Singapore is often ranked by economists as one of the world’s most expensive cities. But while the Government has controlled the inflation of essential items in our nation’s consumption baskets, many residents share a litany of concerns about the costs of living. Pressures are felt most in education, food (which has risen by 10% since 2013), and healthcare expenses.

In 2019, in response to pressures from rising costs of living, the Government implemented measures to help businesses, workers, and families, including $1 billion in cash disbursements to support 1.7 million Singaporeans. Unfortunately, negative misconceptions shrouded the awareness and understanding of these assistance schemes. Primary among them were that the disbursements were inadequate to support more substantial expenditures due to shifting standards of living.

This hindered Singaporeans in lower-income brackets from purposefully discovering the benefits intended to assist them, and the real value of these schemes in their sandwiched situations.

We sought to build common ground among sandwiched Singaporeans across all income levels by reflecting how schemes supported different yet shared aspects of everyday life.

At first glance, the various schemes might seem minute in helping Singaporeans. But through the stories of 4 different families, the nation can discover how meaningful the schemes can be for those striving hard for themselves and their loved ones.

We invite Singapore into the homes of the Kumars, Gomeses, Ismails, and Kwoks. And in the poetry of their everyday lives, we learn how the government has always been there.

We instilled empathy through storytelling to establish that different households have different needs. Through their parables, we reflect on how the Government cares and works with them to manage the cost of living.

Four cinematic shorts and key visuals reflected shared values of resilience, purpose, prudence, and staying active, assisted by our cost of living schemes, amplified on free-to-air, social, programmatic and out-of-home.

From honeymoon to parenthood, Mr. and Mrs. Ismail are forever figuring out their next parenting hack. Like any parent, they deserve a pat on their back for their sacrifice and for always trying, despite not having all the answers. For every baby step, the Government is with them.

Miles ahead of his peers, mechanical engineer Mr. Kwok is embarking on a new tech-savvy path. The Kwoks' resilience to keep up with the times is admirable, and his humility and grit show us that you're never too old to start over. And at every step of his journey, the Government is with him.

For the picture-perfect Kumars, no expense spared wedding for their daughter Sandhya. However, our soon-to-be bride only wants a marriage more beautiful than her wedding. A happy home starts at the heart, and the Government is with them to build it.

Extroverted Mama Gomes is celebrating her golden years by being the glamorous dancing queen she’s always been. Even a sudden accident doesn’t dampen Mama Gomes’ spirit. All she wants is to age gracefully every step of the way, knowing the Government is there to lend support should she need it.

Each family narrative, accompanied by tactical videos, invites viewers into their homes to learn more explicitly about the schemes that have enabled their journey.

Their household possessions act as heuristics and call out the different schemes and disbursement amounts that Singaporeans are entitled to.

The 4 tactical videos were released in local vernaculars to reach all ages and income levels, across free-to-air, social, programmatic, and out-of-home.

We launched infographics that reframed the support available from individual disbursements to the gamut of assistance for different households, categorising relevant disbursements and schemes by family archetypes.

Given the topic’s sensitivity, the campaign launched more subtly compared to typically government-led initiatives such as the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation. Despite that, a pre-post nationally representative sentiment survey revealed significant awareness and perceptual shifts.