Secret Lives of Singaporeans issue #23: The health edition

SECRET LIVES OF SINGAPOREANS

Issue #23 – Week commencing 23rd Jan 2023 Authored with pride by Shruti Soneji and Stephanie Chua

Secret Lives of Singaporeans is an ongoing collection of marketer-friendly briefs on the fascinating people of the little red dot, by planners and PR consultants from the big red agency. It’s not “thought leadership”, it’s “inspiration to DO”.

Each issue comprises

• Things people in Singapore are talking about

• Things people in Singapore are searching for

• Things people in Singapore are reading in the news

In this first issue for 2023, we focus on health , a subject which is always high on people’s priorities at this time of the year. This presents opportunities for not just health-specific brands, but also those in adjacent sectors like sports, FMCG, finance and government.

Image Credits: Nick Morrison, Milo McDowell, Unsplash, Healthier SG government website

One thing people in Singapore are talking about:

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Image Credits: Nick Morrison, Unsplash

In 2022, we all experienced our fair share of growth and learning. As we reflect on the year past, we observe that young Singaporeans have suffered the most from the psychological and emotional costs of contemporary, digitalized, pandemic living.

A study found that 1 in 2 Singaporeans are overworked in this pandemic, reflecting the continued reality and challenge of a busy urban life, where boundaries between work, school and home are increasingly blurred. Even less has been done for mental health by the pandemic.

People discover their imperfections become strikingly evident when they reflect on how they may improve themselves in the new year, pushing them to overcorrect and create resolutions that are way too unrealistic. Even more so because of the general competitiveness that Singapore culture is subject to .

This leads to most people ultimately failing to achieve their goals because of a "all or nothing" mentality, a lack of accountability, or the making of irrational resolutions that have a negative impact on their mental health. Ultimately, what we see Singaporeans searching is all about why do resolutions fail.

Image Credits: New York Times

https://saltandlight.sg/news/struggling-mental-health-among-singapore-youths-a-key-concern/ https://www.aspacebetween.com.sg/blog/new-years-resolutions-and-their-effect-on-mental-health

Brands need to be compassionate , empathetic, realistic and transparent to stay meaningful to younger audiences. At the same time, they need to avoid showcasing any unrealistic or unfathomable narrative of representing themselves as it can fall flat on reciprocation.

Being nimble, grounded and at the same time realistically delivering on the brand promise can be a part of the focus when it comes to brand communication.

One thing people in Singapore are searching for:

HEALTH FADS

Image Credits: Milo McDowell, Unsplash

Singapore is known for being the finest location for spotting emerging trends and there is a growing demand for anything related to health and fitness.

A health fad becomes one when it promises one thing: dramatic results. The top searches show people looking for dieting, treadmill, brown rice and weight loss. All these had led to the below predictions of health fads taking over and predicted to continue until 2025. Some interesting ones include-

• Telemedicine changing healthcare1

• Millennials opting for ‘self-care’ 1

• Robotics technology being used in healthcare. 1

• Rise of plant-based food2

• Data and hyper personalization of an individual’s fitness regime. 2

There are countless paths to health, making it difficult to sort through what is best for us. And the answer to health is never concealed in a trend.

Image Credits: New Scientist Newsletter

Source

1- https://explodingtopics.com/blog/health-trends

2- https://www.ricemedia.co/if-health-fads-are-scams-why-do-we-still-fall-for-them

Source: Google Trend

As people are looking to explore various health fads and follow trends, it is important to guide them on looking at health holistically and also through the lens of a healthcare professional. While that is still underway, healthcare brands can be the torchbearers in clearing myths around health fads and bring light to the importance of balance living (sleep, food, exercise, work) for a healthier life.

A good rule of thumb is for brands to engage right and authentic experts to dispense the right knowledge for people to take honest and corrective actions for selfcare and overall health.

One thing in the news in Singapore:

HEALTHIER SG

Image Credits: Healthier SG government website

As Singapore tackles the challenges of an aging population and the rising effects of chronic illness, Healthier SG is a voluntary national primary care programme launched by the Ministry of Health. It will be open for those aged 60 and above to enrol in the second half of 2023, before being made gradually available to those between 40 and 59 years old in the next two years.

It places a strong emphasis on preventive care and intends to empower residents to manage their own healthcare, allowing them to enrol with a single doctor who would assist them with their requirements throughout their lives.

People who sign up for the optional program Healthier SG will have the option to schedule a face-to-face onboarding health consultation that will be covered by the government.

The rising cost of public health is unavoidable.

Sentiments towards Healthier SG are generally neutral, which indicates a need to shift more of the neutral to positive to make this program more impactful.

Brands can support this shift by ensuring that communication around health can be paired up with Healthier SG to drive momentum and demonstrate their support towards self-care, instead of remaining silent.

Beyond announcements, brands can grasp this opportunity to give back to their most loyal customers with engaging online and offline events. Importantly, such activities need to be sustained or they may come across as just episodic posturing and not geared towards understanding consumer needs.

Sources: Ministry of Health, Singapore website

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/healthier-sg-white-paper-parliamentdebate-ong-ye-kung-healthcare-reform-2988001

Source: BrandWatch Jan 2022 – Jan 2023

One (more) thing in the news in Singapore:

TOBACCO BAN

Image Credits: Mohamed_hassan, Pixabay

Efforts have been made in Singapore to move towards a smoke-free Singapore. With our neighbours, New Zealand1 and Malaysia2 taking active steps to pass a tobacco control bill to protect their youths, there have been interest in Singapore modelling after the same.3

Suggestions have been made to ban cigarettes for those born after 20104 and predictions that the days of smoking cigarettes will be numbered in Singapore.5

Although Singapore youths understand that smoking is no longer glamorous, the bigger challenge is e-cigarettes, which are still tobacco products and harmful to users. Despite the outright ban on e-cigarettes in Singapore, there is a demand via e-commerce and there are attempts to smuggle e-vaporiser products into Singapore.6,7

Brands can latch on to this growing conversation in the interest of national health.

How might they extend support to the Ministry of Health’s initiative to drive awareness on public education, provision of smoking cessation services, legislation and taxation? Are they able to support consumers who need help staying smoke-free?

Sources:

1- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/getting-people-to-quit-smoking-involves-not-just-tough-laws-but-also-the-community-nz-minister 2- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/malaysia-smoking-tobacco-control-law-vaping-youth-3136331 3- https://www.ricemedia.co/new-zealand-smoking-ban-policies-singapore-vaping-laws/ 4- https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapore-should-ban-cigarettes-for-those-born-after-2010/ 5- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/smoking-tobacco-free-generation-law-cigarette-quit-2858276 6. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/almost-30000-vape-products-seized-from-smuggler-carrying-frozen-chicken-nuggets 7. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/moh-pushing-against-popularity-of-vaping-among-youths-will-study-nzs-cohort-ban-on-smoking

Sources: Possessed Photography, Unsplash