The Singapore institutions that are ‘slaying’ Gen Z marketing like never before

Home-grown institutions are getting a glow-up using #GenZmarketing.

A recent TikTok video by National Gallery Singapore (NGS) opens with an older man greeting his audience using Gen Z slang: “Hey, besties. Time to enter your artsy era.”

Museum employee Clarence Yeo, who is in his 60s, continues using Gen Z parlance as he walks around the museum, declaring “the vibes are immaculate around here”. He then crowns iconic artist Georgette Chen “queen of giving us the bombastic side eye”, referring to the Singapore pioneer’s famous Self Portrait on a museum wall.

NGS’ video has since gone viral. Posted on Sept 26, it garnered 2.5 million views on TikTok and 4.2 million views on Instagram a month later, according to figures provided by the museum.

“This intergenerational meme resonates because it bridges generational gaps in a relatable and humorous way,” says Ms Ling Ying Shing, assistant director of integrated marketing at NGS.

“While initially targeted at Gen Z, we’ve received enthusiastic reactions from people of all ages and backgrounds globally,” she says, adding that it aligns with the museum’s goal of making art accessible for everyone.

The video was conceptualised by the museum’s social media content creator, Ms Amelia Loh, 27. Mr Yeo, its newly minted TikTok star, now has visitors requesting photos with him.

More government ministries and public institutions are hopping onto a worldwide social media trend, in which Gen Z interns, aged up to 27, write the marketing script for their older colleagues to present.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mandai Wildlife Group, for example, have scored hundreds of thousands of views online for short videos along these lines, with the most successful reaching a few million.

Using Gen Z-speak to gently poke fun at intergenerational dynamics is a new, cost-effective way to attract wider audiences, observers say. As such, staid institutions steeped in tradition are tweaking their social media strategies with these memes.

STB’s director of marketing activation, Ms Georgina Koh, says: “Adapting to current social media trends, while maintaining our brand identity, allows for organic, timely engagement, potentially increasing virality and reach. It represents a subtle evolution in our strategy.”

In a video posted on Oct 11 on STB’s @visit_singapore accounts, Mr Andros Wong, a 62-year-old tour guide from Tribe Tours agency, highlights disappearing local trades, using a plethora of phrases popular with the TikTok crowd.

He hails the “CEO of preserving the craft of traditional paper houses” as a “sigma”, a Gen Z term denoting dominance and success. He also describes the high temperatures at a coffee factory as “it’s giving sauna, it’s giving facial”, where “it’s giving” describes an intense mood or vibe.

The video ends with Mr Wong proclaiming “Slay” (which means to do a job exceedingly well) and making a heart shape with his hands. It has amassed more than 520,000 views across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts.

At Mandai Wildlife Group, Gen Z-friendly content plays a role in reaching global audiences who no longer actively google the information they want, but discover new experiences through social media videos.

A video about the group’s River Wonders wildlife park, posted on Sept 11, has garnered more than 2.23 million views across the @MandaiWildlifeReserve account on TikTok and Instagram. Here, two Mandai Wildlife Group assistant operations managers who are millennials – an age group that ranges from 28 to 43 – engage in a deadpan delivery sprinkled with slang terms used by those several years younger.

Mr Joseph Kwa, 37, for instance, maintains a poker face while promoting how River Wonders is “perfect for your brat summer”. The multi-faceted term “brat summer” can mean accepting one’s imperfections while embracing the pleasures of summer. Mr S.A. Suresh, 32, intones phrases like “Our manatees ate and left no crumbs”, denoting admiration and praise for the marine mammal.

Ms Cassandra Loo, digital and data manager at Mandai Wildlife Group, says: “With their unique language and culture, the slang and jargon spoken by Gen Zers can sometimes be confusing to older generations... We hope this video helped in deciphering Gen Z slang. After all, this group of influential digital natives is the future.

“Particularly among younger audiences, social search is gaining momentum, with a preference for searching for and learning more about a brand through social media videos instead of traditional search engines.”

She adds that audiences in other countries often comment that watching @MandaiWildlifeReserve videos has inspired them to visit the reserve, which encompasses wildlife parks River Wonders, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Paradise.

Meanwhile, MOM already has a strong TikTok game despite launching its TikTok account, SGMinistryofManpower, only in September.

A video announcing that the ministry is “now on TikTok” has about 2.4 million views, while its “Gen Z writes the marketing script” video, posted on Oct 11, scored more than 390,000 views on TikTok and 4,500 views on Instagram.

In it, two middle-aged gents talk approvingly about the “main character energy” – which refers to the charisma and self-assurance associated with the main protagonist in a novel or movie – that flexible work arrangements bestow. Other topics featured by MOM recently on social media include career health and legislation relating to workplace fairness.

The ministry’s director of communications and engagement, Ms Loh Su Hsing, says: “By adopting a humorous and light-hearted approach in our content, we hope that MOM comes across as approachable and relatable, while creating a strong connection with our audiences”.

These intergenerational TikTok videos have resonated with many Gen Z Singaporeans.

Ms Alicia Sim, 23, says: “Sometimes, these household names give younger people the impression of being serious and slightly daunting. There’s a whole generation of us just entering the workforce. Here, you can tell that these established brands are trying to rejuvenate their image. It’s like, ‘Oh, the brands are actually listening to us.’ It’s fresh, it’s giving authenticity.”

The Nanyang Technological University undergraduate, who is interning at a public relations agency, adds: “The slang is almost like a code. It breaks the ice. If you can understand my code, I’m more likely to trust you. I feel that younger audiences appreciate that more. It feels more friendly, versus a formal info-dump session. It’s a two-way relationship.”

Digital marketing experts say the wholesome, intergenerational marketing meme defuses some of the perceived tension between generations, embodied in the “OK boomer” internet catchphrase of recent years. The dismissive phrase, which suggests there is no use arguing with seniors who do not know what they are talking about, is widely used to mock attitudes associated with older people.

Assistant Professor Jisu Kim, who teaches Digital Communications and Integrated Media undergraduates at the Singapore Institute of Technology, describes this new, intergenerational exchange, where “Gen Z writes the marketing script”, as an “inviting and friendly” dynamic. This is in contrast to the denigration of younger adults as being fragile “snowflakes”, and countering “OK boomer” accusations, in some online videos.

Piggybacking onto TikTok memes also costs less for businesses and organisations, she says.

“Cost-wise, compared with using influencers for social media strategies, using ongoing trends is more effective.”

She cautions, however, that trend-jacking, a popular digital marketing technique used to leverage the power of trending topics, events or hashtags on social media, can backfire.

“Using trends like the ‘very mindful, very demure’ meme, just to be connected with Gen Z, may not result in a consistency in organisations’ social media strategies,” she says, adding that different age groups have diverse expectations and needs online.

For now, Mr Yeo, NGS’ latest TikTok sensation, is enjoying this youthful immersion.

The visitor experience ambassador at the museum says: “The words that I regularly use, like ‘lit’ and ‘cooking’, have a different meaning for me. They were quite confusing and surprising as they have a different meaning for Gen Zers. I still don’t know why something that is nice is described as ‘fire’ but it’s interesting.

“The reactions have been positive and encouraging, although I did not expect the video to become viral. Visitors’ requests to take photos with me have been polite and respectful.”

Now, when people ask him if he was in NGS’ TikTok video, he replies “no cap”. This means “for real” or “no lie” in Gen Z-speak.

This article was originally posted in The Straits Times.