Tag: GOVT

Singapore – OCBC has launched its 2025 brand campaign, spotlighting authentic stories from across the region to reinforce its purpose-driven brand promise: enabling individuals and communities to realise their aspirations.

Continuing the momentum of its 2024 campaign, the new initiative takes a more intimate and human-centred approach by focusing on four real-life personalities from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. 

Each individual represents a unique, purpose-led journey that ties personal ambition to collective progress — a reflection of OCBC’s regional presence and social impact across ASEAN and Greater China.

Conceptualised by GOVT Singapore and directed by Desmond Tan of Atypical Films, the campaign comprises four films, each shot in the individual’s home country. Tan also directed last year’s OCBC films, Perfect Fit and Greater Heights, which were praised for their emotive storytelling.

Koh Ching Ching, head of group brand and communications at OCBC, said the campaign brings the bank’s values to life through the voices of inspiring individuals across its key markets. “Our purpose is brought to life through four outstanding individuals in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Through their inspiring, purpose-led stories, we hope to convey that at the core of OCBC’s business is a commitment to helping individuals and communities realise their aspirations,” she said. “GOVT Singapore has once again delivered a campaign that is both heartfelt and regionally resonant.”

Meanwhile, Tim Chan, chief operating officer of GOVT Singapore, highlighted the shift toward unscripted, authentic storytelling. “Instead of scripted narratives, we worked with real individuals—people whose aspirations are making a real difference in their communities. It’s been incredibly rewarding to bring their stories to light, and to further evolve OCBC’s brand story in a way that feels timely, human, and deeply rooted in the region.”

The campaign underscores OCBC’s efforts to foster cross-market connectivity and affirm its relevance in the diverse communities it serves, aligning brand purpose with real-world impact.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Julie’s is redefining festive storytelling with its latest Hari Raya short film called ‘Selamat Lari Raya’. Known for its thought-provoking festive narratives, the brand takes a new approach this year–delivering a story that is deeply moving and haunting, yet heartwarming. For the brand, the short film invites viewers on a journey of reflection, questioning the true meaning of forgiveness this festive season.

The short film centres around the life of Johan, a man who has spent his life running from his problems and past. Played by the popular Malaysian actor Fimie Don, Johan’s life was anything but easy. Orphaned at a young age and raised by his grandparents, he eventually fell in with the wrong crowd. This led him down a path of crime and ultimately, prison. 

Moreover, the film explores how Johan’s greatest burden isn’t serving time in prison. It is the overwhelming guilt he carries over the death of his beloved grandmother Melati, portrayed by Dian P. Ramlee, whose shadow continues to visit him in his darkest moments being locked up.

While behind bars, Johan’s grandfather, Pak Hassan, played by veteran actor Dato A. Tamimi Siregar, desperately tries to reconnect with him. But riddled by guilt, Johan refuses his bid for connection. Determined not be ignored, Hassan embarks on an unexpected mission, by attempting various petty crimes to land himself in the same prison as Johan and succeeded.

Now with Hassan in prison, and Melati’s lingering presence by his side, Johan has nowhere left to run. Johan was forced by his grandparents to finally face his past and grief that he had been burying for so long. Instead of judgement, he is met with love and forgiveness that had been there all along. 

As Johan reflected on childhood memories of Hari Raya with his grandparents, especially during the tradition of seeking forgiveness through ‘salam’–Johan finally understands a lesson they once taught him: forgiveness must start within. By accepting their forgiveness and most importantly, learning to forgive himself, Johan finds peace within and rekindles his bond with Hassan. 

Tzy Horng Sai, director of Julie’s Biscuits, said, “As we mark our fifth year of Raya storytelling, we take our audiences on a self-reflective emotional journey about familial reconciliation and forgiveness. Our film delves into the silent killer of unresolved guilt and grief that destroy family dynamics. However, Hari Raya is a time of renewal, healing, and second chances, and we show the importance of addressing the psychological barriers in our healing process.”

He added, “To bring this powerful narrative to life, we collaborated with esteemed actors, whose performances deeply embody the emotional weight of this story, making it all the more resonant and impactful.”

Meanwhile, having collaborated with Julie’s on all of the previous Hari Raya festive short films, Aaron Koh, chief creative officer at GOVT, commented, “Unlike our previous Raya films, we wanted to deliver a wild rollercoaster of emotions this year, blending suspense, humour, fear, and sadness – to resonate with people from different backgrounds. It was a risky endeavour as we have grown a large fanbase over the years, with a recognisable Julie’s Raya tonality, which we have now completely flipped for this year’s.”

He added, “This festive season is the time for forgiveness, yet self-forgiveness, a powerful step to happiness and renewal in life – is rarely discussed. We hope that with this film, we can start conversations surrounding the subject matter and to get people to focus on themselves this Raya.”

Bangkok, Thailand – PUMA has tapped Singaporean brand experience creative agency in its recent launch of its PUMA Palermo pop-up store in the city of Bangkok, a first of its kind in the Southeast Asia region.

The pop-up store serves as a portal into the vibrant and effortlessly playful universe of PUMA Palermo. Stepping into the space, guests will be transported onto a journey that evokes the essence of Palermo while paying homage to the coastal capital of Sicily in which the Palermo was proudly named after. 

GOVT conceptualised, designed and executed Stadio Palermo in-house, together with the communications that ran across Singapore and Thailand, spanning print, OOH, and digital. 

‘Stadio Palermo’ features multiple larger than life installations, including an incredibly detailed 13 ft long PUMA Palermo sneaker that took over 5 Thai craftsmen over 300 manhours to meticulously create. Moreover, a functional life-sized foosball court was also created, alongside tiered terrace stands that are synonymous with the terrace culture that the PUMA Palermo was made famous by. Guests are welcome to immerse themselves within the foosball court by being the players themselves. 

Eleanor Wang, director of marketing at PUMA Southeast Asia, said, “I am thrilled to unveil our inaugural PUMA Palermo pop-up in Bangkok, marking a historic first for Southeast Asia. Our vision is to immerse visitors in the rich Italian heritage of PUMA Palermo through an unforgettable, larger-than-life experience. With this pop-up, we’re not just bringing back Palermo; we’re creating a timeless, experiential journey that celebrates its status as a forever classic.”

Meanwhile, Leon Lai, co-founder at GOVT, commented, “A brief like this doesn’t come by every day for a creative agency, especially more so when what we have created was literally what was proposed to PUMA 3 months ago. To see our proposal come to life was truly amazing, so a big thank you to PUMA for trusting us in this process and indulging us in our dreams.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Julie’s returns with its mental wellness campaign #Take25 by featuring literal goats as its unexpected guests, alluding to the acronym G.O.A.T. meaning “greatest of all time”.

Conceptualised alongside GOVT, the campaign leverages a series of three entertaining videos featuring a day in the life of some unexpected stars – goats aka G.O.A.T.s, sharing their wisdom on mental health.

Using the power of humour, the videos which stars goats, playfully uses the acronym G.O.A.T.s which stands for “The Greatest of All Time”, to convey that: even the greatest individuals have days where they don’t feel so great or positive all the time. 

According to GOVT, the campaign aims to challenge the misconception of what a perfect life or person should be. It emphasises that perfection is a myth and embracing vulnerabilities is okay. 

Tzy Horng Sai, director at Julie’s Biscuits, said, “The surge in idealised portrayals in society, in particular on social media, mainly highlights curated content that features life’s successes and joyful moments, has contributed to a societal perception that the curated content equates to an ideal life. Yet such portrayals are impossible standards and this paradox of impossible standards, promulgated in our everyday social media musings, is precisely why our #Take25 campaign is needed.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Koh, creative partner at GOVT, commented, “We live in a very success-driven world where it is very crucial to acknowledge that even the most accomplished individuals such as the G.O.A.T.s of our generation have their low moments too, and that’s perfectly normal.”

He added, “For this campaign and in line with the typical Julie’s brand humour, we have decided to feature real goats instead (as the actual G.O.A.T.s would be too costly) to spread the message that mental wellbeing is a complex journey, and each person faces their own unique challenges. Feeling less than great doesn’t always signify a mental health issue; it just means you’re human.

Singapore – LKY: THE EXPERIENCE is an immersive exhibition commemorating the late Lee Kuan Yew’s 100th birth anniversary. This captivating experience, created by Lucid Experiences in collaboration with TRCL and the Community Chest, was launched on October 6, 2023, along with the launch campaign ‘Uncover the person behind the name.’

This interactive journey includes more than 20 rooms, each of which reveals a different chapter in Lee Kuan Yew’s life, shedding light on lesser-known aspects of him as a child, a student, a husband, and a statesman.

The campaign’s creative direction is led by GOVT Singapore, which collaborates with PR agency AKA Asia, digital media agency JOLT Digital, and Kinetic Singapore for the visual design of the experience.

Similar to the experience, “Discover the man behind the name” draws attention to the well-known politician’s lesser-known sides by posting obscure facts about him on bus shelters all over Singapore as well as on digital and social media platforms.

These bits of trivia are unveiled at bus shelters near important locations in an effort to pique interest in Lee Kuan Yew’s character traits. For instance, information about his favourite foods is displayed close to restaurants, while details about his exercise regimen are displayed at bus stops close to the Istana, where he frequently runs. The immersive experience then encourages viewers to learn more about Lee Kuan Yew.

Speaking about the collaboration, Foong Min Mei, business director of GOVT Singapore, said, “When Lucid Experiences first approached us with the opportunity to collaborate, we were very inspired by the team’s ambition to recreate Lee Kuan Yew’s life story. One that has been told many times and across generations. But this time around, through one’s own lens of Lee Kuan Yew’s personal memories and life moments beyond his political career as a founding father and first prime minister of Singapore.” 

He added, “It is a project very close to our hearts, as fellow Singaporeans coming together to tell the story in a way that we too hope will inspire and intrigue many others.” 

Meanwhile, Tan Weiting, CEO of Lucid Experiences, said, “We’ve been hearing good things about GOVT for a while now, so when we started looking for a creative agency to help get the word out for our experience, we got in touch to see if it was possible to work together. Our early conversations gave us confidence that they were the right partners to help us share this important Singapore story.” 

“While working together, we also found them to be equally passionate about the project and its details. We are excited that we were able to engage GOVT and can’t wait for everyone to see the campaign!” Weiting added.