Why is this work relevant for Social & Influencer?

COVID-19 saw the rise in the use of TikTok globally. And in early 2021, TikTok was seen as a platform that celebrated the creativity through challenges and trends anchored upon music. At that time, brands were just only getting started on the platform. SGAG worked with Singapore Tourism Board to bring the Singapoliday travel product to younger Singaporeans on TikTok through a soundtrack and local travel inspiration to stay, play and explore Singapore during a time where domestic travel really needed a boost. This is how one song made the wander-last for millions on social.

Background

2021 was the year that was meant to be a ‘new normal’. But one thing that stood in the way of anything normal was the continued global lockdown on traveling. For Singapore, a tourism hub, low-to-no tourists meant low-to-no business. The only way to boost tourism here was to rely on Singapore’s biggest critics – Singaporeans. ‘Singapore is so boring’, ‘Nothing to do’, These statements were common and part of a larger negative sentiment expressed online by Singaporeans on domestic travel. As part of the SingapoRediscovers campaign, Singapolidays – a play on Singapore-Holiday – was launched as a travel bundle product aimed at helping locals stay, play and explore Singapore and spend the $100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers given by the government to support tourism businesses. SGAG, one of Singapore’s top entertainment social media accounts, was enlisted to inspire local travel and raise awareness to redeem vouchers for Singapolidays amonst younger Singaporeans.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

It’s not a holiday, it’s a Singapoliday – unashamed and unapologetic, SGAG set out to reframe the expectations that Singaporeans had by telling them to not have any. And to simply take a break with a Singapoliday. Partnering with Hepmil Creator’s Network (HCN), a TikTok-led influencer network, we co-created a soundtrack that was meant to be the holiday hit we needed for TikTok, a sound-on platform. “Now Try Me” was a song penned from Singapoliday’s perspective, agreeing with Singaporeans that Singapoliday was anything but a holiday but a well-needed break from COVID life. Armed with a catchy chorus, SGAG and HCN brought on 5 TikTok creators and launched a Hashtag Challenge where over 170 organic submissions were garnered in 2 weeks and more than 2.9 million views were gained.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Online, sentiments were clear that Singaporeans weren’t thrilled about Singapolidays and the idea of traveling locally. Many saw a holiday to mean an overseas trip. Expedia reported that 23 days into the lockdown, Singaporeans reached a ‘Tripping Point’ – the moment when daily responsibilities become daunting, resulting in a strong desire for escape; which also saw staycations making up more than 32% of searches. It was clear that the idea of an escape locally was ‘ironic’ but the need for one was real. At the same time, the sound-on platform, TikTok, saw a rise in Singaporean users. A KANTAR study found that 73% of respondents watched ads with audio, which is significantly higher than any other platform. Through this, TikTok opened an opportunity to reach a younger audience through a soundtrack that could become an impetus to go experience a Singapoliday and maybe create a TikTok as well.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

“Now Try Me” was launched as a music video to over 1.3 million fans on SGAG’s channels – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. The chorus was extracted for use on a Branded Hashtag Challenge, a user-generated page where TikTok users were invited to film a Singapoliday vlog using the soundtrack. 5 Singapore-based TikTokers were engaged to provide examples of the kinds of vlogs that participants could also create and that got the ball rolling. Additionally, occasion-specific memes during Valentines and Chinese New Year gave Singaporeans more reasons to consider ways that they could try out a Singapoliday. The main campaign took place from the last week of February 2021 to April 2021, a total of 8 weeks. Post the main campaign, an added video series was also commissioned to give Singaporeans a more in-depth glimpse into the Singapoliday itineraries.

List the results (30% of vote)

The whole campaign garnered a total of 3.7 million in reach, leading many to become aware of redeeming SingapoRediscover vouchers for Singapolidays. Over 100,000 people engaged with the campaign and Singapolidays making this SGAG’s best multi-channel campaign till date. In just two weeks and with only 5 TikTokers, 170 organic submissions were received for the Hashtag Challenge. This was almost 3x higher than the recommended benchmark by TikTok. More importantly, these 170 TikTokers became brand ambassadors who pushed the total views of the hashtag to 2.9 million views; a whooping 120% more views than the recommended benchmark. Making this one of Singapore’s most successful Hashtag Challenge of 2021. With just one song, Singapoliday became more than just another tourism campaign, it’s etched as a soundtrack for local travel and a new pinnacle for branded content work on TikTok.