How Singapore won hearts with a Coldplay’ Man in the Moon’ music video

The Challenge

In a world saturated with traditional tourism advertising, destinations struggle to create authentic connections with potential visitors. Singapore needed to break through this noise and showcase its evolution beyond its well-known efficient, modern image. How could Singapore reach global audiences in a way that felt genuine rather than promotional?

The Solution

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) orchestrated an innovative partnership with Warner Music and Coldplay, crafting a strategy that went beyond conventional tourism marketing. Instead of creating another tourism advertisement, Singapore became the canvas for Coldplay's "Man in the Moon" music video, weaving the city's soul into the band's artistic vision.

The Strategy

The strategy was three-fold:

• Transform Singapore's locations into storytelling elements, from the iconic Marina Bay to vibrant heartland neighborhoods
• Showcase local talents alongside international artists
• Create multiple content touchpoints through behind-the-scenes footage and social media engagement

Business Impact

This partnership delivered exceptional results across multiple fronts:

For Tourism:

• Reached 200+ million unique social media users
• Showcased diverse local places and experiences, where such exposure aims to inspire viewers to visit these locations, potentially increasing foot traffic, sales, and overall economic benefits for the featured establishments and surrounding areas.
• Generated authentic exposure in global media outlets
• Created a permanent piece of authentic content (music video format) that continues to showcase Singapore to Coldplay's global fanbase

For Local Industry:

• Demonstrated Singapore's capability to support world-class productions
• Created spillover effects such as unique job opportunities and global exposure for locals. In the case of Coldplay’s music video, over 100 local talents, from production crew (e.g., producers, camera unit, hair & make-up design team) to featured cast, were hired to work alongside Coldplay’s global production unit. Locals were given the opportunity to enhance their skills and gain experience by collaborating on projects of an international scale.
• The Coldplay music video, in particular, also helped to foster local pride by showcasing authentic Singapore scenes, from our coffee shops to public housing estates, highlighting our unique culture to a global audience.

This collaboration redefined destination marketing by showing how a city can authentically integrate into popular culture, creating lasting impact beyond traditional tourism promotion. It wasn't just about showing Singapore to the world—it was about making Singapore part of a global cultural moment.