Tag: GOVT Singapore

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Julie’s is shaking up the scene once again with its latest must-watch Hari Raya short film called “Iklan Raya A.I.dilfitri” (A Raya A.I.dilfitri Ad). In this highly anticipated release, the brand continues its tradition of pushing boundaries and sparking conversations through compelling storytelling. 

The film, conceptualised alongside GOVT Singapore, follows the journey of a fictional marketing team at Julie’s who are on a quest to create the perfect Hari Raya advertisement using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), AdGPT. The short film delves into the struggles of the marketing team as they attempt to break free from the ideas suggested by the AI that focus on traditional gender roles during the festive season. 

Despite their multiple efforts to manually edit the prompt and content, the AI-generated ads consistently emphasised these stereotypical Hari Raya scenes of women cooking in the kitchen and men engaging in lighter tasks in the living room amongst many other stereotypes, reinforcing outdated gender norms.

In a compelling twist when trying to fix the AI, the team finds themselves immersed within the AI realm itself, encountering a child, the embodiment of the AI. Through this encounter, they discover the root cause of the biased AI-generated content which stems from years of societal conditioning and ingrained stereotypes. 

Despite all that, they discover a beacon of hope: changing these outdated views is possible. Through positive narratives and reinforcement, particularly during celebrations like Hari Raya which emphasises forgiveness and renewal, these biases can change.

Tzy Horng Sai, director of Julie’s Biscuits said, “This marks Julie’s fourth year producing short festive films of this nature. We are passionate about continuously using our platform to spark meaningful conversations and drive positive change. In crafting this year’s film, we aimed to shed light on society’s role in perpetuating gender stereotypes while advocating for gender equity, all while honouring traditions.”

Sai added, “We hope it serves as more than just entertainment; let it be an inspiration for change. By teaching and modelling equality, we hope to lend a hand in creating a future where there are fewer assigned gender roles, where women and men can both contribute equally in their own ways.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Poh, group creative director at GOVT, commented, “When we started brainstorming for this, we were surrounded by debates and discussions about AI and were particularly interested in the gender and cultural biases found in AI. Through testing, we spotted gender stereotypes in the generated results despite trying to reword our prompts. We quickly realised a fundamental truth: AI learns from humans and mirrors our biases. The good news is, AI can learn to unlearn those biases if we can too.”

He added, “Since Raya is also about renewal, we thought it the perfect timing to reflect on these biases and start a clean slate about the way we see and talk about gender — in a way that’s meta, self-referential and, as always, loads of fun.” 

Singapore – PUMA Southeast Asia has tapped GOVT as its creative and activation agency to bring its bring PUMA NITRO™ Technology to runners at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2023. 

Through the mandate, GOVT will provide end-to-end brand, creative and activation solutions for PUMA to deliver a consumer experience to engage with the estimated 50,000 runners who will show up between 30 November to 2 December 2023 to collect their race packs.

Eleanor Wang, head of marketing at PUMA Southeast Asia, said, “Running has always been at the heart of PUMA’s brand ethos of being forever faster, and PUMA NITRO ™ Technology is the exemplification of our brand’s commitment to innovate a product that makes running even more effortless.”

She added, “And for our second year as the Official Apparel and Footwear Sponsor at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, we are happy to be able to partner with one of Singapore’s leading independent agencies to bring this value to the running community.”

Meanwhile, Alvina Seah, managing director at GOVT, commented, “This collaboration is meaningful because we are working with a brand that wants to make an impact to the category, set on an iconic running platform like the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. So we are certainly looking forward to the work we will be creating together.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Continuing its tradition of creating provocative festive campaigns, Malaysian biscuit brand Julie’s has launched its latest short film called Kisah Raya P.E.R.I.T (A Raya Story of P.E.R.I.T), a part of the brand’s annual Hari Raya campaign and ongoing efforts to break down stereotypes that people often face during the festive season.

‘Kisah Raya P.E.R.I.T’ is produced in collaboration with GOVT Singapore, the creative agency that helped create Julie’s multiple thought-provoking festive campaigns.

This year’s short film features Timah and her daughter Farah, bringing the audience on a journey through their ‘balik kampung’ drive to attend Hari Raya celebrations throughout the years. The film brings to attention the challenges that Timah faced as a single parent such as the typical, yet critical judgements usually dished out to single parents, especially during the festive season.

Affected by the challenges faced during Hari Raya, this single mother goes out of her way to delay her trip every year to ensure that she spends less time with family members. The film done in both comedic and sentimental fashion shows how the single mother as part of this secret society called P.E.R.I.T (Persatuan Rahsia Ibu Tunggal) looks to end Hari Raya celebrations in 2023.

“We have always used our creative short films to showcase stories of empowerment. This year, Kisah Raya P.E.R.I.T features the trials and tribulations of a single parent celebrating Hari Raya. We hope this will inspire people to be more understanding towards each other,” said Tzy Horng Sai, director of Julie’s Biscuits.

Sai also added that through the short film, the brand invites viewers to practise forgiveness, embrace the diversity that exists within families and appreciate family members for who they are.

Joy Sng, business director at GOVT also commented, “With a brand like Julie’s Biscuits, that believes in building a more open and inclusive world, each year, we aspire for our Raya films to challenge conventions and address uncomfortable topics that people tend to avoid or ignore.”

She added, “Taking insights and stories from conversations we’ve had with various single parents, our film this year aims to shine a light on the stigmas and challenges of single parenthood, told through a love letter between a mother and daughter.”

Kisah Raya P.E.R.I.T is now available for viewing on their official YouTube channel. The campaign follows Julie’s Hari Raya campaign last year titled ‘Ini Iklan Raya Baru, Tau?’, which was targeted at debunking traditional stereotypes about gender roles.

Singapore – With its vision to provide oat-based products that are good for its consumers and environment, Oat-based milk brand Oatbedient, in collaboration with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, has launched a new brand film that sees its mascot – the bubbly little oat ‘Oatdit’ – reminding consumers of the health benefits they’ll gain from choosing plant-based products. 

Titled ‘Oat My Goodness’, the 30-second clip is associated with uplifting music and colorful illustrations to present the series of plant-based Oatbedient products that are authentically healthy with no nasty ingredients, junk, or fillers.

The campaign also aims to show that Oatbedient brings ‘goodness’ to life whilst reminding that being healthy can also be delightful.

Elaine Teo, Co-founder of Oatbedient said that consumers are often exposed to a variety of products that have low or no nutritional value. Therefore, their vision for Oatbedient is to create delicious clean labelled products that can feed families.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Neo, group creative director of agency GOVT Singapore, added, “Oatbedient is a fun and quirky brand that is already likable. So our job was to make sure we help paint the journey of Oatdit introducing the products in an entertaining way.”

All works from the campaign will run across multiple channels including social media and digital.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Local biscuits brand Julie’s Biscuits has paid a tribute to Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh by tweaking its logo to resemble the likeness of Yeoh. This follows Yeoh’s recent win at the recently-concluded Oscars 2023 ceremony. 

The newest campaign is made in partnership with GOVT Singapore, the appointed creative agency of Julie’s Biscuits.

Yeoh won an Oscar for the ‘Best Actress’ category; the first Asian to win said award, and the first ever Malaysian to bag an Oscar. Said recognition was for her role as Evelyn Wang in the 2022 film ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.

According to Julie’s Biscuits, aside from bringing such pride to her roots, Yeoh also undoubtedly embodies the brand’s values – humility, openness, fearlessness and a slight hint of cheeky irreverence. They add that her inspirational journey reminds all to hold our heads up high and be inspired to work hard for their dreams.

Sai Tzy Horng, director of Julie’s Biscuits, said, “I am incredibly proud of Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh. She is truly an international icon and a pride and joy to all fellow Malaysians. As a Malaysian household biscuit icon, we want to congratulate her by paying tribute to her remarkable achievement in her Oscar nomination amongst many other impressive milestones in her illustrious career. She has proven time and again that she is one of Malaysia’s most revered national treasures.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Neo, group creative director of GOVT Singapore, commented, “When we knew that Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh was nominated, we thought that a simple, sincere tribute would be appropriate, to honour all her achievements over the years. She’s an inspiration to all.”

Singapore – Community Chest, the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore, has launched a new campaign that aims to showcase the ‘potential’ of every individual. With its mission to add value to every person’s life, the campaign is also an encouragement for everyone to give donations to assist in the organisation’s support for children and adults with vulnerabilities and special needs. 

Community chest provides social services to children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and seniors and families in need of assistance. 

Titled ‘Champion Every Potential’, the 90-second campaign was developed together with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, who won the account in a pitch last July.

The campaign features 23-year-old Aurora, a dancer and painter with down’s syndrome and 45-year-old housewife Rushsidah, a graduate of a peer support specialist programme under the Social Service Institute, the human capital and development arm of NCSS. Both are supported by Community Chest.

Pearlyn Tseng, director of communications and marketing of NCSS, commented that their service users are a champion on their own and have the power to reach their full potential.

She added, “We have progressed from the early days, where we supported the basic needs of service users, to journeying alongside them to empower them to achieve their potential. We look forward to more partners joining us to uplift communities in need and build a caring and inclusive home for all.”

According to the org, the donations gathered from the campaign will be used to support over 100 social service agencies that run 200 social service programs.

The campaign will run across multiple channels including television, social media and OOH. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – With the aim of putting a spotlight on the importance of mental health, local biscuit brand Julie’s Biscuits recently launched its #Take25 campaign. 

The campaign focuses on encouraging the public to ‘take a break’ amid the World Health Organization report on the 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide due to the pandemic.

“There are various ways for people to take care of their mental wellbeing. As the producer of the OAT 25 biscuits, one of the healthier snack options for many consumers, we would like to communicate that on top of encouraging healthy snacking, we are also looking to advocate taking scheduled breaks as part of your wellness practice,” said Tzy Horng Sai, director of Julie’s Biscuits. 

#Take25 is inspired by the Pomodoro technique, which refers to a time management method that focuses on working in 25 minute intervals to increase productivity while also experiencing relaxation. 

“We would like to call upon people to #Take25 minutes to unwind in any way that allows them to destress or feel better – be it a 25-minute walk or even enjoying the soothing “symphony” of tearing and crunching into packs of the OAT 25 biscuits. As we continue to adjust living in an endemic, we hope that this campaign can inspire people to find ways to prioritise their mental wellbeing,” Sai further explained.

Made in collaboration with Singapore-based creative agency GOVT, the campaign features a series of curated content that emphasizes the unique ways people choose to unwind. This is shown through three videos titled, “Roll the Day Away”, “ASMR”, and “Have a Cuddle”, plus advertisements placed in strategic areas in Malaysia and Singapore.

Aaron Koh, GOVT’s co-founder and Julie’s creative partner, said, “For the launch of the Julie’s #Take25 campaign, we wanted to play with the notion of unwinding in between moments. #Take25 reminds us to take that step away from the negative aspects of the day and focus on what is important – me time. And everyone has their own version of me time.”

He added, “The campaign encourages everyone to unwind in their own unique ways – no matter how unconventional. In this short and, we hope, wonderfully offbeat video series, we show a working woman coming home from a hectic day and creating her own #Take25 moments in weirdly interesting ways.”

#Take25 follows Julie’s Biscuits’ Hari Raya and Chinese New Year campaigns, which featured short films about gender stereotypes, hope, and optimism.

Singapore – Independent creative agency GOVT Singapore welcomes two seasoned senior creative hires into its team, with the hires of Jimmy Neo as group creative director (first from left) and Joseph Chan as associate creative director (second from left). At the same time, long-serving Creative Director Kevin Poh has also been elevated to the role of group creative director (third from left).

Previously from Carbon TV as ECD, Neo joins the team to lead OCBC Bank and The Learning Lab. Before Carbon TV, Neo spent seven years as a creative director in TBWA Singapore, working on brands such as Singapore Airlines, Standard Chartered, Manulife, Unilever, NTUC Fairprice, NTUC Income, Maybelline, Levi’s and more.

Meanwhile, Chan joins from BLKJ Havas where he spent nine years rising up the ranks to ACD while working on brands such as Great Eastern, Starhub, Scoot, RSAF, MCI, IMDA, Mediacorp and more. He joins to be a part of Poh’s team across different brands.

Poh, on the other hand, has been made group creative director as he continues to lead the Sentosa, Heineken Asia Pacific, Peroni and Asahi accounts. He’s had two stints in GOVT, from 2017-2018, before returning again in 2019.

GOVT Singapore’s ECD Tim Chan said, “I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future. We’ve had our COVID-induced upheavals over the past few years, like most agencies. But bringing legitimate heavyweights such as Jimmy and Joseph into the team gives us a real fighting chance to continue on our new chapter. They’ve been there, done that, picked up the metals, led teams and plotted breakthrough work for a whole body of clients. They’re already slotting in like they belong.”

“Kevin’s promotion also paves the way for the future. As we continue to grow, teams will be built around his leadership for the long-term,” added Chan.

Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder Aaron Koh will continue to provide guidance across the creative department, while strategizing plans to expand the agency’s offerings across the region, alongside CEO and Co-Founder Leon Lai.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – To commemorate Hari Raya, Malaysian biscuit brand Julie’s Biscuits has launched a new short film which tackles the age-old issue of stereotypical roles.

The new short film, which was developed with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore and production house Layar Lucida, invites Malaysians to explore traditional definitions of stereotypical roles and see how antiquated expectations no longer hold in today’s day and age.

Titled ‘Ini Iklan Raya Baru, Tau?’, which in English translates to ‘This is a Raya Ad, isn’t it?’, the film features the much-loved Malaysian actor Amerul Affendi, playing the role of ‘Tuan Direktor’. In the ad, the cast and crew seem determined to thwart the stereotypical ideas and script with their breakaway thoughts, leaving ‘Tuan Direktor’ disheartened and failing to produce his desired Hari Raya ad.

Tzy Horng Sai, director of Julie’s Biscuits, shared that while the community have made progressive steps forward, there is still much to do if people want to enact change and change mindsets on a larger scale.

“As we share merriment and laughter in celebration of Hari Raya, we want to encourage people to take a moment to reflect and explore how they can spread this message to strengthen the bonds of family, friendship and humanity,” said Sai.

Meanwhile, Junad M. Nor, Layar Lucida’s film director, noted that many people look forward to watching festive-themed ads, and it is a vast platform to share important messages. 

“Using light-heartedness to convey serious topics makes people more comfortable and receptive, and I hope this ad can reach and resonate with as many people as possible,” said Nor.

Alvina Seah, GOVT Singapore’s managing director, commented, “It’s a delight that we get to bring to light these insights, reminding people that we can all do our part to break these stereotypes. We believe that sometimes it’s a little easier to make people chuckle and notice the touchy topics that go unaddressed – in our ad’s case, it’s the stereotypical elephants in the room. And that has always been what we try to bring across in our work for Julie’s.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As Chinese New Year (CNY) draws near, which will be celebrated on 1 February, the Malaysian biscuit brand, Julie’s Biscuits, has launched a new short film, aimed at encouraging Malaysians to embrace and share optimism in 2022.

The film, which is created in collaboration with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, invites viewers to see the silver lining in situations and challenges.

Titled ‘The Worst Feng Shui Master’, the short film is a humorous and intriguing tale that features the troubles of Master Wong, a Feng Shui consultant whose business and reputation appear to have fallen into hard times since he lost his lucky jade ring, making his astute skills and abilities hang in jeopardy. With this, Master Wong was mocked on social media by his fiercest rival, Chan Sifu, and when it seems at first that all is lost, a twist of fate in fact leads Master Wong to a profound realization – that hope can arrive in unexpected ways.

Tzy Horng Sai, the director of Julie’s Biscuits, shared that they wanted to encourage people to be agents of hope to one another as the new year begins.

“As we emerge from a time of uncertainty, Julie’s wishes everyone a wonderful celebration in the lunar new year festivities and we deliver our greetings in this meaningful film with a hint of humor,” said Sai.

Kevin Joseph, GOVT Singapore’s associate creative director, commented, “This film aims to show everyone that coming back from hard times is possible, especially with help from our fellow members of society.”

The new short film is now available to watch live on Julie’s website and YouTube account.

In addition to celebrating Chinese New Year, Julie’s Biscuits will be introducing a limited-edition Golden Eggy Roll that offers a perfect, buttery golden crispy texture. Julie’s Love Letters, a crowd favorite, will also be seeing an all-new packaging.