SkillsFuture Singapore
An idea to inspire a nation
On Singapore’s 50th anniversary, the government created a new national award — to honour people who had excelled in their fields.
But without any mythical heritage, past winners or grand ceremonies to rely on, how could we build a sense of prestige? How could we inspire people to nominate themselves or others?
We needed an idea.
The rings of honour
Taking inspiration from tree rings that symbolise growth and wisdom, we built a creative direction and visual identity strikingly different from any government comms.
From press and outdoor to social ads, brochures and websites — the rings even inspired the design of the trophies, and the grand stage on which they were presented.
Influencers? How about the Head of State?
We pitched a big idea to cabinet ministers, with a script designed to give us shareable snippets from an influencer above all others.
Stories worth telling. And sharing.
On social, our content strategy turned conventional wisdom on its head.
Long posts about ordinary people, often with unglamorous jobs, flaunting nothing but their determination to keep growing.
From rehabilitated prisoners turned art teachers to bakers and bartenders, and a Michelin-recgonised noodle stall owner, the stories ran for over two years and featured over two hundred people.
They consistently achieved record engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram — for a government department that rarely got any engagement at all.
As the creative lead, I guided our writers to create the stories, from selecting people to interviewing them to finding the sparks in every human spirit and letting it shine bright — all within the constraints of a strictly conservative brand voice.
The results
We received a server-crashing number of award nominations and widespread media coverage in the inaugural year.
The campaign was run without changes next year — the ultimate compliment from a client who, like the country they proudly represented, were never satisfied.
For this writer, the reward came in the pitch presentation, when the minister in charge stared at the ads for a long moment, took off her glasses, and said, 'It's like ... poetry.'