in the video with the right sequence. According to Tribal Worldwide, the broader goal of the initiative is to generate interest in the NDP amongst a new generation of youths by introducing little-known NDP commands to the public in a fun and engaging way. The longest and most complex command, the ‘march off’ command was introduced by LTC Desmond Fu in this unique challenge.