An unusual event in which an artist drew the Singapore skyline from memory helped Singapore Press Holdings to 80 million media impressions.
The 'See the big picture' event celebrated the publisher's 30th anniversary while showing the power of its media platforms.
James Chua, who revels in the title of head of germies at Germs Digital, says "despite continued efforts" to evolve into a multi-language, multi-platform media conglomerate, SPH was still seen as a predominantly print organisation. It also wanted to connect with younger, digitally connected consumers as they were turning to online media for alternative news and analyses.
"To change that perception, it was important not to tell our story, but to show it," says Chua.
The turnout for the 'See the big picture' showed the efficacy of the power of SPH's media platforms and film has been produced as a showcase to potential advertisers. Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic savant and a world-renowned architectural artist, was watched by members of the public and guests as he drew the Singapore skyline live from memory on a four-metre wide canvas over five days.
"The unique skyline is relatable to all Singaporeans, and to be able to witness it being immortalised by a world-renowned artist upfront was simply awe-inspiring," says James Chua.
SPH-owned platforms in print, outdoor, radio, online and mobile were used to publicise the event at the group's upscale Paragon retail mall on Orchard Road, with SPHRazor, capturing Wiltshire's full journey in Singapore.
Among firsts was an invitation to Singapore president Tony Tanto draw a few strokes on the panorama, and more than 150,000 people - including President Tony Tan Keng Yam, ambassadors, ministers, and CEOs of various government bodies and corporations - witnessed the event.
"With only S$1.8 million worth of media dollars, the campaign generated more than 80 million media impressions across all platforms," says Chua. "This would mean every Singaporean would have read about it 14.5 times."
Reprints of the artwork autographed by the president raised S$220,000 for the President's Challenge, and SPH gave rights to Pathlight School to produce reprints and merchandise to raise funds for its Autism Resource Centre.
Finally, the four-metre-long panorama was presented by SPH to the president as a gift to celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday.
"In addition to being inspirational, relatable and emotional, this campaign also reconnected with Singaporeans and showcased to advertisers' SPH's integrated media offerings' ability to help consumers 'See the big picture'," James Chua says.
Germs Digital was the initiator of the idea, brought it to SPH and "executed it from ground up", Chua told GXpress.