HOW? CAN!

Singapore, January 2017 – The bleak economy is no laughing matter. Just ask any Singaporean on the streets and you'll potentially hear sentiments that resonate with anxiety and concern about the deterioriation in recent economic data.

 

In response to the bleak outlook, the Singapore government has created the “Adapt and Grow” initiative to help Singaporeans at different stages of their lives meet ongoing challenges in their careers. This is part of a series of contingency measures that will help the nation tide through this season of sluggish economic growth. 

 

In order to help launch this continuous effort by Workforce Singapore (WSG), the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has tasked Tribal Worldwide to communicate the different programmes that are available for PMETs to secure quality jobs in diverse industries.

 

“How” did Tribal Worldwide do it? The agency designed a campaign that would speak to the man in the street by using the locally-relevant colloquial slangs, “How?” and “Can!”. These familiar candid expressions were adopted into a series of 60-second online and TV spots that features the humorous banter between two characters, each of whom embodied the spirit of “How?” and “Can!”. In this way, the delicate topic was approached in a comforting albeit light-hearted way. The comedic tone was also set to disarm the anxious mood amongst Singaporeans, and inspire PMETs to take on a ‘can-do’ spirit when it came to forging a sustainable future through career conversion or skills upgrading.

 

The TV and online spots also utilises charming moveable set elements that transforms the setting of a scene in mere seconds, accomplished by ‘stage-hands’ dressed in inconspicuous suits. This choice in art direction serves as an apt metaphor about the adaptable and accessible nature of the programmes administered by WSG.