SINGAPORE - Dressed in double denim, a young Zoe Tay takes a slip of paper from Zhu Houren, before throwing it back in his face in a clip from 1990s hit drama The Unbeatables.
"It's too late!" she yells, apparently upset that Zhu is telling her about a travel insurance policy only after her trip has been cancelled.
He continues to taunt her, saying how the policy covers the gamut from trip cancellations to broken limbs. Unable to take it anymore, a sobbing Tay lashes out in frustration: "Stop it lah! Next time I buy ok?"
The 40sec video ends with the line: "Why gamble with your holiday?"
Posted on March 13 on Facebook by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the cleverly redubbed clip from the 1993 Singapore Broadcasting Corporation show about gamblers has since gone viral, with more than 3,400 likes, 2,200 shares and 330,000 views.
The clip is part of STB's "Don't Travel Blur, Travel Sure" campaign, complete with a "blur sotong" mascot, which encourages Singaporeans to take precautions when booking their holidays.
The campaign, which was officially launched last Wednesday, features travel advisory messages overlaid over clips from The Unbeatables, which also starred Li Nanxing.
In response to queries, STB said on Thursday that it worked with creative agency TBWA to come up with the concept for the campaign, which is spread across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
STB added that the three clips in the series have been well-received by the public.
Netizens embraced the video, with many lauding their marketing tactics.
Facebook user Oh ChengKok shared the clip, adding: "Old is gold."
Several people also commented on the ad, tagging their friends to remind them to buy insurance.
STB said in a statement announcing the campaign launch that a study it commissioned found that one in 10 people have not purchased a travel insurance policy before.
The study, conducted from September to October last year, polled 600 Singaporeans who had purchased travel packages from a travel agent in the past year.
This is despite 97 per cent of respondents saying they were aware of travel insurance, up from 93 per cent in 2016.
Respondents cited short duration of trips (38 per cent) and perceived "low-risk" destinations (28 per cent) as reasons for not buying travel insurance.
"We want to encourage Singaporeans to be more vigilant with their travel purchases, even for trips that are short or perceived to be of 'low-risk'," said Ms Ong Ling Lee, STB's director of travel agents and tourist guides.
"By using an iconic local drama serial from the 90s and introducing a catchy message and relatable mascot, we hope to engage travellers of all ages and remind them of the importance of safeguarding themselves against unexpected situations."
