CASE STUDY: Leo Burnett's 'Beautifully Imperfect' TVC changes perceptions in Singapore

MCYS approached Leo Burnett with a single objective: To get Singaporeans to be more open to marriage.

With declining marriage rates and increasing number of singles there weren't many walking down the aisle. It was also observed that Singaporeans were getting married later and divorce rates were at an all-time high, rising from 4,888 in 1997 to 7,226 in 2007.

The challenge was not only to ask Singaporeans to go out and find the special someone, but also change the perception of that 'special someone' and love and cherish them for all their flaws and imperfections. 

Aim

With an aim to change behaviour towards marriage, Leo Burnett divided the task into three parts: Generating awareness through media exposure, encouraging engagement by getting people to talk about it and evaluating behavioural change post campaign.

As there was no prior data available to serve as a benchmark, Leo Burnett proceeded by asking youngsters how their perceptions had changed towards relationships and if they had started dating and meeting people. 

Execution

The launch vehicle was a three-minute spot that took a very atypical approach to deal with the topic of marriage by setting it at a funeral. The spot revolves around the unusual eulogy of a widow talking about her late husband and his many idiosyncrasies and how she misses his imperfections after his death.

At launch, the ad ran for 12 days across the most viewed free-to-air channels in Singapore. It was also aired during Primetime News Time over the first three days. This drove the necessary initial momentum for the campaign. 

To maximise the experience of this emotional three-minute short-film, cinemas were extensively used as a medium. OOH screens at traffic-heavy areas and TV mobile on buses were also used to reach out to people who were out and about.

Additionally, a platform was created on Facebook entitled 'Beautifully Imperfect'. The page was the campaign's engagement platform where people touched by the spot came together and shared their own Beautifully Imperfect stories. Here, a contest was organised on Facebook to find the most Beautifully Imperfect couple. Couples who participated in the contest had to get their friends on Facebook to vote for them and their entries. The winners of the Facebook campaign and their friends were invited to an exclusive awards ceremony held at Siloso Beach Resort at the end of the Contest.

Ad-space was bought within Facebook itself to encourage engagement and drive users to the Facebook Page. Other traffic drivers included banners on the MCYS page - thinkfamily.sg.

An extensive PR plan was put in place to engage local media regularly for an extended period of campaign presence in the media. Leo Burnett also distributed the film to SDU (Social Development Unit) and other dating agencies, where it actively played to encourage young singles as they look for life partners.

Results

The film ad was watched by more than 3.2 million people on social media in less than 25 weeks and generated more than S$2.3 million in print, radio, television and PR exposure, versus a target of S$1 million as originally expected. 

The Facebook site received 120,000 unique visitors and was the 19th most favoured YouTube video in the world. More importantly, in terms of delivering the results, 83 per cent felt that the ad made a positive impression about the meaning of marriage and they looked forward to growing old with their partner. 

The aim of the ad was to go beyond just being the front page headline story in the Straits TImes, which it did. It taught millions of Singaporeans how to fall in love again.

Credits

Project: Beautifully Imperfect (Funeral - TVC) 
Client: Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Creative agency: Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Singapore
Creative Director/ ECD: Yasmin Ahmad/ Chris Chiu
Account service: Kurt Viertel, Margaret Leong, Claire Chan, Lee MinQi, Saurabh Varma
Campaign date: 5 April 2009
Exposure: TV, Cinema, TV Mobile, OOH Video Walls, Online