CHATBOOKS

Short List
TitleCHATBOOKS
BrandSINGAPORE BOOK COUNCIL
Product / Service#BUYSINGLIT 2018 (BUY SINGAPORE LITERATURE MOVEMENT)
CategoryB03. Social for Mobile
EntrantDDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Idea Creation DDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Media Placement DDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Production DDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Chris Chiu DDB Group Singapore Group Chief Creative Officer
Melvin Kuek DDB Group Singapore Deputy CEO, DDB Group Asia
Dunstan Lee DDB Singapore Creative Group Head
Karine Tan DDB Singapore Senior Art Director
Chong Jenn Perng DDB Singapore Art Director
Tay Aik Tiao DDB Singapore Copywriter
Drishti Khemani DDB Singapore Art Director
Alvan Poa DDB Singapore Senior Account Executive
Amanda Tan DDB Singapore Producer
Claire Ang Freelance Video Editor
Ng Mei Kit DDB Singapore Project Director
Neo Chun Guan DDB Singapore Digital Catalyst/Exp Planner

The Campaign

We decided to leverage the power of social media and technology to put the spotlight back on local literature. Combining a chatbot and local literature, we created "Chatbooks" – a chatbot that immerses users right into the heart of our stories. We turned book synopses into bite-sized dialogues, and then built these into our chatbot, creating a first-of-its-kind book preview experience. "Chatbooks" made readers feel like the authors were "chatting" with them, making it an intimate interaction that left an impression.

Creative Execution

We first invited selected local authors to turn their book synopses into bite-sized dialogues, complete with audio and visual elements to enhance the experience. This took close to 2 months. These dialogues were then built into a chatbot – which was rigorously tested and refined within a month. The authors themselves were heavily involved in the trial stage, to ensure that the pace and delivery of the chat dialogues evoked the emotions they wanted. Before the launch of "Chatbooks", we invited the media to try out the experience, so that they could help spread the word. This publicity was then enhanced with Facebook ad buys precisely targeting people who were searching for new reads and with an interest in reading.

"Chatbooks" got people talking even before it was launched. It was featured on First Look Asia, a talkshow on Channel NewsAsia that reaches over 58 million households across over 28 territories in Asia. "Chatbooks" was also specially mentioned in two main national broadsheets, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao, and also several other lifestyle publications. As a result of "Chatbooks", local authors and literature got the spotlight they deserved. The campaign also changed their perception that local books were boring, irrelevant and incomparable to international books.

Our strategy was to compete with the Goliaths through innovation. We re-thought the way book synopses were presented and put a twist on it. And also got users right into the heart of each featured story once they launched the experience. As for our media strategy, we wanted to reach our target audience – busy working professionals – through a media space that's right by their side almost 24/7. Our idea was eventually easily accessible through the mobile phones of millions of people.

Links

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