Marketing The Drum Awards

How DBS/POSB supported Singapore's local culture, seniors, and businesses

By The Drum, Editorial

The Drum

May 28, 2025 | 3 min read

DBS/POSB won gold in Finance at The Drum Awards for Marketing APAC for their impactful initiatives supporting Singaporeans and local businesses, blending authentic storytelling with digital engagement to foster community trust and cultural preservation.

DBS/POSB's Initiatives to Support Singaporeans and Local Businesses

As the cost of living rises, segments of Singaporeans—especially seniors and lower-income groups—struggle with daily expenses, while local businesses, hawker stalls, and heartland shops face declining footfall. More needed to be done to help support Singapore’s vibrant hawker and heartland culture while enabling lives and livelihoods.

As a purpose-driven bank with our roots as the Development Bank of Singapore, it is in our DNA to create impact beyond banking. Therefore, to support the lives and livelihoods of the communities we are in, as well as Singapore’s cultural fabric, DBS/POSB launched two initiatives:

DBS 5 Million Hawker Meals in February 2023, offering a S$3 subsidy on hawker meals every Friday. In January 2024, this was later extended to 7.5 million meals over 18 months due to overwhelming demand.
In August 2024, this effort expanded with POSB Support Our Heartlands, providing S$3 cashback every Saturday via PayLah! at 22,000+ heartland merchants, hawker stalls, and wet markets.

These initiatives directly alleviate cost pressures while empowering local businesses, with one in three redemptions made by seniors and lower-income individuals.

Communications Approach: Authentic Storytelling for Deeper Engagement

To ensure these initiatives resonated, the 2024 communications strategy prioritized authentic storytelling, leadership-driven conversations, and a digital-first approach.

Key Strategies & Execution

Leadership-Led Conversations
- DBS Hawker Conversations – A five-episode series featuring unscripted dialogues between DBS leaders and hawkers, highlighting resilience, innovation, and human connections.
Long-Form Storytelling
- Hawker Stories – Editorial narratives capturing hawkers’ personal journeys and the tangible impact of digital payments, making adoption feel accessible and inclusive.
Social-First Content for Younger Audiences
- Wandering Our Wet Markets – A Gen Z-style, first-person POV series on how traditional businesses are embracing digital payments, driving PayLah! Adoption.
Showcasing Real Impact
- Integrated storytelling across social media, embedding key metrics – meals subsidized, money saved, and community benefits – to reinforce DBS/POSB’s role in empowering communities.

Results: Strengthening Brand Trust & Consumer Engagement

8M cashback redemptions, reflecting strong public participation.
Content performance: >3M video views, ~3M minutes watched, >200K engagements.
Increased trust and emotional connection, with DBS/POSB seen as partners in supporting local businesses, digital confidence, and cultural preservation.

Conclusion

More than financial relief, these initiatives underscored DBS/POSB’s purpose-driven DNA and commitment to Singapore’s communities. By embracing authentic storytelling and digital-first engagement, the campaign deepened trust, reinforced brand purpose, and proved that real impact goes beyond transactions – it’s about standing alongside the people we serve.