More home-grown talents to be used in tourism campaign

DJ KoFlow, one of the 80 home-grown talents to be featured in the Singapore Tourism Board's new campaign, playing a set at the launch event at the Arts House yesterday. The STB will organise several overseas events under the Passion Made Possible bra
DJ KoFlow, one of the 80 home-grown talents to be featured in the Singapore Tourism Board's new campaign, playing a set at the launch event at the Arts House yesterday. The STB will organise several overseas events under the Passion Made Possible brand in the coming months. PHOTO: SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

Theatre veteran Ivan Heng, comedy couple Rishi Budhrani and Sharul Channa, and indoor skydiving champion Kyra Poh are among the personalities who will represent Singapore in a new campaign to court tourists.

In all, 80 home-grown talents will feature in short films and promotional events overseas as part of the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) second wave of marketing activities under the Passion Made Possible brand. The brand targets tourists based on their lifestyle and travel interests, categorising them into "tribes" such as foodies and explorers.

Three new tribes were launched yesterday that will showcase Singapore's arts and culture, nightlife and entertainment, and adrenaline-filled activities on offer, through the stories of ambassadors in each field. The tribes are culture shaper, socialiser and action seeker.

The activities will kick off in the coming months in 16 markets worldwide, including the United States, Japan and Germany.

A pop-up art showcase, tapping augmented reality technology and featuring the work of seven local artists, will also make an appearance in countries such as Russia and India.

Since its launch last August, the Passion Made Possible brand has had an audience reach of more than 555 million and close to 300 million video views, the STB revealed at yesterday's event at the Arts House.

Visitors were given a chance to experience the Kaleidoscope Tunnel, an installation by Singapore-based artists Esther Goh, Eugene Soh and Fong Qi Wei, at the launch of the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) new marketing campaign at the Arts House yeste
Visitors were given a chance to experience the Kaleidoscope Tunnel, an installation by Singapore-based artists Esther Goh, Eugene Soh and Fong Qi Wei, at the launch of the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) new marketing campaign at the Arts House yesterday. The artists are among 80 home-grown talents who will feature in short films and promotional events overseas as part of STB's second wave of marketing activities under the Passion Made Possible brand. The brand targets tourists based on their lifestyle and travel interests, categorising them into "tribes". STB yesterday launched the culture shaper, socialiser and action-seeker tribes, which will showcase Singapore's arts and culture, nightlife and entertainment, and adrenaline-filled activities on offer. ST PHOTO: DIOS VINCOY JR

Said STB brand director Lim Shoo Ling: "Our storytelling approach to destination branding has been lauded for being refreshing and inspiring, and many have shared feedback that they enjoy the personal stories of Singaporeans and discovering a deeper side to Singapore as a destination."

At home, the STB also has plans to get Singaporeans involved by sharing stories of everyday heroes that can be used for producing content.

Film-maker Wee Li Lin, who will be mentoring a group of emerging film directors for a short film showcasing Singapore's arts and culture, said: "We have some really great actors in Singapore, so to be able to showcase them... is something very exciting to show audiences."

"Take, for example, Crazy Rich Asians - seeing how our Singapore actors held their own against the Asian-American actors, I think it's a great sense of pride," she said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 30, 2018, with the headline More home-grown talents to be used in tourism campaign. Subscribe