LESS SUGAR, MORE FLAVOUR

TitleLESS SUGAR, MORE FLAVOUR
BrandHEALTH PROMOTION BOARD, SINGAPORE
Product / ServiceN/A
CategoryF01. Consumer Products
EntrantPUBLICIS SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Idea Creation PUBLICIS SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Production PRODIGIOUS SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Fajar Kurnia Publicis Singapore Executive Creative Director
Jeremy Chia Publicis Singapore Executive Creative Director
Pei Ling Ho Publicis Singapore Creative Director
Jia Ying Goh Publicis Singapore Creative Director
Ashok Narandran Publicis Singapore Senior Copywriter
Isaac Tan Publicis Singapore Senior Copywriter
Nandini Trivedi Publicis Singapore Senior Copywriter
Williem Siddik Publicis Singapore Art Director
Cas Tse Publicis Singapore Art Director
Eugene Ng Publicis Singapore Copywriter
Dawn Koh Publicis Singapore Art Director
Eva Chin Publicis Singapore Art Director
Amanda Wu Publicis Singapore Operations Management Lead
LeeAnn Chen Publicis Singapore Planner
Joanne Theseira Publicis Singapore Managing Director
Joyce Wong Publicis Singapore Group Account Director
Cherie Tan Publicis Singapore Senior Account Director
Melissa Tee Publicis Singapore Account Manager
Hannah Woo Publicis Singapore Senior Account Executive
Jiaqi Chua Publicis Singapore Account Executive
Joanna Lee Prodigious Singapore Print Producer
Rebecca Toh Amanacliq Singapore Pte Ltd Photographer
Trudi Koh Amanacliq Singapore Pte Ltd Executive Producer
Mick Chuah Amanacliq Singapore Pte Ltd Digital imaging
Health Promotion Board Health Promotion Board Flavorist

The Campaign

Singaporeans pile on sugar because they think sugar adds more flavour to their food. Scientific research proves otherwise: in fact, sugar blocks the tastebuds, preventing us from tasting a broad spectrum of flavours essential to an authentic multi-dimensional experience. That’s why anything labelled with the HCS symbol is a flawed product. THE IDEA: Less Sugar, More Flavour! The biggest taste-test ever launched in Singapore to prove that drinks don’t need to be high in sugar to taste good. Tapping into the Singaporean decades-long love affair with the local drink culture, we identified over 20 flavours important to the Singapore taste experience and experimented with local ingredients and healthier choice beverages to create a new wave of visually-arresting, unexpectedly flavourful lower-sugar drinks. These are sampled at Ah Heng Drink Stall, the nation’s first lower-sugar popup, to show Singaporeans what they are really missing out with too much sugar: rich, authentic flavours.

Creative Execution

Working with flavourists and mixologists, we evaluated a multitude of flavours and aromas that are important to the Singaporean taste experience. Beyond the five basic tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, sour, savoury - we further identified a spectrum of over 20 sensorials such as mouthfeel, grassiness, astringency, spices, textures and densities. Using this flavour wheel of values, we paired key flavours, local ingredients such as pomegranate and chai and available healthier-choice beverages to concoct 8 multi-dimensional flavourful lower-sugar drink creations, each with a standout flavour profile that also counteracted the craving for excessive sweetness. Presentation and visual appeal are also elements in the final iteration, to appeal to a social generation. The activation is accompanied by recipe cards to recreate them at home. Over the activation period, 80,000 drinks were sampled nationwide corresponding with equivalent uplift in sales of HCS products in shelves.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Not only was “Less Sugar More Flavour” the most successful sugar-education campaign in 10 years, it was the first to demonstrate a clear shift in consumer preference and purchasing behavior. At campaign end, we recorded sharp increases in awareness, consideration, and actual purchase compared to past campaigns. 83% of the Singapore population are motivated to purchase Healthier Choice drinks, with 80% finding the campaign relevant to their lifestyles and providing new information. In stores, our partners reported +31% increase in lower-sugar beverage purchase, with 79% all-time-high engagement with consumers, evidenced in a +42% increase in social and content sharing compared to past campaigns. All by simply shifting the focus to what really mattered, and a taste of what Singaporeans are really missing out on - Flavour!