Branded content isn't relatively new to Singapore. In a country where, consumption of content online is almost double than on linear TV (ComScore), brands clamor to be visible in this channel. But major advertisers usually would treat "online" as an extended venue for their creative assets. It's been a practice to mirror TV efforts in online properties like Youtube for pre-roll videos ads and Facebook for video.

Although, there has also been an emergence of content producers who put their artistry and craft for entertainment purposes online. More experimental advertisers would go this path to be able to reach their audience, commissioning production outfits to create content pieces that link to their brands.

The challenge in branded content is to be distinctive and differentiated - to have a unique voice and tackle one theme and be able to own it. For POSB, the opportunity lied within an aspect intrinsic to their brand equity - being the neighbourhood bank - and be able to create their own content about the neighbourhood.

Instead of enticing them to come to us, we went to them. The content pieces were pushed through social media and discovery media:

Social Media

- Content in social media for their audience to engage with (like, comment, consumed) and to be eventually shared to their friends. The content pieces were interest targeted to assure audience relevance and to guarantee site content consumption.

Discovery Media (Yahoo Native Ads and Outbrain)

- These content pieces were also seeded in other websites and were pushed based on interest and relevance to the audience as well.

NeighboursFirst.SG campaign gave POSB a new voice and image via sharing the narratives of the neighbourhood. Through content and social engagement, POSB was able to retain its heritage and yet connect with Millennials.

NeighboursFirst.SG exceeded targets in paid, owned, and earned media via this campaign:

• Paid Media outperformed industry benchmarks by 92% on Facebook, 25% on Youtube, 44% on Yahoo, and 70% on Outbrain.

• Owned media: The website traffic exceeded target by 123%

• Earned Media: Social interactions increased by 123%. Engagement on Facebook increased by 4 times, exceeding target by 225%. Facebook fans increased by 41.69% - exceeding target by 266%.

• PR generated SGD 460,000 of earned media and counting – 235% more than the media budget

• The campaign received thousands of comments and positive reactions online – Playing a big role in shifting negative banking comments towards more neighbourly conversations

Aside from these brand metrics, the campaign also made an impact in the lives of the "neighbours" featured in the content, also giving them a voice and a venue to share their stories to inspire others.

More importantly, NeighboursFrst.SG helped spark a new sense of neighbourliness - welcoming every singaporean in this new neighbourhood.