Brief Explanation

SingTel was losing touch with everyday Singaporeans, and the key measure of brand and business health – Brand Consideration – was falling dramatically. We had to radically alter the role of SingTel, from a “big brother” corporation to one that would contribute to the grassroots traditions of Singapore. We had to identify a passion that all Singaporeans could rally behind, around which SingTel could create a positive national conversation. That passion was Singaporean Hawker Food, street food that was under threat from the forces of modernisation and globalisation that SingTel was driving. Our strategy was for SingTel to use its media, technology and global clout to create branded content to showcase the pride all Singaporeans felt for Hawker food. The idea was Hawker Heroes, a program whereby Singaporeans could vote for their favourite Hawker stall owner via integrated digital and mobile experiences. We then challenged the world’s most famous chef Gordon Ramsay to visit Singapore and see if he could cook these dishes better than our Hawkers. The grassroots and digital event culminated in a cook-off between Gordon and Singapore’s Hawker Heroes that had the country captivated. The digital and social conversation that SingTel created through integrated digital and physical media brought out the passions and pride of all Singaporeans. Record numbers of people participated in the campaign, increasing SingTel’s Brand Consideration by 48%. The Hawker Heroes campaign was entered into the official Singapore National archive, to commemorate “an event of national and cultural significance”, a first for any marketing campaign.