Ultraman to take SIA and head to Mandai Wildlife Group soon

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Japan production house Tsuburaya, which owns the copyright to Ultraman, have expanded their partnership to include tourism industry partners in Singapore. According to a STB Japan's release seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the upcoming Reimagine Ultraman initiatives will see the Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Mandai Wildlife Group join the foray as well. 

With SIA, the campaign will feature flight deals and Wi-Fi promotions, as well as Ultraman-themed meals on board. Ultraman works will also be available in the airline's in-flight entertainment system. The flights will also include Ultraman-themed tourist pamphlets for passengers. 

Meanwhile, Mandai Wildlife Group will transform its Safari Restaurant into an Ultraman-themed eatery, with a themed menu to boot. Mandai will also create Ultraman-themed tour experiences for fans to enjoy. 

Additionally, STB and Tsuburaya also created key visuals that will be used to market the campaign and its initiatives. 

In response to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a STB spokesperson said that it is unable to provide further details as these initiatives are still in the works. However, Markus Tan, regional director, North Asia, STB told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the first tourism video has amassed over 1.6 million views to date, and confirmed that STB is working with the Night Safari, SIA and other Singapore industry partners to develop Ultraman thematic experiences and products.

STB first embarked on its partnership with Tsuburaya to launch the campaign "Reimagine Ultraman" last year to mark 55 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan. This also coincided with the 55^th anniversary of the iconic Japanese character. Earlier this month, Ultraman was found once again battling monsters, also known as kaijus, at Changi Airport and Sentosa, before converging in front of the Merlion statue in downtown Singapore for a final battle. During the battle, the Merlion transforms into the Merliger and takes on the kaijus together with Ultraman. That part of the new tourism video was an extension of the one released earlier which showed Ultraman battling a kaiju at Gardens By the Bay. Tan said then that the brakes had to be slammed on the SingapoReimagine Ultraman campaign due to the pandemic, but more would be done this year. 

Separately, a local Singapore artist claimed that the Merliger looked bode strong similarity to the characters of his 1993 graphic novel The Myth Of The Stone. In another Facebook post on 15 April, Gwee shared that STB has reached out to him to  have a "cordial" conversation to "best understand each other's perspective". Gwee also clarified that he has not filed any lawsuit, but simply wishes for his work to be acknowledged. "I am not demanding, and have never demanded, for anything. I just wish there is, as this case shows again, some acknowledgement of what Singaporean artists/writers have done by ourselves," he said.

Netizens were split as to whether STB should bear any responsibility at all. Some sided with Gwee, adding that STB should at least state that it got the inspiration from Gwee's artwork, while several debated that, since there is no visual resemblance between the two Merlion artworks, STB bears no fault as it did not copy Gwee's artwork. Nonetheless, industry professionals MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to agreed that STB had no blame, and praised the agency for its handling of the accusations. 

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