Results and Effectiveness

Website traffic to visitsingapore.com/publish/weekend/en/weekends/splash experienced a surge during the campaign, reaching a new record high in page views of 1,600 and exceeding goals by 60%. Malaysian visitor arrivals for November and December registered 16.5% and 22.2% growth versus 2007, respectively, despite overall visitor arrivals to Singapore showing declines of 6-10%. The average number of days Malaysians spent in Singapore on their vacations during November and December also showed double-digit increases of 16.5% and 33.3%, respectively*. (*source: Tourism Focus 2008, Singapore Tourism Board)

Creative Execution

Leveraging the insight that DJ chatter is a WOM tool similar to a conversation with friends, STB partnered with MYFM Breakfast, a popular Chinese radio show in Malaysia. Using the show’s three DJ friends – Ah Beng, Ah Lian and Ah Boon, a trio notorious for their candid and quirky way of storytelling – we created a ten-episode “MYFM Breakfast Gossip Tour” radio drama within the show. In each episode, the Ah Lian and Ah Boon characters related their ongoing holiday experiences in Singapore. Ah Lian would play down Singapore, while Ah Boon acted as the counter point, relating back all of his wonderful experiences, the city attractions and things to do in Singapore. Trivia related to the drama’s storyline was used to create a contest where listeners could call in to answer simple questions to win a trip to Singapore with their “friends", Ah Lian and Ah Boon.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Singapore’s “business hub” reputation overshadows its attraction as a tourist spot for Malaysians, it’s rarely seen as a holiday destination. November and December are peak months for tourism in Singapore. STB was gearing up for “Christmas-in-the-Tropics”, a six-week collection of events designed to bring tourists to Singapore over the holidays. Targeted at Malaysian Chinese, efforts needed to increase Malaysian tourist numbers and drive a minimum of 1,000 page views over the campaign timeframe to a site with average monthly page view levels of 300-400. Travel is a popular conversation topic between Malaysian friends; they love to share tales of where they’ve been and plans for where they’re going. When it comes to making vacation decisions, friends’ experiences are the strongest recommendation. In Malaysia, radio DJ personalities carry a mass of loyal followers. For many consumers, their morning dose of talk radio is akin to a friendly chat.