SUB CATEGORY :

DIRECTING

ENTRANT COMPANY :

MULLENLOWE SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., SINGAPORE

TITLE :

IS IT CRAZY..?

BRAND :

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE NAVY

ADVERTISER :

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE NAVY

AGENCY :

MULLENLOWE SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

DANIEL KEE/ANG SHENG JIN

ART DIRECTOR :

CLAUDIUS KENG/PEARLYN CHANG/TOH YI QING

COPYWRITER :

ERNEST CHIN/ERNEST KOK

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

JULIE CHUA

AGENCY PRODUCER :

YONG MUN WENG

REGIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR :

ROAN EBRAHIM

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

ZARI SABELITA

ACCOUNT MANAGER :

FAITH TEO

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR :

SIMRAN GILL

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

ATYPICALFILMS, SINGAPORE

DIRECTOR :

TOBY MORRIS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :

MITCHELL AYERS

CAMERAMAN :

JUAN QI AN

GAFFER :

BEN ONG

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR :

SHANE NUNIS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

DESMOND TAN/MICHAEL CICCONE (TRUCE PRODUCTION CO.)

FILM PRODUCER :

JERRICA TAN/DOLLY TAY/SONIA LIM/ALICIA YEOH

PRODUCTION MANAGER :

TAN JIA YU

PRODUCTION DESIGNER :

CHRIS KOH

EDITOR :

TIM EDDY

LIGHTING :

ERIC TAN/FRANCIS LIM

GRADING :

MATT CAMPBELL

STYLIST :

SABRINA SIMONE

WARDROBE :

SABRINA SIMONE

HAIR & MAKE-UP :

CHRISTINA KOH

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :

DANDELION STUDIOS, SINGAPORE

FLAME ARTIST :

JONI RASO

CG LEAD :

BRYAN NG

MOTION GRAPHIC :

CHOZAN AUNG

POST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

FABIAN TAN

POST PRODUCER :

BILLY FONG

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

FVSE, SINGAPORE

SOUND PRODUCER :

TANG HUI JUN

HEAD OF MUSIC :

ISA ONG

HEAD OF CREATIVE :

COLIN PEREIRA

ENGLISH SYNOPSIS :

To address the evolved career motivations, concerns and priorities of Gen Z post-Covid, and stand out from competition from the other arms of the military and employers from industries Gen Z are naturally predisposed to, the Navy evolved its messaging to no longer focus on challenging Gen Z to prove they were cut out for Navy, but demonstrate how it isn't crazy to think the Navy can provide for the career concerns that matter to them – progression, personal development, accomplishment, belonging and more – expressed through an equally-evolved visual approach more commonly seen in music videos, TikToks and lifestyle content consumed by Gen Z, instead of military advertising.

For authenticity, black-and-white photography and mixed-media, collage-style VFX were used to offer a raw, unfiltered depiction of life in the Navy. Instead of heroing formidable technology and machinery, the film shifts focus to the humans behind them in everyday, unembellished moments.

ENGLISH CONTEXT EXPLANATION :

In Singapore, choosing a career in the Navy often elicits the exclamation, "Siao ah?!" (Hokkien for "Are you crazy?!") This reaction reflects the negative perception of military careers – a problem further exacerbated by Singapore's mandatory conscription, which many regard as two years lost to the military. It'd be crazy to expect most Singaporeans to even think about a career in the Navy, let alone give it a second thought.

The Navy's answer to this? The “It’s not crazy, it’s the Navy” creative platform which has driven its recruitment efforts for the past five years; one that has taken the Navy from the least-considered career choice amongst the different military arms to the second-most considered.

But the world has changed since then. So have the priorities, options and attitudes of Gen Z who form the bulk of the Navy’s prospective recruits. Throw in the formation of a new fourth arm of the military and the Navy was now fighting for relevance amongst an even more fragmented recruit pool.

With that, a platform originally conceptualised to speak of the Navy’s higher calling, purpose and standards – and in turn, rally recruits who resonated with these values – had to evolve.