Singapore has got a rather rigid regulatory environment - for advertising in general and specifically for pharmaceutical products. This concept meets all of the regulations and was approved by all relevant bodies prior to execution.

In specific: The messaging and the executional concept had to be approved by the health authorities. At the same time the actual performance and the locations had to be approved by city bodies responsible for public space.

Although readily available as a free for sale product, the regulations of Singapore do not allow for sampling of Eye Mo. Hence the promotional/ambient stunt needed to focus on engaging the audience for the message and the topic of not forgetting to protect eyes in heat/haze.

At the same time the regulations for out of home communication are strict. There are no widespread billboard sites, graffiti/street drawing, "true guerilla", littering with flyers or stickers - all these things commonly part of street promotions are crimes in Singapore. The usage of the cultural craft/art form of water calligraphy and the message delivery via speakers helped stay clear of this.

Singapore was suffering a dry spell and 1,000 forest fires were sending harmful haze to the city. On the back of this Eye Mo wanted to engage the general public - since these moisturizing and anti-irritant drops protect eyes. The slim budget (S$7,500) did not allow mass media, so we opted for ambient.

Singapore regulations on OOH being strict (graffiti/street paintings forbidden, littering with stickers/flyers a crime) we found an approach that worked within the laws and also created cultural relevance. The branded message was disguised as street art performance. At 8 sites a local calligraphy artist used only water to draw eyes on the pavement. As they dried away, speakers delivered the payoff: “Do not let your eyes go dry. Use Eye Mo.”

Obviously a captivating demonstration for keeping eyes moisturized in heat and haze - 100% on product/brand. And: delivery as musical art performance and the local artist made it a news topic. Opinion leaders we had invited (mailing/online-video) picked it up.

Beyond active engagement on site (+/-1,000), PR and online elements helped aggregate a non-paid reach of 32,402,878 people across APAC (2,315,000 in Singapore = 45% population). Advertising value: S$70,465. PR value: S$211,390. ROI of over 3000%!

We identified a huge opportunity for the brand to become part of the conversation - after all: eyes were suffering in the heat and haze. Considering that Eye Mo is an over-the-counter product readily on sale and accessible for everyone, and the fact that the entire population was affected, we were talking to the general public. The core message had public service quality: do not forget to protect your eyes. It would have to reach a large part of the city state and ideally even spread to adjacent markets (Malaysia, Indonesia). The S$7,500 budget discounted usage of traditional bought media.

We collaborated with a Singaporean calligraphy artist and developed his first water calligraphy performance. At 8 iconic locations around town he used water to draw beautiful eyes on the pavement - underpinned by music. As the eyes dried away fast in the heat and haze the advertising message was delivered - multilingual for multinational Singapore via speakers: “Don’t let your eyes go dry - use Eye MO.” Surprising, relevant, but also unobtrusive.

And most importantly the performance allowed for great footage.

Pre-empting this performance, 20 opinion leaders and journalists received an invite as direct mail. It contained a piece of Singapore pavement, a brush, and a link to the online video home story of the local artist and his view on calligraphy – creating strong cultural relevance and pushing interest. On site the artist answered questions. Post the event, an online video of the stunt was made available.

The cultural and localized story cleverly enveloped the branded message across multiple channels. This paid off: 11 non-paid media coverage in key local print and online; coverage in 4 of the nation’s news channels, cutting across various demographic segments and racial profiles (Channel News Asia, English; Channel 5, English; Channel 8, Chinese; Suria, Malay). This in turn generated broad awareness for the originating brand and its core message - gaining strong visibility right on the peak of the drought and haze. The goals of engaging the general public were achieved: not only 1,000 people on location - the whole campaign garnered an estimated non-paid reach of 32,402,878 people across 24 territories (including 2,315,000 public, non-paid reach based in Singapore). The campaign delivered an advertising value of S$70,465 and total PR Value of S$211,390 on a budget of only S$7,500 - an unbelievable return on investment of over 3000%.

The pressing problem was affecting people on the streets - a street stunt felt like the right approach.

Knowing the hunger of local and regional media for stories with a strong cultural aspect and with impactful images, we developed a branded street stunt that worked more like a street art performance. This also took into account the strict limitations on out of home advertising in Singapore (no billboards; graffiti and littering are crimes).

The performance was intended to create impact on the ground and allow audience participation, but its main drive was to generate wide media coverage. Hence opinion leaders and journalists were involved early and directly, receiving background information on the performance and the participating local artist, as well as invitations to the locations.

The product played a role in the background, allowing media to pick up a current cultural event without being seen to overtly promote a brand.

Eye Mo is a rather small, regional GSK OTC brand. The product has got anti-irritating and moisturizing qualities to help protect and clear eyes. On sale in and around Singapore only, it is not supported with a substantial marketing communications budget.

Early 2014 Singapore was hit by the worst dry spell in over 100 years and hundreds of forest fires in neighbouring countries caused harmful haze polluting the sky.

Press and media were widely covering both drought and haze - and their effect on people. But of course Eye Mo was not part of the conversation, yet.