Secret Lives of Singaporeans issue #37: Relevancy is the constant currency

SECRET LIVES OF SINGAPOREANS: RELEVANCY IS THE CONSTANT CURRENCY

Issue #37 – Week commencing 21 August 2023

Authored by Aditi Anand and Valerie Hum

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

• One thing people in Singapore are talking about

• Presidential Elections

• One thing people in Singapore are searching for

• Andar_SG

• One thing that’s in the news in Singapore

• Wet markets

Image Credits: Goh Yan Han/The Straits Times, Grace Yeoh/Channel News Asia, Andar Facebook/IG

One thing people in Singapore are searching for:

PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS TURN TOWARDS TIKTOK

Image Credits: Goh Yan Han/The Straits Times

As the Singapore Presidential Elections 2023 approach, four presidential hopefuls have hopped on TikTok to woo young voters by showcasing their personalities.

West side best side: Mr Tharman shared his favourite region in Singapore in an interview with @dargoyaki.

TikTok handle: tharman.sg

Influencers unite: Mr Ng posted his interaction with influencers such as Jade Rasif and Dew Francis.

TikTok handle: ngkoksongofficial

People’s president: Mr Tan’s walkabouts in the MRT were shared on his TikTok to showcase his affability.

TikTok handle: kinliantan750

Additionally, presidential hopefuls have explored the paid route on social media. According to Meta Ad Library, Mr Ng has so far spent around S$10,500 on Meta advertisements in the last week.

TikTok as a platform can draw in young crowds as it delivers on a few key pillars: reach, entertainment and relevance over overt promotion.

Takeaway for brands or creators that are yet to embark on their TikTok journey:

1. Big on engagement: The platform lets you be raw, inspires creativity and sparks joy. Thus, helping you showcase your personality with the emphasis being on storytelling and cultural engagement.

2. Big on resonance: Users are more likely to engage and resonate with content that aligns with their interests and emotions first. So, it would be best to refrain from heavy and direct selling of products and services.

3. Big on creativity: TikTok’s trends and creative formats are what gives it it’s edge. Jumping on these trends appropriately and timely can help to gain traction and buzz, making your brand top of mind for users.

One thing that’s in the news in Singapore:

FUTURE OF SINGAPORE’S WET MARKETS AT STAKE

Image Credits: Channel News Asia/ Grace Yeoh

With Tekka centre (home to one of the largest wet markets in Singapore) recently undergoing renovation for the next three months, 284 stallholders and 119 hawkers got affected. This has made many question the future of wet markets in Singapore altogether – especially in a world that is increasingly shifting towards online retailers and supermarkets.

The wet markets are an integral part of Singapore’s culture due to several reasons – a sense of community, interpersonal relationships, the unique Singapore experience, trust and interactions with people from all walks of life.

Currently, the wet markets attracts two segments of consumers – older generation and domestic helpers. The younger generation are simply not as interested in holding onto this age-old culture of either visiting a wet market or taking over the wet market business from their parents and grandparents.

Singaporean brands have the chance to preserve this culture through the following ways:

Purpose-driven collaborations: Big F&B brands can collaborate with wet market stalls by highlighting their fresh ingredients.

Building a social media presence: Being present where the younger generation is i.e., use social media to make wet markets cool again for Gen Z to want to visit.

The three big reasons behind the increasing lack of popularity of wet markets are: cleanliness, comfort and convenience. Whereas a supermarket ticks all three boxes either in-store or with the tap of a few buttons (online shopping).

Sources: Channel News Asia

Nostalgia marketing: Gen Z may not visit wet markets anymore, but they did with their families when they were kids. Highlight the feeling of nostalgia by making it a family ritual which gets passed down.

One thing people in Singapore are talking about:

AND(AR) THE WINNER IS... AN INFLUENCER

Image Credits: Andar Facebook/IG, Reddit Singapore

Korea’s premium activewear brand, Andar, recently opened its doors to the Singapore market. But it has already managed to garner a lot of heat from Singaporean netizens for their latest giveaway that they launched on their social platforms (Facebook and Instagram).

As it turns out, the winners of the giveaway happened to be all Singaporean influencers with no lucky draw posting prior to the winner announcement post.

Brands need to remember that consumers have the power to make or break a brand – especially on social media. Living in an era of cancel culture, brands need to use social media with respect and care. Here are some things brands should not forget while trying to win and retain their audience on a long-term basis:

This has made many Singaporeans question the ethos of the brand and what they stand for. People are calling it a ‘bad PR move’ only meant for people who would positively review their brand through freebies.

So far, there has been no comment from the brand on this matter.

Consumers are a brand’s best advocates: if your brand’s personality does not come across as trustworthy, they will simply unfollow and ask others to do the same. Listen to your consumers’ online chatter: Use your consumers’ feedback loop to understand their needs, inputs and desires.

United we stand, divided the brand falls: Your brand’s content should aim to bring people together and appeal to a diverse range of people.