Tag: VML Singapore

China – LUX, together with VML Singapore, has unveiled a new campaign that challenges deep-rooted naming traditions in China—encouraging women to reclaim their identity by creating meaningful, modern names that celebrate who they truly are.

As part of the campaign, LUX and VML Singapore launched ‘Reclaim Her Name’, a digital tool that allows women in China to replace outdated, gender-biased names with alternatives that reflect modern values and personal empowerment. The tool, accessible via mobile apps WeChat, Weibo, and Rednote, uses AI to suggest new names based on the original—retaining key elements such as sounds and characters, but shifting away from regressive associations.

The initiative introduces the concept of “self-renaming”, a response to the enduring practice of assigning names that reflect traditional gender hierarchies. In China, it remains common for women to be given names that signify fragility, inferiority, or disappointment—such as Zhao Di (“I wish I had a boy”), Ya Nan (“Second to man”), and Sheng Nan (“Bear me a boy”). These names continue to reflect deep-seated gender bias, subtly reinforcing the idea that women are secondary to men.

Rooted in feminist history, the campaign draws inspiration from Nu Shu, a centuries-old secret script developed and used exclusively by women during the Song Dynasty. Created as a way for women to communicate and share their experiences in a male-dominated society, Nu Shu’s flowing, symbolic strokes form the basis for the campaign’s custom-designed “New Women’s Font”, which appears throughout the tool.

The name-changing process is designed to be interactive and intuitive. Users enter their current name and simply shake their phones to receive a new suggestion. If the result doesn’t resonate, they can continue shaking until they find a name that aligns with their identity.

By combining technology with cultural insight, ‘Reclaim Her Name’ offers a modern response to a longstanding issue—providing women with a means to assert agency over something as foundational as their name.

Marco Versolato, chief creative officer – WPP@Unilever at VML Singapore, said, “Inspired by an ancient, secret language created only for women, we’re rewriting sexist traditions to create meaningful new names that reflect the spirit of modern, dynamic women in China.”

Since its launch, ‘Reclaim Her Name’ has generated over 14,000 new names, reflecting growing engagement with the tool and broader conversations around identity and gender norms in China.

Judy Zu, global brand director at LUX, shared, “Each Chinese character is an alchemy of sound and symbol: the same strokes, rearranged, weave blessings or critiques. At LUX, we believe every woman deserves a name that becomes a mirror to her strength and a compass for her journey. Yet, even today, profound bias still lurks behind many women’s names. That’s why we created Reclaim Her Name: not just to rename, but to reignite. Because every woman can – and should – sculpt her identity unapologetically; just as characters transform with every stroke, so can we.”

Singapore – Creative agency VML Singapore and menstrual care brand Blood is breaking menstrual taboos in its latest ‘Period Squad’ campaign. The newly launched campaign aims to dismantle outdated perceptions of menstruation, encouraging open dialogue.

The ‘Period Squad’ features the characters Crampy, Spotty, Moody, Sleepy, and Paddy. Through the characters, it shows common period symptoms while promoting authenticity in portrayals of menstruation.

Collaborating with production company Piloto and sonic branding agency Sixième Son, the campaign kicked off with a music video. Depicting realistic experiences, the video advocates for unfiltered portrayals, even showing blood leaks. 

Through the campaign with VML Singapore, Blood assures women that they can be unapologetic regardless of how their period experience looks like.

To engage with Gen Z, Blood and VML Singapore transformed the ‘Period Squad’ as content creators on TikTok. Through generative artificial intelligence and motion capture technology, the characters became able to react to relevant events in real-time to amplify the campaign.

Blood and VML Singapore also share plans to introduce the ‘Period Squad’ into retail spaces and merchandise.

“Gen Z listens to creators more than brands. That’s why we created our influencers, the Period Squad. Our vision is for them to be part of the culture. And with social trends lasting no more than a week, we needed to find a way to make 3D animated content agile enough to keep up with that pace. And now it’s possible to shoot anyone with the motion capture model and create and post content within minutes,” Mateusz Mroszczak, CCO at VML Singapore, said.

Peck Ying, Blood co-founder, commented, “The cramps, the fatigue, the breakouts, the mood swings…Periods aren’t ‘cute,’ and we’re right there with you. Only when we normalize these symptoms can menstruators feel unapologetic about them.”

“Periods aren’t cute, so people are uncomfortable having conversations around them. And so it’s through cute characters that people relate to, like the Period Squad that we’re going to be able to start conversations and reshape people’s views around periods,” Hinoti Joshi, global managing partner at VML Singapore, said.

Singapore – The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Singapore has launched interactive films to combat terrorist threats with the creative agency VML Singapore.

The newly launched films expand the ‘What’s Your Role’ campaign of SGSecure, a national movement that empowers Singaporeans to be vigilant and secure in the face of possible terrorism.

Designed to equip Singaporeans with knowledge of their roles in keeping the country secure, the films call on viewers to make the right decisions amidst various dangers. It highlights the possible consequences of their actions, such as causing fear and division through the spread of misinformation.

@sgsecureofficial

Learn to spot the signs of radicalisation at SGSecure.gov.sg. Let’s play our roles and get timely help for our loved ones before they hurt themselves or others. WhatsYourRole SGSecure StayUnited StayStrong StayAlert

♬ original sound – SGSecure Official – SGSecure Official

As interactive films, viewers are called to ‘choose their own journey’ when facing dangers. It aims to empower Singaporeans to take on their own roles against terrorism, veering away from the gloomy tone of usual films about the topic.

“We all have a role to play in keeping Singapore safe from terrorism. And there’s no role too small. Which is why we leveraged interactive technology to remind and enable Singaporeans to play theirs, and be ready for any emergency,” Nimesh Desai, chief executive officer of VML Singapore, said.

Wilbur Sim, director at SGSecure Programme Office at MHA, commented, “A whole-of-society approach is crucial to safeguard our community from the threat of terrorism. The interactive films highlight the simple actions that everyone can take to protect our loved ones and our community from the multi-faceted threats of terrorism in a refreshing yet thought-provoking style.”