SPH CEO's use of 'umbrage' gives rise to memes, merchandise

Since the word was used at a press conference on Thursday, few would have missed encountering it. It was the top searched term on Google in Singapore that day, with over 200,000 looking it up.

"Umbrage", uttered by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) chief executive Ng Yat Chung at a press conference on the restructuring of the company's media business, has trended on social media platforms, sparked numerous memes and merchandise, and influenced marketing efforts by popular brands.

Observers say the word is uncommon yet catchy enough to pique curiosity and thus be shared widely.

Thursday's press conference saw the company explain how the restructuring would open up opportunities for SPH Media to seek funding from various sources with an interest in supporting quality journalism.

A reporter from Mediacorp's CNA Digital asked if the company "will now pivot to emphasise editorial integrity, for example, ahead of advertiser interests".

SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang replied he was confident that the editorial integrity SPH Media has had over the years will continue. "There will be no difference, that editorial integrity will take precedence. And I'm confident that... what I call the DNA of SPH Media will still be there and it will manifest itself. And rightly so because editorial integrity will have to come ahead of pure financial consideration," he said.

Mr Ng added: "There are reporters (from media outlets) here who receive substantial funding from various sources, and I don't believe that you would describe yourself as bowing to the needs of advertisers in doing your job. I will say, at least for SPH, we have always had advertising and we have never, never conceded to the needs of the advertisers. So we will always continue to provide fair, reliable, credible reporting."

Mr Ng then said: "The fact that you dare to question the SPH title for, in your words, 'conceding to the advertisers', I take umbrage in that comment."

Videos of the exchange were circulated on social media and messaging platforms. A clip on Facebook by one Lim Weixiang garnered over 4,200 reactions, 4,300 shares and 2,100 comments. It was posted at 6.18pm on the same day the press conference was held, and led to a spike in Google searches for the term "umbrage".

Search interest in the term reached "peak popularity" at 8am the next morning, helped by a satirical video by local blogger mrbrown, posted at close to 2am.

The two-minute clip, which has garnered over 223,000 views and 6,600 reactions, sees mrbrown assume the role of an Encik, or warrant officer in the Singapore Armed Forces. Mr Ng was chief of defence force from 2003 to 2007, and retired with the rank of lieutenant-general.

Mr Ng told The Sunday Times in a statement yesterday: "I had stood up for SPH Media's long-cherished editorial integrity and will continue to do so. Being a direct and blunt-speaking person, I apologise for any offence I might have caused and regret any distraction from the merits of the proposed restructuring."

Popular forums like Hardwarezone and Reddit had threads dedicated to the word and its creative uses - including how Mr Ng's Wikipedia's entry was edited to include "umbrage" in his name. The change has since been removed.

Known brands like Foodfare and Kopitiam, booking platforms Chope and Klook, and eateries Tim Ho Wan and Nando's also joined in with related social media posts to market their offerings. On e-commerce sites Shopee and Lazada, T-shirts, tote bags and mugs with "umbrage" designs popped up.

A shirt brand, Tee Hub, came up with its design after needing to Google the meaning of the word.

"The first 'auto-complete' option after 'umbr' was 'Umbro'. That was where I got the inspiration," said co-founder Denny Liew, referring to the English sportswear label. He said he did not expect to sell any shirts but has received five orders so far.

Communications and new media lecturer Natalie Pang from the National University of Singapore noted the word was not something used in everyday vocabulary and was hence distinct and of interest.

Communication and technology professor Lim Sun Sun from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, a former Nominated MP, said the word "captured the collective mood of the incident and the reactions it triggered".

"I think it took off as it did because many netizens took umbrage at the fact that he took umbrage at a not-unreasonable question being posed in an appropriate setting," she added.

"We should be so glad that Singaporeans have strong opinions and tremendous creativity in using humour to express their views."