The Campaign

Our key insight came from understanding what millennials fear more than the unknown – the fear of missing out (FOMO). If we could spark a massive feeling of FOMO around Halloween Horror Nights 7, we could woo them back to our event. We looked deeper at Singaporean millennial habits and cultural nuances to identify key opportunities that would inform strategy: 1. Capitalize on the rich culture of superstition - Chinese culture is rich in superstitious beliefs. Being a predominantly Chinese nation, some of these permeate across races in Singapore, known even amongst non-Chinese ethnicities. 2. Use an outdoor experience that drove talkability - Millennials in Singapore spend more time outdoors and are perpetually on their mobile phones. They embrace live experiences and social recommendations from their peers. 3. Leverage music / radio - Music is an integral part of Singaporean lifestyle, with 6 in 10 Singaporeans listening to music daily

Creative Execution

FEEL FEAR. Campaign launched on the first day of the 7th lunar calendar month (Hungry Ghost festival), capitalizing on the prevailing spooky sentiment Singaporeans have during this period, believing it to be a time more likely to see ghosts. SEE FEAR. Further leveraging the Hungry Ghost Festival, bus shelter “memorial walls” commemorating a fictitious mall collapse (one of the event’s attractions) were built at youth hang-outs. Content about these were seeded via content sites, celebrities and influencers to drive WOM, even earning coverage from local and regional publications that spread excitement for our event further. HEAR FEAR. Listeners of Singapore millennial’s largest radio station, Spotify, were treated to a horrifying surprise when we debuted 3D audio ads in-market, terrifying in surround sound. These were supported by an interactive homepage takeover; and, a bespoke playlist analyser / generator that customized playlists based on which ‘deadlier sin’ best matched a listener’s profile.

Our use of media to evoke fear and FOMO in millennials was a huge success! 1. More people knew about Halloween Horror Nights – 77% of our target audience recalled having been exposed to campaign messaging,a 26% increase against benchmarks from past Halloween Horror Nights campaigns 2. More people were interested in the event – 27% more searches on Google for Halloween Horror Nights than the same period in previous years 3. More people talked about the event – The bus shelter memorial walls effectively captured public, even earning coverage from mainstream media – The Straits Times, Yahoo Singapore,The Independent,Marketing Magazine,Coconuts Singapore – delivering more than 30,000 shares and engagements on social media 4. More people engaged with Halloween Horror Nights – introduced 3 market-first ad formats with Spotify,delivering best-in-class performance with CTRs that were 6x better than benchmarks. More than 5,000 custom playlists were also generated from the execution

To restore anticipation and ticket sales for the 7th instalment of Universal Studios Singapore’s marquee event, Halloween Horror Nights, we developed a media strategy that : 1. Captured attention from distracted millennials by creating fame around landmark creative executions in the spaces of digital media and out-of-home 2. Leveraged multiple media touchpoints to create a unique sensorial brand experience that surrounded these elusive millennials throughout their days and across screens The campaign resulted in more interest, more searches, more online sign ups, more online ROI, and ultimately more screams for the Halloween Horror Nights franchise in Singapore.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

To create this sense of FOMO, we would give Singaporean millennials a curiosity driving taste of the fear lying in wait for them at Halloween Horror Nights 7. We would do this through a through a multi-sensorial media strategy that engaged millennials throughout their day, leveraging media consumption and culture insights for maximum effect: 1. FEEL FEAR – take advantage of the culture of superstition to evoke innate feelings of fear 2. SEE FEAR – create a visual spectacle outdoors to capture audience attention when they are out and about, and get them talking about it with their peers 3. HEAR FEAR – innovate in the space of sound to deliver a unique spine-tingling experience that aligned with a core passion point This 3-pronged strategy was designed to drive conversation and cement Halloween Horror Nights 7 as THE Halloween event not to be missed in Singapore.