STB creates four-part web series to keep engagement with India market

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In a bid to engage with consumers from India, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has partnered with India’s event ticketing brand BookMyShow, to give users a glimpse of the iconic culture and beauty of Singapore.

The initiative brings together talents from both India and Singapore through a four-part web series which was released exclusively on the streaming platform BookMyShow Online. A true reflection of the initiative’s tagline “Where passions meet”, the web series celebrates creativity across various art forms, including film-making, music, food and comedy through interesting, candid conversation between renowned artists across India and Singapore. The initiative is also part of STB’s latest consumer engagement experience “My Singapore Connect”.

This partnership between STB and BookMyShow leverages the ever-growing virtual medium, keeping audiences engaged and entertained in these extraordinary times. While entertaining audiences with lesser known facts about the artists from both countries, the videos also showcase the different locations in Singapore and the affinity between the artists, thus furthering the initiative’s underlying theme of “My Singapore Connect - where passions meet”.

Each episode of the web series is headlined by an Indian artist in an engaging interaction and conversation with their Singaporean counterpart, giving consumers an opportunity to join them as they share stories of their passion for their respective crafts. The line-up includes MasterChef India judge chef Ranveer Brar partner with MasterChef Singapore judge chef Bjorn Shen, who will share their culinary pursuits, passion for food and what keeps them busy when they are not cooking. Meanwhile, Zoya Akhtar, director-producer of “Gully Boy” and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” and Boo Junfeng, a Singapore film director will share how they unwind after a hectic filming schedule, why food plays a prominent role in deciding a shoot location, and what first excited them to pursue filmmaking.

Additionally, Singapore’s home-grown DJ and music producer Manfred Lim (Myrne) and Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad, will perform their popular music sets and chat about how they keep their fans engaged during this pandemic and the urge to perform live once again. Indian comedian Varun Thakur, and Singapore female stand-up comedian Sharul Channa will also reminisce the time they met in Mumbai, upcoming gigs they are planning and test each other on who can remember the most number of shopping brands at Changi airport.

Speaking about this initiative, GB Srithar, regional director, India, Middle East and South Asia (IMESA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said: “India and Singapore share many cultural similarities and we want to use this opportunity to further highlight and strengthen the emotional connect between both countries. We are delighted to bring together these virtual experiences and continue reaching out to people of common passions.”

Srithar added that STB’s association with BookMyShow reaffirms its commitment to innovatively engage with its consumers by bringing together renowned artistes from both countries to collaborate and deliver engaging, entertaining content. “We hope that the ‘My Singapore Connect’ videos will delight the viewers and inspire visits to Singapore, when the time is right,” he added.

With India being one of the countries which saw a high rate of visitors, it is no wonder STB wants to remain engaged with consumers in the India market. Last year, India saw 1.4 million visitors entering Singapore. This puts the country as the third highest visitor-generating market for Singapore, after mainland China which saw 3.6 million visitors, and Indonesia which saw 3.1 million visitors.

Marzdi Kalianiwala, head of marketing and business intelligence, BookMyShow said the partnership with STB was “a natural fit”, given BookMyShow’s capabilities of data analytics, customer insights and an entertainment-loving user base of millions of consumers and STB’s rich and deep understanding of the cultural ethos of Singapore as one of the most loved global travel destinations.

“India and Singapore have a shared culture with love and enthusiasm for all out-of-home experiences. We are excited to extend this unique experience to and offer our consumers, an opportunity to be a part of enriching conversations amongst renowned artists across cinema, music, comedy and food through the virtual experience of the ‘My Singapore Connect’ initiative,” he added.

Earlier in June, STB also partnered Indian restaurant aggregator and food delivery start-up app Zomato to launch a series of cross-country content. Titled “Zomaland@home”, the initiative featured artistes from both India and Singapore showcasing their talents and passions across food, music, and standup comedy. This association featured a total of seven Singaporean artistes such as rapper and singer Yung Raja, chefs Sarah Huang Benjamin and Eric Chan, mixologist Vijay Mudaliar, stand-up artistes Rishi Budhrani and Sharul Channa, DJ Luq Here along with Indian chef Saransh Goila who has previously worked with Singapore Tourism Board on multiple projects.

The initiative was launched amidst the travel and social distancing restrictions earlier this year. STB's Srithar said in a press release then: “Although travel restrictions are still in place, this is an important time for STB to drive higher consumer engagement than ever before. After a successful partnership with Zomato in 2019, we are thrilled to embark on this innovative joint digital initiative to showcase Singapore’s culinary, nightlife, entertainment offerings to Singapore Tourism Board."

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