Singapore Tourism Board focuses on young athletes rather than celebrities for international marketing 

In the latest activation of its ongoing Passion Made Possible campaign, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has focused on budding athletes in the city, particularly those in niche sports rather than using formulaic celebrity sports to market Singapore internationally.

Youth are showcased in a film ‘Be Unstoppable’ targeted at action seekers, a key demographic that the STB is addressing through this activation.

Featuring skateboarders, wakeboarders, indoor skydivers, ice-hockey players, BMX freestylers and go-kart racers among others, the film has been directed by local filmmaker Desmond Tan.

Some of these young athletes also feature in Tiny Trainer tutorials, a series of videos where the likes of go-kart racer Christian Ho teach tennis player Martina Hingis a few pro-tips on the sport he excels in.

Another segment is ‘Action Seeker Stories’, where athletes Kyra Poh and Choo Yi Xuan who won gold at the Indoor Skydiving World Cup take viewers through a personal tour of Singapore alongside swimmer Joseph Schooling.

STB has said that Be Unstoppable will be distributed through both broadcast and online media, while the tutorials and other action seeker brand personality videos will be on social media platforms in key overseas markets.

This activation follows the STB's launch in October 2018 of Fast Forward, a $1 million fund to encourage Singaporean and Singapore-based content creators to create local content for a global audience. 

Terrence Voon, STB's Director - Digital and Content, advised "Singapore has a passionate community of content creators and storytellers who are already producing inspiring content and telling a great Singapore story. As part of our marketing strategy, we want to support home-grown talent and showcase content about our people, spirit and attitude in an authentic way. Through Fast Forward, we hope to turn more of such story ideas and concepts into reality, and bring their work to a global stage."

Through this Fund, STB is seeking to support films, videos and animations that creatively feature Singapore and bring to life the Passion Made Possible brand.

STB uses the Passion Made Possible brand to market Singapore internationally for tourism purposes. It presents Singapore's attitude and mind-set: a passion-driven, never-settling spirit of determination and enterprise that constantly pursues possibilities and reinvention. 

STB has grouped potential visitors together based on their lifestyles, interests, and what they travel for. There are seven major 'Passion Tribes':

1.    Foodie: People who delight in culinary experiences
2.    Collector: People who enjoy shopping and curating items
3.    Explorer: People who enjoy exploring the outdoors and places of interest
4.    Action Seeker: People who seek out thrills and sporting events
5.    Culture Shaper: People who enjoy immersing in the arts and culture
6.    Socialiser: People who enjoy making meaningful connections through music and entertainment
7.    Progressor: Business travellers seeking to connect, collaborate and innovate

The judging panel comprises:

Yuni Hadi, Executive Director at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)
Benjamin Lee, Head of Digital & Social Content Strategy at Tribal Worldwide; also one of Singapore's pioneer online personalities, popularly known as Mr Miyagi
Wee Li Lin, Director at Bobbing Buoy Films
Terrence Voon, Director of Digital and Content at the Singapore Tourism Board

Be Unstoppable on YouTube. 

For the comprehensive set of terms and conditions, please visit: www.stb.gov.sg/fastforward

Click here for more information on Fast Forward. Enquiries may be directed to FastForward@stb.gov.sg. 

Content creators based in Singapore – such as filmmakers, vloggers, media companies and creative agencies – are welcome to apply.

Applications are open now and close on 31st January, 2019.