The sparks of the fireworks have come and gone, the rousing rendition of Majulah Singapura has inspired yet another Crying Man at the National Day Parade, and the memes of what Singaporeans want to do have since gone viral.
While SG60 will be remembered for its spectacular celebrations, it was also a pivotal moment for brands to connect with the nation.
With this in mind, SPH Media had developed a unique initiative for clients, providing a powerful opportunity to align their story with SG60 and the Singapore story. The goal was to show Singaporeans their relevance: "As they were in the Past, as they are in the Present, as they will be in the Future".
Some of Singapore’s top brands such as SMRT have masterfully woven their narratives into the Singapore story with SPH Media, creating campaigns that didn't advertise, but resonated.
We take a look at two distinct, yet equally spectacular, content pieces that brought this vision to life.
RWS reimagines wonder: Engaging Singaporeans across time
Pivoting from the collective past to an aspirational future, The Straits Times' interactive feature on Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) told a compelling story of evolution, framing RWS's journey in the context of the nation's own growth, using the SG60 moment to launch its new vision.
As the story noted, "As Singapore prepares to mark SG60, RWS is once again transforming – from a place that reimagined entertainment to one that must now deliver a new era of wonder." This was the "Past, Present, Future" framework executed to perfection.
From taking a walk down memory lane to talking about the people behind the magic, it connected RWS's legacy with its ambitious future, culminating in the upcoming Singapore Oceanarium and positioning the brand as a key player in the next era of the nation's tourism and entertainment landscape.
The Business Times Singapore Story: A legacy of nation-building
For a macro view of corporate Singapore's role in the nation's journey, The Business Times curated "The Business Times Singapore Story." The 72-page supplement, rolled out together with the August 6 print issue and collated in a dynamic online content hub, wasn't just a collection of advertisements. It was a fitting chronicle of the movers and shakers who powered 60 years of Singapore's economic prosperity.
It told the stories of government agencies such as the Economic Development Board (EDB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), and DesignSingapore Council who worked behind the scenes, allowing Singapore to be recognised as one of the most innovative countries, a financial powerhouse, and a global hub for a myriad of industries.
It detailed how multinational corporations such as oil and petrochemical giant ExxonMobil, global tech leader Cisco, and one of Asia’s largest integrated healthcare solutions providers, Zuellig Pharma, have made Singapore a key node of their global operations.
The series also explored financial institutions, from our three local banks — DBS, OCBC, and UOB — who supported enterprises of all sizes grow their businesses, as well as the foreign banks anchored here such as Standard Chartered Bank.
These enterprises include companies such as Keppel, which started as a small shipyard, and Hong Leong Group, which has grown along with Singapore as it diversified its businesses into real estate, hospitality, finance, and industrials.
Property firms have also played a critical role in changing Singapore, and their stories are worth telling. Homegrown property giants such as Far East Organization, UOL, Mapletree, and Ho Bee built homes and reimagined our spaces. Foreign developers such as Guocoland and IOI reshaped our skylines with ultra-modern buildings.
The campaign culminated in a prestigious gala dinner, bringing the stories off the page and into a grand celebration of the leaders behind the legacy. By participating, brands positioned themselves not merely as commercial entities but as fundamental pillars of Singapore's success, embedding their corporate history directly into the nation's economic narrative.
At SG60, brands that truly won understood the power of relevance: they told stories that celebrated Singapore, forging a deeper connection with audiences and leaving a lasting impression.
SMRT brings its legacy to life through immersive storytelling
For a brand woven into the daily fabric of the nation, SMRT’s challenge was to translate decades of infrastructure development into a captivating story that would resonate across generations. The campaign sought to chronicle its journey, spotlighting the people who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep Singapore moving.
The solution was a comprehensive, multi-platform campaign that blended archival footage with intimate narratives of SMRT’s people. At its heart was an interactive branded content feature on The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao created by SPH Media’s end-to-end content marketing unit, Content Lab, which brought SMRT’s evolution to life from past, present, and future perspectives.
Through human-centric stories — from a pioneer who helped build the first MRT lines to a station manager’s quick response during a medical emergency — the feature humanised SMRT’s legacy.
This core story was amplified across platforms. Immersive 60-second videos for social media distilled this journey for a younger audience, while double-page print spreads and bilingual radio spots ensured the story reached a wide, multilingual population, bringing SMRT’s vision to life with widespread visibility.
Your story starts here
SG60 proved that campaigns grounded in storytelling drive engagement, loyalty, and brand relevance. Don’t wait for the next milestone. Partner with SPH Media now to craft campaigns that connect, captivate, and leave a lasting impression.
Reach out today to see how your brand can win with SPH Media.
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