With this work, Mediacorp introduced a new format of advertising to give street buskers a new stage: Buskermercials!

As a Singaporean radio network with a diverse suite of 12 stations, Mediacorp launched this media offering for two reasons: (1) to achieve its brand purpose of supporting local creative talent through the pandemic, and (2) to meet its business objective of selling commercial spots.

As an ever-growing platform, Buskermercials connect 350+ local buskers with world-famous brands, equipping them to write, perform, and engineer promotional songs. These are then aired on radio and more, with buskers earning 100% of the production cost.

Thanks to rising community cases, ever-evolving variants, and strict safe-distancing rules, busking hasn’t been allowed on the streets of Singapore for over a year now. This has resulted in 350+ buskers losing a major source of income, with some reporting that their earnings dropped entirely to zero.

Despite attempts to perform online – via their own Facebook Live streams or other virtual events – they are met with poor turnouts and income due to their tiny social following.

Unable to land paid, professional opportunities, most buskers were forced to take up low-paying, unskilled gigs like food delivery, construction work, etc. this past year.

As a national radio network and strong supporter of local creativity, Mediacorp found a way to give street performers a new avenue to monetise their talents and earn a living again.

Music may have been banned from the streets. But there’s one place where it never left: commercials.

With brands looking to increase media exposure and reduce production costs, Mediacorp identified a business solution to give brands what they want. And buskers what they need.

Introducing Buskermercials – a new format of advertising that gives buskers a new stage.

This platform connects 350+ local buskers with world-famous brands, equipping them to write, perform, and engineer promotional songs. So the unemployed musicians earn 100% of the production cost. While the brands enjoy affordable placements of these memorable 30-60-second songs, across Mediacorp’s 12 radio stations and more.

Each song concludes with a simple audio mnemonic to introduce the talented local busker behind it: “This Mediacorp Buskermercial starred local busker, !”

Mediacorp, Singapore’s top radio network, launched Buskermercials as a media offering for two reasons: (1) to achieve its brand purpose of supporting local creative talent, and (2) to meet its business objective of selling commercial spots.

To effectively reach out to buskers, Mediacorp works with the Buskers’ Association Singapore to identify and induct street musicians who can write original songs.

Meanwhile, their commercial planning team liaises with brands – promoting this new, affordable format of advertising to a wide variety of new as well as existing clients who approach them.

Thus, a platform has been built, connecting buskers to brands, with the resultant songs being played regularly across Mediacorp’s diverse suite of 12 radio stations. Some brands even pay more to adapt the buskers’ songs into social videos, Spotify ads, and more.

In this self-sustaining ecosystem, brands brief buskers to turn single-minded propositions into songs of different genres. From rock, to R&B, and of course, classic, busker-like melodies.

Buskers who are unable to produce their own songs are given access to Mediacorp’s studios and audio engineers for free.

So far, new brands have come on board every week. Including famous F&B brands like Pizza Hut and KFC, popular online retailers like Amazon, the nation’s largest telecom company, Singtel (5G), a government environmental initiative, CNA Green Plan, and more.

The 35+ hours of Buskermercials that they sponsored have run on Mediacorp Radio, reaching 88% of Singapore’s adult listeners. They have also been shared as social content, turned into Spotify ads, and streamed on Mediacorp’s meLISTEN platform.

Today, the platform is still evolving – with many brands looking for new ways to leverage Buskermercials and cut through the clutter of typical advertising.

With Buskermercials, buskers earned avg. $3,000/month – roughly 60% more than their pre-pandemic income. And a gigantic leap since the busking ban, when some reported that their earnings dropped to zero. Thus, the platform has been established as a new source of income.

The up-and-coming artists also benefited from an incredible increase in exposure. From performing for hundreds of people on the streets and via their social pages, to having their songs/names being heard by approx. 3.7 million listeners – in a country of only 5.7 million residents.

Brands have also seen positive results – with Pizza Hut reporting an increase in brand recall and sales.

Today, the platform continues to grow – with a global finance company, a Southeast Asian insurer, and a national museum expressing interest this past month. And they’re looking to take Buskermercials to a whole new level, with OOH displays, virtual activations, and more.