How public sector campaigns in SG have become increasingly 'un-government'

Government campaigns have traditionally served a straightforward purpose: communicate policies, educate the public and encourage behavioural change. But in recent years, the playbook has shifted. From cinematic spoofs and influencer-led social experiments to emotionally driven storytelling, public sector campaigns are increasingly adopting the creative techniques long associated with commercial brands.

Industry professionals told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE the evolution isn't simply about making government campaigns more entertaining. Rather, it reflects a growing recognition that audiences have changed.

Singaporeans today are consuming more content than ever before, making attention harder to earn and trust harder to build. "Simple fact – people resonate more towards something that has an emotional hook," said Fiona Bartholomeusz, managing director, Formul8.

She argued that simply "spewing out facts and figures" risks alienating audiences, while a more relatable and approachable tone can go much further in driving policy awareness and adoption. "At the end of the day, government officials are also just people wanting to do good for the nation and build a better, strong and more cohesive Singapore. They now realise that tapping into that humanity goes far in connecting with the man on the street," explained Bartholomeusz. 

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Meanwhile, Paul Soon, former CEO of MullenLowe Singapore, believes government communications have evolved alongside increasingly sophisticated audiences. He opined that traditional, instructive campaigns are losing traction in today's saturated media landscape, with storytelling instead helping to humanise policies and create the emotional connection needed to encourage action.

"In short, Singapore's government approach now mirrors the sophistication of its audience: micro-segmented, creative, evidence-based, always striving for authentic resonance and clear, positive action," added Soon. 

The shift has also been accelerated by social media. The days of telling people what to do "just doesn't cut it anymore", according to Nimesh Desai, chief creative officer at VML Singapore. He added: 

Everyone's drowning in content, and if it doesn't feel human or relatable, it will get ignored.

Rather than broadcasting messages from the top down, he said public sector campaigns have become increasingly "un-government", borrowing from the conversational tone and audience-first approach commonly seen in brand marketing.

As a result, campaigns today are increasingly designed not just to inform, but to invite participation, spark conversations and build long-term trust.

Creativity within boundaries 

Despite becoming bolder creatively, government campaigns continue to operate within strict parameters around compliance, inclusivity and public sensitivities. Rather than viewing those as creative barriers, industry professionals said the constraints have become part of the creative process.

Soon described the approach as "structured imagination", arguing that "creativity here thrives not by ignoring limits, but by mastering them."

He said the strongest campaigns combine rigorous stakeholder engagement, audience testing and human-centred design to ensure ideas resonate across Singapore's diverse communities.

Desai shared a similar view, noting that considerations such as political neutrality, accessibility and cultural sensitivity are simply "part of the brief". Success ultimately comes from understanding how different audiences will respond and ensuring campaigns feel inclusive without losing sight of their intended purpose.

For Bartholomeusz, agencies should already understand the boundaries they are working within.

"Any agency here should be clearly aware that we need to respect racial and religious harmony, gender equality and to be inclusive - so logic should ensue that any content or storytelling needs to fall within the parameters of good taste and common sense," she said. 

Making government messages memorable 

When asked which campaigns best represent this creative shift, each pointed to work that entertained first before delivering its message.

For Bartholomeusz, gov.sg's "Kungfu fighter, hidden sugar" remains the benchmark. The 2017 campaign, created in collaboration with Tribal Worldwide Singapore, was a spoof of Crouching tiger, hidden dragon blockbuster. The campaign highlighted the evils of sugar in festive goodies and featured a formidable gongfu fighter and a hateful villain who scares a family during their reunion dinner by adding sugar to their food. 

"It was just well scripted, dramatically over the top funny and felt more like an entertaining Chinese period drama than something selling a government message," said Bartholomeusz. "The creativity and production quality, humour, acting and messaging was spot on and arguably still remains, the best government work I’ve seen." 

Soon highlighted his team's work for "It's not crazy. It's the Navy.", which sought to challenge perceptions around naval careers by embracing the familiar local reaction of "You siao ah?" and turning it into a badge of pride. Led by MullenLowe Singapore in 2021, the recruitment campaign took viewers on a patriotic ride and is reminiscent of action films, backed by an emotional-stirring score too. 

"I’ve often been asked about this work in conversations with government clients — not as nostalgia, but as proof that we can break long-held mental models without compromising the integrity of a mission. It showed that you don’t have to be literal to be powerful; Singaporeans already carry deep, shared memory structures about what the Navy stands for," said Soon. 

Meanwhile, Desai pointed to MHA's counter-terrorism campaign, which placed influencers into simulated crisis situations without warning them in advance. In the three-part web series, which his team worked on, influencers were seen confronting a simulated armed intruder in a workplace as well as a car bomb simulation where a vehicle filled with gas cylinders and wires tested public alertness and willingness to act.

Another episode featured a public experience with a suspicious unattended suitcase simulating a bomb in high-traffic area. 

Rather than relying on instructional messaging, Desai said the campaign allowed audiences to experience the importance of preparedness through genuine, unscripted reactions, making the message far more memorable than a traditional public service announcement.

Collectively, the campaigns illustrate how government communications have evolved from simply explaining policies to creating stories and experiences that people actively choose to engage with.

That shift also offers lessons for commercial marketers. Bartholomeusz encouraged brands to know their audience", be earnest and honest and "get some personality".

"It helps when a brand is likeable – governments too," she added. 

Soon, meanwhile, believes brands should focus on authentic local relevance, arguing that increasingly "it is the brand experiences that outweighs messaging." Desai agreed, adding that the strongest campaigns, regardless of sector, no longer talk at audiences but invite them into the story, adding that: 

The best work doesn't just talk at people, it talks with them, makes them part of the story, and gives them a role to play.

Don't just keep up with the changing communications landscape, stay ahead of it. Join PR Asia Singapore on 4 August to hear from the industry's brightest minds on what's next for trust, reputation and influence.

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