To Singaporeans, ION Orchard is a mall that is synonymous with high end shopping. In December 2016, Forbes recognised ION Orchard as one of the top shopping malls in Singapore.

What they hoped to achieve

In order to upkeep that reputation and cement ION Orchard as Singapore's leading premier shopping centre and promote luxury watch brands housed within it, ION Orchard sought SPH's services to launch a campaign that is engaging and thought provoking.

Formulating the strategy 

ION Orchard engaged SPH's content and creative unit Sweet to use the concept of Time to come up with a branding video that is impactful and appeals to the masses.

With time as the focal theme of this campaign, its intention was to tug at shoppers' heartstrings and communicate to them that timepieces are more than just objects on display – they mark special moments and occasions. The video also encouraged audiences to reflect on the significance of time and question what it really means to them, by using the hashtag #WhatisTime on social media.

Media execution 

The "What is Time?" video was uploaded on the website and social media platforms. Concurrently, a 4pp cover wrap was published in The Business Times – our broadsheet targeted mainly at investors, managers and businessmen – which stood out with its nostalgic and nuanced design. ION Orchard also leveraged on SPH's digital platforms The Business Times, The Straits Times and Zaobao.sg for greater outreach of potential customers.

Results

The campaign ran from 17-31 August and total video impressions reached 963,144. It was well received by both ION Orchard and the audience due to stunning visuals and artistic cinematography put together by SPH's Sweet and Rolla Production House. One major accolade the campaign received was its achievement at Spikes Asia - being the only Singapore project to be amongst the video finalists.

It was an overall success that also managed to generate discussions and responses on the meaning of time.