Exploring our history

RICE was tasked to develop an integrated communications campaign to encourage audiences to look at Singapore’s history in new ways and drive participation in the Future of Our Pasts Festival.

History is often seen as static, monolithic and boring. In Singapore, what comes to mind when people think of its history are common narratives and imageries. But what about some of the smaller, micro-narratives that might have slipped through the annals of history?

TFOOPFest is a festival organised by Yale-NUS College, in support of the Singapore Bicentennial. Taking place for the first time in 2019, the festival featured 11 projects that reimagined lesser-known stories of communities and places of Singapore’s past through creative mediums.

The results? 324 pieces of earned coverage across print, broadcast, online and social media platforms. We also organically grew the number of followers on the festival’s Facebook (48% increase) and Instagram (104% increase).

In the month leading up to the festival launch, we set up mobile coffee carts at four local universities. The pop-ups set the backdrop for intimate, on-the-ground conversations, allowing the project creators and members of the public to exchange thoughts on Singapore’s history over coffee. Through limited edition festival merchandise giveaways, these conversations were also taken into the digital sphere.

A festival zine was also developed in the style of an activity book. 2,500 copies of the zine were printed and placed in several locations across Singapore. Interactive design elements allowed for content to be repurposed on the festival’s social media platforms to further boost audience engagement online.

RICE also provided creative and strategic counsel for the festival teaser video that was published on Facebook and Instagram a month before launch.

These efforts were matched with comprehensive earned media outreach and paid content partnerships. Through our integrated communications campaign, RICE also engaged influencers through a paid and earned strategy to amplify the festival’s reach across the lifestyle and art space.

Learn more about RICE’s client work on our Showcase page.