Singtel salutes the Majulah spirit with National Day film

Telecommunications company Singtel has launched its annual National Day film tribute titled “This is the year” to celebrate the Singapore spirit of tenacity and perseverance amidst COVID-19. The film pays tribute to the unwavering Majulah spirit that propels Singaporeans through the storm to emerge stronger.

The two-minute photo montage begins as a tender survey of the Singapore landscape when the new normal kicked in. It moves starkly from one empty public space to another, from playgrounds to hawker centres to void decks and the prospect of having to forego much-loved annual events such as the F1 and the National Day parade.

The film features photos by eminent photographers Chia Aik Beng, Nicky Loh and Tay Kay Chin as well as from members of the public. Conceptualised in-house, produced in collaboration with Akanga Film Asia and narrated by veteran actor Lim Kay Tong, the video will air on Singtel TV and hosted on various social media channels starting today.

Chua Sock Koong, Singtel’s group CEO said the coming together of Singaporeans as a community, their discipline as a nation, and their fortitude and quiet determination to get through this and get on with life has become even more pronounced as National Day approaches. “We may be celebrating in a more muted way this year without the usual fanfare, but our national pride and core values are still the same, the Singapore spirit is stronger than ever, and we want to celebrate that,” Chua added.

Lian Pek, vice president of group strategic communications and brand at Singtel, said the film captured the dislocation and sense of displacement by starting off as a reflection on the things Singaporeans had to give up this year to an invitation to see the good that came out of the crisis. “Despite the restrictions on movement, disruptions to daily life, and cancelled events, the closing photos in the film show that Singaporeans have gained even more important things in return,” she added.

Separately, its digital product GOMO recently detached its branding from the parent company through its own social persona. The brand targeted at Millennials created its own social media page on Facebook and Instagram, to split and differentiate the content from the parent company. GOMO was launched last year and had its own characters called "Zenmo", "Nomnomo", "Showmo" and "Globo" to push values Millennials could resonate with.

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