Opinion

Why outdoor was the medium of choice for Singapore’s River Safari

River safariSingapore Zoo is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city-state. It recently concluded a campaign to lure visitors to its new River Safari attraction. Here, Isabel Cheng, CMO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore explains the thinking behind the campaign.

Why was out-of-home media the focus of the campaign?

Part of the advertising strategy was to take over one particular medium instead of spreading the messages thinly across various media. Outdoor was chosen because of its ability to effectively reach out to Singaporeans and tourists who spend a significant amount of their time commuting. It was also the best way to showcase River Safari’s unique animals and attractions – both of which form the key visuals for the campaign. The campaign coincided with the holiday season. Out-of-home media allowed us to target potential visitors in high-traffic areas.

Meet the real river giantWhat is the return on investment you hope to get from the campaign in terms of increased visitor numbers?

The objective of this campaign was to attract visitors to River Safari, in particular Singaporeans, but also tourists and independent travellers. The return on investment has been good so far based on visitor arrivals to the River Safari.

If the campaign had stopped working, did you have a contingency plan to change it?

River safari adThe outdoor campaign was designed to grab people’s attention through stunning images of the park’s attractions, including the unique river giants and mega fish collection. Most of them have been designed to encourage people to take photos of them ‘meeting’ the animals (e.g. a bus stop ad where a commuter comes face-to-face with an Indian gharial). The campaign might be extended further by running a photo contest on social media to increase awareness of the attraction.

You hired independent agency Blak Labs. What sort of agency were you looking for for this campaign?

We were looking for an agency that could think out-of-the-box and one that could bring out the River Safari experience through interactive advertising. The ads are just sneak peeks of the wild encounters they can experience at the River Safari. The agency also had to propose creative and effective ideas to create strong top-of-mind awareness among tourists and Singaporeans.

River Safari outdoor

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella Asia newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing