Today, there was a newspaper article in the Straits Times Lifestyle section (labelled Singlish ad gets laughs, pg6), whereby a dissection of viewer's responses to the ad was discussed. The most immediate negative reaction was one of disgust, stemming from the thick and exaggerated singlish accents and cheesy dialogue that the actors used. Several watchers said vehemently that it was "one of the worst commercials I had ever seen" and that "It oozes so much emo (emotional content) that it makes my hair stand.”
It is odd how Singaporeans are lambasting the very culture that they practise. This ad was set in a typical everyday place in Singapore with typical everyday dialogue between couples. The conversation may be inane but most of our casual conversations are. So what's with everybody trying to be all so high-strung and 'critical' when the ad so closely reflects (and celebrates) the common Singaporean? These people’s cognitive schematas must have already been hardwired to be sensitive towards an exaggerated portrayal of Singapore culture. I think it’s because we are so sensitive to how Singlish can be portrayed in a negative light (especially because of the government’s efforts in having us speak proper English – Thanks PAP!) that we would rather not be exposed to it in avenues that we normally wouldn’t engage with. It’s fine if we’re actually shooting our singlish mouths off among our group of friends, but somehow it’s not when it’s shown on the TV and broadcasted for the whole of the island to see. This could be an example of self-serving bias, where we indeed would judge ourselves more leniently than if we were to see the exactly same thing in another channel. Maybe it is also just part of our script to instantaneously criticize everything – a typical Singaporean mindset. Perhaps we are only lashing out at this advertisement because something in it struck a raw nerve – our mundane normality and broken language is not exactly something to be exulted.
How we have interpreted this situation has been based on our cultural differences and the social context we have been living with. According to our experiences with this subject and the general opinion, so we have chosen to interpret and attribute negative connotations to this advertisement according to our shaped perceptual set.
This ad is uniquely Singaporean, one might add. Only in this context could it have ever been understood in its totality. The presence of the foodcourt, drink-seller selling teh peng (iced tea) and girl shouting “Uncle, no need.” (Imagine if an American were to see this. He’d go, ‘HUH? That drink-seller is your Uncle??? How odd.” Because he would take the meaning literally.) helped to provide a relatable context so that we could understand it. Unfortunately, who would have thought so much negative discussion would be generated? Then again, one might throw forth the argument that for advertising, any publicity is good publicity.
How did you perceive the ad, and what do you think about the hypocrite in all of us? Do give your views. Cheers.
16 comments:
Uniquely Singapore indeed. Show this ad elsewhere, and no one will know what is happening, maybe just a sense of the corny dialogue right at the end.
Well, regardless of that, I will say that this ad is rather well done, in the sense that it is effective. By knowing their target audience and setting their context right, the advertisement will certainly strike at the heartstrings of the locals.
On the other hand, with it being posted on youtube, it has already been risked being showcased to world. now this may certainly create wrong perceptions. advertisements are almost impossible to please all.
i tell you hor, this ad now so popular and talk by so many people, mean it's a success lor!
if you subscribe to the phrase 'there is no such thing as bad publicity', then this ad would be right up your avenue.
Allswell, being a local founded company, has employed the use of humour in their ad, and i find it sad that PAP, besides teaching us The Queen's English, has also taught us how to take everything so seriously.
but the funny thing is, when NEA(government agency) comes along and airs a serious ad about saving the environment, it gets banned.
enough for now. Big Brother is watching.
The thing about this clip that caught my attention was the lack of creativity rather than the exaggerated use of singlish.
Although the commercial did not appeal to me, i am sure it would have struck the chords of some. And the part you wrote about self-serving bias is SO TRUE!
Some people are rather quick to jump and critic others especially public related media, but in their own lives i am sure they do the exact same things they criticize others about..Sad but true.
:)
Interesting entry. I didn't think that this ad was that bad. It was cheesy but at least they made an effort to make an emotional impact on its target audience. Look at the KFC ad with that guy playing drums while eating a Zinger burger. That is advertising without any effort at all.
Perhaps the language used in this ad was chosen because it relates better to its intended crowd, not to encourage the use of Singlish. But it definitely contradicts the government's efforts to promote speaking good English.
I guess it doesn't really matter if this ad gets air-ed to the rest of the world, and they don't understand it. There are many things that foreigners do not and will not understand about us, not just our language. Like national service. The important point is that we get understood when we want to.
Yea i guess that hypocrisy exists in all of us. Denying that would make me a hypocrite too. Maybe it's because we find it easier to say than to do. We tend to find find excuses for ourselves but we rarely put ourselves in the shoes of others to understand their circumstances. That is perhaps why we always expect more from others than ourselves.
Personally, when I saw the ad for the first time, I felt that it was pretty funny. Not that the script was particularly clever, but the fact that it looked like an everyday conversation made me smile. Sure, to the eyes of the world it is not "cool" at all to speak broken english, and maybe when we present ourselves to people outside Singapore, we should refrain from forming our sentences in this unique "cultural" way we have become so used to. However, only because of the fear they might not understand us. It should not be done because we are embarrassed by the Singlish we use.
I guess the people who have spoken out so harshly with regards to this ad feel just that, embarrasment. Somehow, deep inside they might be ashamed of this style of dialogue and are not comfortable for it to be shown so explicitly in the media. Perhaps they perceive the advertisement as poking fun at some of them who might not be quite that eloquent in proper English and therefore only speak Singlish all the time. As far as hypocrisy goes, I think that if you do use Singlish, you shouldn't be complaining about the ad. But if you truly never do at all and despise the use of it, then fine.
One thing's for sure, the ad got people's attention all right.
I suppose the general consensus then is that this ad was specifically made for the singaporean audience in the hopes that they would be able to relate better to it. As to whether they were expecting this reaction, I do not know. Responses have been mixed so far, which is not such a clear response as to whether it's effective or not. In the end, would you guys be persuaded to buy the drink?
And yes Bryan, sensitivity breeds insecurity. And also yes wei ting, hypocrisy is also rooted in self-denial. These are interesting points to note when we delve deeper into the human psyche.
hey kristy!!! well, this is an interesting post indeed. i think this ad is effective in that it will make a lasting impression on the viewer. like, i will now remember the brand name, but it doesn't mean that i will buy it. i still prefer my teh peng! moreover, it did nothing to help build the company's image and brand because the ad was poorly executed in terms of the cheesy dialogue, cliched style, and bad acting. it's not garnering such a positive response from viwers.
what's the use of publicity if it's not good publicity. sure, it may get a couple more people to buy the allswell drinks, but isn't it better to just come up with an effective and fresh and funny advertisement that everyone will LOVE? that would be great advertising and definitely boost sales for Allswell.
Peace. B)
I read that article and I was flabbergasted at the amount of negative comments that Singaporeans have of this ad.
Personally, I feel that this ad is rather effective and Singlish is part of the Singaporean lifestyle. Why condemn Singlish? It doesn't mean using Singlish = Singaporeans can't use proper English in communication. Other countries have their own slang don't they? The Japanese have different kinds of Japanese language - formal and informal. So why can't Singlish be part of the 'informal' langauge of Singapore then?
I do agree about your view point about self-serving bias. I think humans tend to be much more lenient in judging themselves than others. And that there is a selfish side to each and everyone of us.
And although foreigners will not be able to understand this ad like we do, the adverts aim is to target at the locals, isn't it? So I do not think we will need to be concerned about the foreigners when in the first place this advert target audience is the Singaporeans and I feel that Singlish is something that all Singaporeans can relate to and thus be able to relate to the advertisement as well.
Good article and view points raised!
hey kristy (:
i read that article in the newspaper too! and honestly, when i saw the advert for the first time, i was more taken aback by how badly produced it was, how it lacked substance, though the storyline behind it now is somewhat clear (after reading the article), i think they could have directed it better, to appeal to more than just the singaporean crowd.
the use of singlish and cultural aspects of singapore help to reach out to fellow locals, but the bad production downplays it all.
but then again, as read in the article, i remember a comment made, that an advert with bad feedback is better than an advert with no feedback. so i guess, yes, to some they relate to the cultural aspects of the commercial, other's to the cheesy-ness of it all. but hey, guess it still worked, look at all the hype about it! :D
♥
I find this advertisement rather interesting ! haha . No doubt it may be demeaning to Singaporeans by creating the impression that Singaporeans can't speak proper English for nuts . But , it is a fact that many Singaporeans still uses Singlish . I still do , when I'm on msn or talking with my friends . Not that I can't speak proper English (just with a bit of a problem with it that's all =D)
But still , it kinda shocked me when I first saw it because never in my life would I thought I would hear Singlish on television again after Phua Chu Kang . Which in a way I think is effective as it brings our attention to it and MAYBE to the product in the advertisement .
In any case , the lines are a bit .. cheesy .
This is in my opinion one of the worse ads i have ever seen. But precisely it is so bad, it had a great impression on me. It is true that Singlish is prevalent in the ad. However, i feel that it is not the reason why the ad was bad. This advertisement did not have any logos, pathos or ethos.
We drink Allswell because someone love us? What logic is that?
Ordinary setting - No speaker credibility even though it might strike a resemblance to our daily lives.
Are we emotionally stirred? Probably, but not in the way advertisers want.
Indeed people who criticize the ad for its Singlish is being biased. Must we really speak perfect English? Even the British themselves don't bother about minor mistakes they made in their language. Should we be so bothered about it? Why can't we accept Singlish for what it is? Is it successful government campaigning? Or is it something else at work like our biasness
I really don't understand why people make such a fuss about Singlish. The ad was for the local audience and i'm sure almost all of us understand Singlish. I think it's alright to add a little bit of it in. Least they tried to keep it original.
One time you hear people prasie it for being something you use to identify S'poreans and at other times you hear people say it's bad.
honestly, when i first saw the ad, i had the same reaction as the people in the newspaper. i found it extremely cheesy and thought the use of singlish inappropriate.
but i think differently now after reading your post! true enough, singlish is something most of us are accustomed to. in fact, i think we speak it without realising it sometimes, and that's okay to us, but to have an ad showing the essence of singapore... well, that's different. i agree very much that the negative reactions are an example of self-serving bias!
so thanks kristy, for helping me see this in a different light! :)
I believe that the 'fuss' over singlish, and everyone's apparent disapproval of it, especially in a 'formal' piece of media like an advertisement is due to westernisation. A large part of our culture is influenced by western movies and advertisements or tv programs we see. Even so that as asians, we expect media to not have singlish as well.
Singapore is young if you consider it as a country. It's something like identity confusion for teenagers =p. Perhaps when enough time has passed, we would be more comfortable with our identity, and have a more stable image of who we are.
i agree that this advert doesnt make any sense at all.. its really weird and i dun really get it. why would u be convinced to buy a drink like that?
In fact i think that the advert received attention from the fact that it sucked so badly that people are gonna remember it and relate the drink to it. its is more like negative advertising than good advertising.
I read the article in question on the newspapers and I have to agree with the author on the point she makes about how Singaporeans react negatively to the advert due to the fact that it hit a chink in our armor causing a lashing out of 'us' .
In my humblest opinions , Singaporeans are afraid of the way Singlish can be negatively portrayed , be it to our very own viewers or to our neighbours around us . A prime example is our very own hit TV series Phua Chu Kang pte ltd . Many of us think that it's just a series that delivers a good laugh . But do many of us know that humor , and laughter in particular , is a form of defense mechanism for the human nature .
So let us take pride in the fact that a company such as Allswell is able to hit the nail on the head in portraying the Singaporean way and praise it so and embrace our identity instead of attempting to deny it . Because this is who we are and we cannot run away .
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