Singapore's "National Night" a Viral Success, but was it Effective?

When striking up a romance, you have to "break the ice." 

Of course, these strategies are also useful in influencing others in our work and personal lives  - not just in courtship. 

On August 9th, Singapore celebrated its 47th birthday with the usual fanfare. But this year, the Singapore government and Mentos released a hilarious video urging Singaporeans - with some exceptions - to "get busy" and procreate in order to combat the nation's record low birth rate:

Not surprisingly, it went viral - so viral that before I could email it to anyone in Singapore, a friend in Canada had already sent it to me. According to Chris Jaques of M&C Saatchi Asia, four kinds of video content are most commonly shared online: 

The most successful viral videos in history share the same traits - they are either funny, emotionally powerful, exciting or sexy. 

Produced by BBH Asia Pacific, the video is part of a new campaign for Mentos - whose objective is to raise awareness and sell more product. Conversely, Singapore's objective is to raise the national birth rate. I don't need to point out which outcome requires a bigger commitment from their target audience.

Persuading Singaporeans to have more children sooner is not simply a matter of making them laugh. While a viral video can break the ice, there are social and economic issues to address. 

Governments are like corporations in that they, too use branding (not just policy) to influence behaviour. But a common mistake for many companies is over-reliance on advertising to communicate a desired message. Advertising should be the last step in getting what you want from your audience. 

Although humorous, making a call to action without solving underlying problems or barriers will do little to influence behaviour.  

Since low fertility rates can impact economic growth, this is a legitimate area of concern for Singapore. In a future post, I'll explore what Singapore is doing, what else it should be doing and how it can better communicate its message.

Stay tuned.