How STB is grabbing attention in the age of endless scrolling

As consumers increasingly live their lives through screens, their ability to focus is disappearing. In fact, the average attention span has dropped to just 8.25 seconds - shorter than that of a goldfish. For brands, especially in travel and tourism where discovery and emotion drive decisions, cutting through the noise has never been harder.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is meeting this challenge head-on by reshaping its marketing approach. Instead of pushing traditional ads, it is focusing on authentic pop culture partnerships, social-first branded content, and even gaming platforms to meet audiences where they are, according to Kenneth Lim, assistant chief executive, marketing group at STB, in a fireside chat at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Content360 conference in Singapore last week. 

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Harnessing pop culture and creators to stay relevant

One way STB is cutting through is by tapping into pop culture. Rather than inserting itself forcefully into celebrity narratives, it seeks authentic collaborations that align naturally with the brand and personality.

A prime example is its partnership with global music sensation Coldplay. The band filmed its Man in The Moon music video in Singapore, in collaboration with Warner Music Singapore.

“With the Coldplay activation, the authenticity of how we presented the destination was key. It also connected to how we integrate Singapore into the everyday conversations of our customers. In this case, Coldplay fans,” said Lim.

Coldplay has a huge following in STB’s key markets across Southeast Asia, as well as Western markets. The band’s success in releasing award-winning albums year after year also adds to the strength of the partnership, explained Lim.

However, it’s not just about working with Coldplay or any entertainment partner. “We needed to ensure alignment between Singapore as a destination and Coldplay’s brand values. Interestingly, Coldplay’s values, especially around sustainability, closely align with Singapore’s,” added Lim.

As such, when Coldplay considered Singapore, the band saw a destination that shared their beliefs - an alignment that was critical to the partnership.

Beyond the music video, a destination sizzle reel was distributed across VisitSingapore’s and Coldplay’s social channels, supported by paid media. The collaboration reached over 200 million unique users, and STB achieved far higher social media engagements as compared to its usual branded marketing assets.

Alongside celebrity tie-ups, branded content and creator collaborations remain core to STB’s strategy. As part of its “Culinary capital” campaign under the broader "Made in Singapore" master brand campaign, STB launched a 30-second music video titled What do I eat first?, fronted by Paddy Ong from indie-pop band Club Mild.

Through big data analysis and market surveys, STB developed ten traveller portraits, including 'culinary explorers' - people passionate about food. STB found that in its top 50 markets, about 40 million culinary travellers spend 25% more than the average traveller, seek out authentic local cuisines and special restaurants, and love to share their experiences.

“Wherever they go, they post about new places on social media. Combining this with Singapore’s reputation as a food destination created a natural synergy for our campaign,” said Lim.

“We took a social-first approach because these travellers love to share. The results were strong. By working with KOLs, we gained around a million impressions from key markets in a short time,” he added.

Within the first month, STB achieved about 35 million impressions and 4,000 engagements on CapCut alone. Early creator-led content boosted engagement rates, reinforcing the importance of involving creators in marketing efforts through user-generated content using CapCut templates from the master video.

STB also leveraged its Friends of Singapore (FOSG) creator programme, engaging a network of international influencers who were already planning trips to Singapore, offering a more organic form of brand advocacy.

Exploring gaming and immersive platforms

Looking beyond traditional social platforms, STB has made a move into gaming with the launch of Singapore Wanderland on Roblox. The branded experience allows players to explore stylised versions of iconic Singapore locations such as Gardens by the Bay and Jewel Changi Airport, through a series of mini-games and challenges. 

Lim said:

Leveraging on innovation spaces is important in our strategy. When we did this, Metaverse was the big thing. It shifted very quickly, but gaming remains a platform we’re exploring,

He added that STB used the game to build destination awareness, engage audiences to experience Singapore in a new light and grow new audiences.

To bring the experience full circle, STB partnered with CapitaLand malls to offer offline rewards. Players who completed challenges in Singapore Wanderland could redeem prizes from more than 30 brands across CapitaLand malls. Since launch, Singapore Wanderland has clocked over eight million plays and reached more than four million unique users.

By combining pop culture collaborations, creator partnerships, branded content and new platforms such as gaming, STB hopes to keep Singapore top of mind among a new generation of global travellers. Many of whom were from markets STB hadn’t previously targeted, noted Lim.

Ultimately, as marketers, we must continue to experiment with new platforms — to see whether they can become viable new channels for us.

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