While most of us were fast asleep on Jul 12, a fleet of 100 lorries and 100 workers fanned out across the island from midnight. Their mission: To plant a lot of giant red balls all over Singapore, from neighbourhoods to schools and the civic district.
The next morning, Singaporeans woke up to find these pops of red in their midst. Stamped with the SG60 logo and measuring between 1.5 and 5 metres across, they made schoolchildren stop in their tracks and office workers look up from their phones.
At Gardens by the Bay. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
For Adrian Tan, the chief executive officer of Adplanet Group, it was a thrill to watch the city react.
“I did not mention this campaign to any of my friends, but I’m happy to record about five or six sightings a day, where my friends go: Oh, I spotted this red ball. Have you seen it?”
The balls are part of the United As One Red Dot campaign, which marks both SG60 and UOB’s 90th anniversary. Of the 195 balls installed as of Tuesday (Jul 29), six are in the bank’s corporate colour, blue, while the rest are red.
At Clarke Quay. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
By far the largest SG60 out-of-home (OOH) installation – industry-speak for advertisements placed in public spaces – the campaign was conceived by Adrian Tan together with Francis Tan, chief executive officer of Germs Digital, and Jayne Kwek, director of 3 Aces Advertising.
“Singapore is a beautiful island with so much greenery, and it's actually the perfect canvas for an art installation. The idea was to paint the island with giant red balls that signify our little red dot,” said Kwek.
She would know a thing or two about OOH advertising. As the former CEO of Moove Media, the advertising arm of ComfortDelGro, she was the woman behind the herd of “cows” that grazed all over Singapore in 2005.
“The cows did the same job in that it was creativity in its simplest form. We didn’t have to make it too elaborate; the red balls were a symbol that Singaporeans can identify with.”
At Temasek Polytechnic. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
What’s one object that can unify an entire country? That was the key question the trio wrestled with during the conceptualisation phase, said Francis Tan. The Merlion was the obvious national symbol, and the city skyline felt fitting in telling Singapore’s transformation story. But in the end, the answer was far more obvious.
“The red dot symbolises how Singapore struggled to become what it is today. We wanted to flood the entire city with that reminder, similar to Yayoi Kusama’s dotted pumpkins all around Japan,” he explained.
The simplicity of the mnemonic belies the effort behind it. Designing a ball to withstand heat, rain and wind was no small feat. As the air inside expands and contracts with the weather, it has to be made of tri-layered PVC with a little elasticity. They also need weekly maintenance to keep them looking plump, and replacements are deployed within 24 hours if necessary.
The bigger challenge was the red tape, starting with an engineering certification to prove the balls could be safely secured. The 5-metre blue ball outside UOB Centre, for instance, had to be anchored with a 2-tonne weight to prevent it from being blown into the Singapore River.
Then came the arduous process of securing approvals. Because the balls were installed on both public and private land, the team had to obtain clearance from a long list of authorities, ranging from government agencies to mall operators.
“It was really quite a journey. Thankfully, our stakeholders were all very supportive because they wanted to see the red balls as part of the SG60 celebration,” said Kwek.
Making sure the heartlands were not left out was just as important, added Adrian Tan, who wanted Singaporeans in every corner of the country to feel a sense of national pride when they saw them.
“This was by no means easy, but we took a bottom-up approach by speaking to many MPs. They were very encouraging and said, we love it. Let’s go.”
Outside Mandarin Gallery. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
These giant balls will remain on display across Singapore until Sep 14, and passers-by can join weekly contests by answering quiz questions or snapping Instagram-worthy photos.
Since their debut, the giant balls have been a hit, especially with the little ones. Babies have been spotted reaching out from their strollers to poke them, while families get creative with forced-perspective photography.
“I think this campaign gave us the opportunity to show that Singaporeans can be fun and creative too,” said Kwek.
Even office workers out on their lunch break can’t resist stopping for a midday selfie. For Francis Tan, seeing people pose with the ball near Tampines Mall and Century Square – his old hangouts as a secondary school student – was a full-circle moment.
At Our Tampines Hub. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
“I’m going there to see it this weekend and take a photo with my daughter. It’s a place I grew up in, and I’d like to explore the area as I haven’t been there in a while,” he said.
Deploying the campaign has also taken him to heartlands in the north and west for the first time in years, renewing his appreciation for how much these neighbourhoods have evolved.
“I realised that heartlands are now very robust, from their wet markets to the shopping malls. So what can’t we achieve?”
The response has been so overwhelming that more balls are being added beyond the original 180. Kwek is working with the Singapore Land Authority to place one in the middle of a green field in Ghim Moh, while Adrian Tan, ever the ad-man, has bigger plans.
“I would like to see a giant red ball on top of a bus shelter in Orchard Road or Shenton Way, and LTA is talking to us about this possibility.”
Continue reading...
The next morning, Singaporeans woke up to find these pops of red in their midst. Stamped with the SG60 logo and measuring between 1.5 and 5 metres across, they made schoolchildren stop in their tracks and office workers look up from their phones.
At Gardens by the Bay. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
For Adrian Tan, the chief executive officer of Adplanet Group, it was a thrill to watch the city react.
“I did not mention this campaign to any of my friends, but I’m happy to record about five or six sightings a day, where my friends go: Oh, I spotted this red ball. Have you seen it?”
The balls are part of the United As One Red Dot campaign, which marks both SG60 and UOB’s 90th anniversary. Of the 195 balls installed as of Tuesday (Jul 29), six are in the bank’s corporate colour, blue, while the rest are red.
At Clarke Quay. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
By far the largest SG60 out-of-home (OOH) installation – industry-speak for advertisements placed in public spaces – the campaign was conceived by Adrian Tan together with Francis Tan, chief executive officer of Germs Digital, and Jayne Kwek, director of 3 Aces Advertising.
“Singapore is a beautiful island with so much greenery, and it's actually the perfect canvas for an art installation. The idea was to paint the island with giant red balls that signify our little red dot,” said Kwek.
She would know a thing or two about OOH advertising. As the former CEO of Moove Media, the advertising arm of ComfortDelGro, she was the woman behind the herd of “cows” that grazed all over Singapore in 2005.
“The cows did the same job in that it was creativity in its simplest form. We didn’t have to make it too elaborate; the red balls were a symbol that Singaporeans can identify with.”
“IT WAS REALLY QUITE A JOURNEY”
At Temasek Polytechnic. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
What’s one object that can unify an entire country? That was the key question the trio wrestled with during the conceptualisation phase, said Francis Tan. The Merlion was the obvious national symbol, and the city skyline felt fitting in telling Singapore’s transformation story. But in the end, the answer was far more obvious.
“The red dot symbolises how Singapore struggled to become what it is today. We wanted to flood the entire city with that reminder, similar to Yayoi Kusama’s dotted pumpkins all around Japan,” he explained.
The simplicity of the mnemonic belies the effort behind it. Designing a ball to withstand heat, rain and wind was no small feat. As the air inside expands and contracts with the weather, it has to be made of tri-layered PVC with a little elasticity. They also need weekly maintenance to keep them looking plump, and replacements are deployed within 24 hours if necessary.
The bigger challenge was the red tape, starting with an engineering certification to prove the balls could be safely secured. The 5-metre blue ball outside UOB Centre, for instance, had to be anchored with a 2-tonne weight to prevent it from being blown into the Singapore River.
Then came the arduous process of securing approvals. Because the balls were installed on both public and private land, the team had to obtain clearance from a long list of authorities, ranging from government agencies to mall operators.
“It was really quite a journey. Thankfully, our stakeholders were all very supportive because they wanted to see the red balls as part of the SG60 celebration,” said Kwek.
Making sure the heartlands were not left out was just as important, added Adrian Tan, who wanted Singaporeans in every corner of the country to feel a sense of national pride when they saw them.
“This was by no means easy, but we took a bottom-up approach by speaking to many MPs. They were very encouraging and said, we love it. Let’s go.”
PAINTING THE TOWN RED
Outside Mandarin Gallery. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
These giant balls will remain on display across Singapore until Sep 14, and passers-by can join weekly contests by answering quiz questions or snapping Instagram-worthy photos.
Since their debut, the giant balls have been a hit, especially with the little ones. Babies have been spotted reaching out from their strollers to poke them, while families get creative with forced-perspective photography.
“I think this campaign gave us the opportunity to show that Singaporeans can be fun and creative too,” said Kwek.
Even office workers out on their lunch break can’t resist stopping for a midday selfie. For Francis Tan, seeing people pose with the ball near Tampines Mall and Century Square – his old hangouts as a secondary school student – was a full-circle moment.
At Our Tampines Hub. (Photo: Adplanet Group)
“I’m going there to see it this weekend and take a photo with my daughter. It’s a place I grew up in, and I’d like to explore the area as I haven’t been there in a while,” he said.
Deploying the campaign has also taken him to heartlands in the north and west for the first time in years, renewing his appreciation for how much these neighbourhoods have evolved.
“I realised that heartlands are now very robust, from their wet markets to the shopping malls. So what can’t we achieve?”
The response has been so overwhelming that more balls are being added beyond the original 180. Kwek is working with the Singapore Land Authority to place one in the middle of a green field in Ghim Moh, while Adrian Tan, ever the ad-man, has bigger plans.
“I would like to see a giant red ball on top of a bus shelter in Orchard Road or Shenton Way, and LTA is talking to us about this possibility.”
Continue reading...