Project Rediscover

The current issue posed to the team is that the foot traffic in certain areas of Kampong Glam such as Haji Lane and Bussorah Street is too saturated. It is observable that murals along Haji Lane attract the most footfall. However, there remains a disconnect in foot traffic between stakeholders on the lesser-known streets such as Pahang Street and Jalan Kubor. Therefore, there is a need to redirect traffic to lesser-known streets and to create more awareness about the different cultures and heritage in Kampong Glam as a whole.

"It’s been a pleasure working with the students from the BA (HONS) Arts Management students on PROJECT REDISCOVER 3, which focused on Kampong Gelam this time. They were enthusiastic and resourceful, in spite of some of the challenges thrown their way – the surge in Covid – Omicron cases being one of the biggest hurdles faced. They were quick to think on their feet and introduced some new and youthful ideas to bring interest to one of the oldest heritage precincts in Singapore. The students were resourceful and responsive, bringing in youthful perspectives on the project. It also helped that we had synergy with Sunitha, who was their lecturer-mentor. This included producing TikTok videos to reach out to their peers, as well as introducing the idea of an IG Live session to promote the strike-out activities. I hope the experience of working on a ‘live’ project such as this has also been a positive learning experience for them, as they make their way into the arts and cultural sector."

Stella Clare Wee
Executive Manager (Education & Outreach)
Conservation Management

Marketing Director: Shalyn Lim

• Oversees Project Rediscover Kampong Glam 2022
• Responsible for providing direction and guidance toward the project’s goals
• Sets timelines and check-ins on the team's progress
• Ensures that the project is moving according to timeline

Project Manager: Walter Soh

• Works closely with Marketing Director
• Liaises with Project Supervisor and Clients
• Oversee the financial administration of the organisation
• Assist in management of milestones

Communications Executive: Roxana Yeo

• To maintain a positive public image for the organisation
• Create media, from press releases to social media messages that align with Urban Redevelopment Authority's mission
• Works closely with Social Media Executive and Creative Manager to ensure cohesion

Social Media Executive: Hyorim Yoo

• Creating and curating content for social media
• Responsible for keeping the team’s social media relevant, fresh and engaging to receive more followers and shares
• Sifting, sorting, and sharing appropriate content and presenting it to the team’s social media followers in a way that adds value
• Works closely with Communications Executive and Creative Manager to ensure cohesion

Market Research Analyst: Tricia Chan

• Gathers and analyses survey and social media performance metrics
• Examines current marketing advertising and advises team on marketing strategies
• Ensures that marketing strategies meets project’s objectives  

Creative Director: Mandel Yap

• Determines creative direction and vision of project
• Ensures visual communication and brand standards are met across all social media
• Manages the creative process from concept to completing
• Translate marketing objectives into clear creative strategies

Editorial Manager: Anna Khairyna Binte

• Ensures optimal editorial and marketing copywriting on website
• Manages photo and video edits and selection
• Collaborates with executives to write marketing content
• Oversee website documentation

Key goals

The problem statement that the client, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), has identified was that the foot traffic in certain areas of Kampong Gelam (KG) is too saturated, with a disconnect in foot traffic between stakeholders in lesser-known streets. 

To address this issue, the team came up with 3 Key Performance Indicators to redirect traffic to the unknown parts of Kampong Gelam:

1. Growth in audience

The team set out to double the number of followers that the Project Rediscover Instagram account had, from the previous year’s edition. 

• 2020: 245 followers
• 2021: 556 followers
• Target Goal for 2022: 1100 followers

2. Increased publicity

By increasing mainstream media coverage for Project Rediscover as compared to 2021’s edition where the project was featured on The Straits Times, the team hoped to get increased publicity and attention on the project. 

3. Average of 1,000 views on each TikTok video

By introducing TikTok as a brand new means of reaching the target audience, and on the platform we set the target number of 1,000 average views per video. 

Objectives:

1. Make known the unheard stories about Kampong Gelam
2. Uncovering and generating content for the lesser-known streets of Kampong Gelam
3. Locating heritage trades and stalls in the area

The team has concluded that the project requires provisions, which include logistics as well as services to be outsourced to external hires. As such, a comprehensive breakdown of the proposed provisions was required along with the team’s estimated costs incurred. These were subsequently included in the budget for approval by URA, so as to facilitate the procurement of the provisions listed below.

Proposed provisions for social media outreach:

• Instagram and Facebook Sponsored posts

Sponsored posts and time targeted postings utilising Facebook’s business suite. This allows The Team to specifically target the desired target audience and cater content posts to better suit current trends and preferences of the audience

• Graphic Designer

The provisions allow illustration and creation of social media content so as to customise content and to align the social media feed of the various handles that The Team will be managing.

• Video Editor

The provisions allow for editing of the content filmed by the team by a qualified video editor. Content will be filmed in 9:16 format at 2.7k resolution at 55 fps, so as to conform to TikTok’s devices viewing requirements.

• Strike-out campaign prizes

The provisions allow for prizes in the form of GRAB vouchers to be sourced for the purpose of the Strike-out campaign.

Stage 1: Research and Development (Aug – End Oct 2021)

During this period, the team got together to brainstorm ideas for the project as well as having a survey conducted to better understand the selected target audiences. Following the pitch session, there were some changes and tweaks made according to feedback received from both the client and the project supervisor.

Stage 2: Content Curation and Production (Early Nov 2021 – Early Jan 2022)

This stage consisted of site recce, researching the ins and outs of the area and coming up with scripts, editing the script according to client’s requests. Looking for creatives and engaging them accordingly for the videography and graphic design process. This was followed by setting up a filming schedule sheet and going down to Kampong Gelam to carry out the necessary filming.

Stage 3: Post-Production Editing and Editorial (Jan 2022)

After all the filming for the required photos/clips were finished, there were rounds and rounds of edits (e.g. 7 drafts for TikTok). This was also the period when the social media calendar was being created according to the time and dates that the target audiences were most active on the respective social media platforms. Simultaneously, Instagram content and ideation was being drafted.

Stage 4: Execution of Project (Early Feb – End Mar 2022)

Rolling the team’s Social Media Contents + Carrying out the on-site Strikeout Challenge.

This phase was the most crucial point of the entire project. During this period, the team also had to be at Kampong Gelam to negotiate with the  stakeholders on their participation in the Strikeout challenge. 

The social media contents were rolled out according to plan following the social media calendar that was planned ahead. 

Around the middle of March, the team was faced with the issue of the Strikeout challenge and the social media platforms not receiving as much attention as wanted, as such, the team came together to adapt and come up with various ways to give the project a final push to try out other method that could help to meet the targeted goals and objectives of the project and they were:

1. Carrying out paid ads on IG
2. Members to actively promote the IG + TikTok account on their personal accounts
3. Getting LASALLE's Marcomms to promote the project on their Instagram
4. Doing an IG live

The team was glad that upon these efforts, the numbers were much closer to the targeted goals and objectives. 

Stage 5: Presentation and Submission

After the execution was completed, the team came together to do a post-mortem and reflected on the project both individually and as a team, this was a huge learning point and the team also thought of suggestions that could be improved for the future editions of Project Rediscover. 

Along with the reflection, the team also started the preparation for the presentation and submission of the documentation. 

Research Methodology

The team used surveys as a research methodology, to understand the barriers when visiting Kampong Glam, the team will leverage an existing Instagram account and a new TikTok page. Stories that can be shared about Kampong Glam’s historic district will be created and curated on these platforms. Elements of content curation and content creation will be introduced.

1. To create unheard stories about Kampong Glam
2. To attract the Millennials to Kampong Glam and learn about the historic significance
3. Uncovering and generating content for the lesser-known streets of Kampong Glam
4. Locating heritage trades and stalls in the area

Purpose of conducting audience survey:

• To gain an insight into the target audience's current lifestyle and habits
• Understanding the target audience's current engagement levels when visiting Kampong Glam
• Identifying the target audience barriers and motivations for visiting Kampong Glam
• To understand the target audience's current perceptions of Heritage and Cultural learning.

Target Audience: 

• Gen Zs - Millennials
• Age range 17-35 years old

The team adopted a quantitative approach and its main primary data collection was through the method of a survey. Using an audience survey, the team collected a sample size of 92 respondents, aged 17- 40 years old. 

_{*Research is not statistically represented and respondents were approached via random sampling.}

1. TikTok

For prior research done to further uncover the unknown stories of Kampong Gelam, the team went through these different resources: 

1. Primary Resource: Site Recce 
2. Secondary Resource: 

• Books and catalogues provided by client (Stella, URA) 
• Reliable online sites and archives such as National Archives of Singapore, National Library Board and Roots.

The main insight that the team got from this research conducted to come up with contents, was that there were many diverse communities in Kampong Gelam aside from the Malay community which were in the area.

2. Instagram

Prior research done for Instagram includes looking at survey findings that showed audiences’ interest in existing accounts with heritage and lifestyle content. Through examining and observing these accounts, informed the project’s direction towards the creation of content.

Examples include, Our Grandfather Stories (OGS) and Kinetic Singapore.

Furthermore, understanding Kampong Gelam’s background was highly necessary and as such, the team’s primary research sources included:

• Books and catalogues provided by client (Stella, URA) 
• Reliable online sites and archives such as National Archives of Singapore, National Library Board and Roots.

3. Strikeout

Prior to the start of the Strike Out Challenge, the team managed to do a few site visits to Kampong Gelam. The first site visit consisted of the team locating and short listing the various places/stores they wanted to include in the challenge. After the first site visit, the team sat down and discussed and short listed a total of 9 locations/stores they wanted.

As for the second site visit, the team went down to the shortlisted places to inform the different stakeholders on the Strike Out challenge. The team hopes to seek permission from the stakeholders in allowing participants to come and take a few photos of their store. After everything was confirmed with the various stakeholders, the team managed to proceed with the Strike Out challenge.

4. Public Relations

Other than getting organically picked up by a press outlet such as The Straits Times. The team planned to reach out to arts and Arts Management telegram group channels to utilise this as a promotional tool. We saw an increase in art events listings through these channels as a more instantaneous way to reach audiences. The team put together a list of potential arts and event telegram channels that were viable options to reach out to. The team also researched on press release templates, similar media releases and referenced previous year’s press releases as examples. The team also planned to reach out to websites such as ArtsEquator and PluralArtMag.

1. TikTok

• Through the TikTok account, the team wanted to: 
• Showcase the unknown side of Kampong Gelam where the target audience's interests might lie.
• Balance out the heritage & lifestyle aspects of the area shown.
• Answer to initial preconceived assumptions they had of Kampong Gelam.

By coming up with videos abiding to the team’s set framework as above, the team managed to reach the target with an average of 1358 views/post.

2. Instagram

Although ‘Takeover Tuesday’ series turned out to be more like an interview setting instead of having the stakeholder’s point of view and informal filming, the reactions from the series were mainly positive and garnered one of the top engagement on Instagram with 1,572 views and an average of 1,057 views across three videos. 

While Project Rediscover 2022’s Instagram account grew in terms of followers, this year’s run came really close to doubling the number of the followers and achieved 1036 followers. Despite its close reach, this year managed to retain and even reached out to newer audiences outside of Project Rediscover’s target demographics of aged 36 years old and above. 

A factor that led to the growth in followers was also due to the contribution of added strategic uses of Facebook Business Suite where the team could schedule Instagram posts to coincide with the timing when most of their followers would be online. Thus, allowed more audiences to interact with the Instagram stories and posts.

Project Rediscover's 2022 Tagline: Revisit, Rediscover, Reconnect.

3. Strikeout

At the end of the Strike Out Challenge, the team managed to receive a total of 13 entries. Even though it was not what the team expected, as they hope to garner a higher number of entries from their target audience. Given that the team tried their best to entice the target audiences.

4. Public Relations

The team did not specify an expected outcome to be realised, however the team hoped for a wider reach and promotion for audiences to partake in the Strike Out challenge and engage in the Social Media content. The team expected the outcome to be executed expeditiously before the Strike Out Challenge was being pushed out and intended for the promotion to happen mainly via word of mouth and through the platforms of Instagram and Telegram group channels. The team drafted Telegram listing templates and reached out to these platforms.

1. TikTok

Having an average of 1,000 views per video for the 10 short videos which showcase the different heritage and lifestyle options of Kampong Gelam that the target audiences will be interested in.

By analysing the top 3 most viewed TikTok video from the account which were:

1. Singapore’s very own ‘Leaning Tower’?! (2148 views)
2. Fastest Route to Kampong Gelam (1472 views)
3. Date Ideas! (1402 views)

It could be simply analysed that the videos with contents which were surprising or those that impacted viewers directly were well-received. 

TikTok Analytics:

• _{^{View Rate - 2567.42%}}
• _{^{Engagement Rate - 52.27%}}
• _{^{Like Rate - 48.48%}}
• _{^{Comment Rate - 3.79%}}
• _{^{Share Rate - 77.65%}}

Views rates were exceedingly well received and engagement levels were at an average of 50% daily. Though there was engagement, the team collectively felt that more efforts could have been geared towards encouraging more interaction and engagement with the viewers. This could have included adding “comment down your favourite teh”, “tag your friends on the comment section to ask bring them out on a date”. 

TikTok feedbacks:

Even with the rooms for improvements on the engagement level, the TikTok account need received some positive feedbacks from viewers which allowed the team to acknowledge that the objectives were being met, these included: 

•  _{^{“Thanks for the hacks!”}}
•  _{^{“Visited this area so many times but did not observe this”}}
• _{^{“Interesting! Will explore!”}}
• _{^{“Amazing transformation”}}

2. Instagram

To double the initial follower count of 554 followers to 1100 followers. To roll out infographics and content that would captivate, educate and reach out to the project’s target audience to grow interest in Kampong Gelam.

Using Facebook business suite for Instagram analytics, Project Rediscover 2022 did better in terms of Instagram Reach, Instagram Profile Visits and increasing followers. Furthermore, the team’s content had gained traction and received an overwhelming positive response, including the likes and shares from the Minister of State, Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim.

Instagram Analytics (23/02/2022 to 24/03/2022):

• _{^{Instagram Reach: 4,478 accounts (+161.7%)}}
• _{^{Instagram Profile Visits: 1,419 (+1.0K%)}}
• _{^{Instagram Followers: 429 New Followers (+1.5K%)}}

3. Strikeout

The team did not specify the expected outcome for Strike Out. But the team hopes that through this challenge the target audiences would be able to further explore Kampong Gelam and get to know its streets. 

The team concluded there were a few changes that should be made to further entice our target audiences and garner a high amount of participants for the challenge. 

• To consider another way for audiences to post their images. The team concluded that maybe the reason why there was a lack of participants was that participants had to post the images on their Instagram feed. The team noticed that with the target audiences, aesthetics tend to be the utmost priority for them. Hence, if these images would “ruin” their Instagram feed, there will be a lower chance for them to participate and post.
• The team to further consider other ways to entice the target audiences other than just using the prize. 

4. Public Relations

Although the reach of the campaign was not as widespread as initially planned, the team managed to sufficiently promote their campaign through word of mouth and received positive feedback and support within their community.

The team came to the conclusion that the most effective way to garner attention to the project was through word of mouth, given the time frame that the team was working with. With the support of Lasalle’s Marcomms team through shoutouts on their Instagram page and the promotion on the Arts Management Instagram and telegram group channels. The team analysed that the feedback and engagement received through these platforms were the most effective in engaging their audiences in a short amount of time.

Proposed budget plan here.

Link to results and final presentation slides here.