Why get 5G when 4G is “Good enough”

Singtel won the race in launching 5G nationwide, but Singaporeans didn’t feel the impact of it in their daily lives. 72% of people, surveyed by Singtel, saw 5G as some futuristic promise, while 45% believe 4G is ‘good enough.’

It didn’t help that Singtel’s demonstrations of what 5G could do, had revolved around AR and VR, further removing the relatability of 5G from their daily lives.

Challenge

How could we change the perception of Singtel’s 5G FROM A FUTURISTIC ‘NICE-TO-HAVE,’ TO AN EVERY DAY ‘MUST-HAVE’?

Our Gameplan

CREATE A LARGER-THAN-LIFE DEMONSTRATION OF HOW 5G IS MADE FOR TODAY, AND NOT TOMORROW

We sought to awaken Singaporeans’ interest of Singtel 5G by creating buzz around a single demonstration of how impactful 5G could be in a daily moment where Singaporeans rely on a super-fast and reliable connection but struggle the most

LIVE FROM THE UNDERGROUND: THE WORLD’S FIRST 5G-POWERED CONCERT FROM AN MRT CABIN

Selecting the perfect ensemble for a live performance was critical. We had to secure a partnership with SMRT for an underground MRT station that wouldn't interrupt traffic during peak hours, and also needed to recruit a homegrown band that was capable of pulling off a gig in a remote location.

With everything secured flawlessly in place, we launched Singapore's first-of-its-kind 5G-powered live-stream concert, 17 metres underground with homegrown indie band, Sobs. Network connections underground are consistently bad, but this 25-minute glitch-free performance from Sobs and Singtel pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, demonstrating the full potential of 5G.

DRIVING INTEREST FOR 5G & CREATING BUZZ FOR OUR LIVE-STREAM CONCERT

To ensure we had a full audience tuning into the live stream, we developed a three-phase plan to build momentum in the lead-up to the concert.

TAPPING INTO THE BIGGEST CONNECTION SPEED PAIN-POINT:

THE DAILY COMMUTE

Singaporeans spend an average of 84 minutes a day commuting and fill this idle time with activities on their mobile device. The daily commute is a sacred time to catch up on TV dramas, listen to music or scroll through videos on social media. It’s also the time when 4G network connections fail, especially when commuting underground. And there’s nothing more frustrating than spending that sacred time listening to your Spotify playlist cut out, or watching your K-Drama film continue to buffer.

BRINGING 5G RIGHT WHERE IT'S NEEDED THE MOST

Given Singtel's nationwide and underground coverage of the East-West and North-South MRT line, the commute made the perfect testing ground to demonstrate the real-life impact of 5G.

Why settle for less with 4G when we could showcase Singtel 5G’s potential to transform the daily commute of millions of Singaporeans?

PHASE 1 - BUILDING THE MOMENTUM

In the lead-up to our live underground gig with Sobs, we launched a series of social posts to build hype and anticipation. We also created a Facebook event page to remind fans about the upcoming gig and get them excited.

PHASE 2 - WEAPONISING THE BUZZ ON LIVE-STREAMING DAY

On the live-streaming day, we flawlessly executed a 25-minute set list of Sobs' top hits, engaging with fans in real-time through social media making the entire experience all the more captivating.

PHASE 3 - AMPLIFYING HOW 5G MADE LIVE-STREAMING POSSIBLE

We spotted an opportunity to go beyond the one-day live stream of Sobs by sharing a recorded version on Singtel's social platforms, so even those who missed it could catch up. We even provided a backstage pass in the form of a BTS video, fostering authentic connections with our audience.

Activity Objective

Get Singaporeans to see the relevance of 5G in their daily lives

Results

Total livestream engagement rate exceeded the average by 455%

Facebook livestream engagement rate surpassed benchmarks by 804% from average posts (4.07% vs 0.45%)

Instagram livestream engagement rate exceeded benchmarks by 106% from average posts (4.02% vs 1.95%)

Livestream achieved more than 5x engagement compared to past livestreams (1600 vs 320)

Business Objective

Double Singtel’s 5G subscription growth rate to 9%

Results

Immediate 13.6% growth rate in subscriptions

11x more subscriptions in the campaign month vs previous

Contributed to 30% of the entire 5G subscriptions for the year

Marketing Objective

Increased Singtel 5G’s SOV by 10% vs previous

Results

80.2% SOV, dominating top-of-mind recall for Singtel 5G in comparison to competitors. This was a surge of over 20% as compared to previous campaign period, where it stood at 53.7%.