A FEW seconds couldn’t pass without anyone entering the red karaoke booth. After a singer, or at least a person who thinks of himself as such, goes in and belts his lungs out, another is already choosing which song to sing—since what a mic is to Filipinos is what light is to moths.
One 50-something woman, in particular, takes the open stage at Alabang Town Center (ATC) where the solitary KTV booth is set up. Laidback in shirt and jeans, she could pass as anyone’s favorite tita who hands out the fattest ampao on Christmas. But at that moment, she’s taking on Mariah Carey. She bobs her head to the intro, clears the first line, and each one that followed. She may very well be Mariah Carey. The crowd goes wild. The song ends. The woman emerges from the booth like nothing happened.
The next singer was a young woman who chose to go with Ariana Grande. Again, just like the tita before her, she exceeded expectations and dazzled the crowd, so much so that people were wondering if they had seen her before in singing competitions on TV, and if not, then why?
“You guys are so musical that it’s annoying,” Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Assistant Chief Executive Lynette Pang told me, no doubt only half-jestingly.
Minutes before dropping our jaws over the random talents at the recent “SINGapore Karaoke Booth” event in Cortes De Las Palmas at ATC, Pang and I were in a nearby restaurant talking about STB’s unique global tourism campaign, one that is based not just on vapid description of places, but on stories of locals; one that is not just based on faceless statistics, but on passions of people.
“Passion Made Possible” is STB’s tourism campaign launched in Singapore last year that does not depend on a particular market’s demographic. Instead, the project is based on psychographics, or market research that classifies population groups according to psychological variables, including passions.
“For two people to have a true connection, they are not going to talk about their age, or what school they went to. They will talk about their interests, their passions,” Pang said during the exclusive interview. “Passions bring people together.”
The campaign was launched with four “Passion Tribes,” namely, Foodie, Explorer, Collector and Progressor. These are classification groups from which potential visitors to Singapore can design an itinerary based on their lifestyle and interests. For example, STB helps Foodies focus on experiencing the best dishes The Lion City has to offer, while Progressors, or business travelers, are guided where to connect, collaborate and innovate.
Pang said the intent for the maiden year of the program was to introduce the concept of passion tribes to all of their 16 regional and international markets. On its second run, they are looking to build on familiarity and affinity while presenting three new tribes: Socializer, Action Seeker and Culture Shaper.
The SINGapore Karaoke Booth in ATC was actually the first leg of the program’s second wave, as well as the global activation of the new Socializer tribe.
STB chose the Philippines as the venue for the twin launches because of two things: first, the country’s important role to Singapore tourism, being the third-largest market in terms of visitor arrivals within Southeast Asia and seventh worldwide. Second, because Filipinos simply love to have fun.
According to Lael Loh, STB Philippines area director, tapping into the Filipino’s passion for singing was a focal point in conceptualizing the event. “With the SINGapore Karaoke, the idea is to give people a chance to have their own stage, follow their passion for music, and then hopefully delight them to a trip to Singapore to experience firsthand the different offerings that we have there.”
Pang said Singapore has a diverse and vibrant music and entertainment scene that includes the coolest indie bands and the biggest international headliners, plus eclectic music fests, jazz nights and raves—a broad selection that caters to every music lover.
The STB assistant chief executive added that this kind of diversity extends to the different fronts of Singapore, as well. In terms of the city’s appeal, there’s a healthy mix between greens and concrete. In terms of food, there’s no shortage of options from the more budget-friendly Chicken Rice for $2.50 and Singapore-style coffee for $1.50, to posh Michelin-starred dinners.
Pang hopes that by raising awareness on this rich selection of choices through the program, people can see Singapore beyond the iconic Merlion Park, Orchard Lane and Universal Studios.
“Spend at least four days in Singapore,” she said. “Go explore the back alley ways of Little India and China Town, visit the wet market, take the train, go to any of the nature reserve, visit the 12 bars that made it to Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Experience a different slice of life.”