Home>> features>> Ogilvy Ads to Promote Timor

Ok by now I guess you would have caught some of the advertisements either on The Sunday Times, at some bus stops or on ZoCards. This week's full page teaser advertisement on The Sunday Times, 23rd April 2006, is the last of a series of four creative illustrations (see further down this page for details of the four ads) designed by Ogilvy & Mather. For the unitiated, "What's it all about?" you ask. Well the story goes that a team from O&M led by Regional Head of Copy, Mr Eugene Cheong went on an exploratory trip to Timor Leste in 2005 and discovered the richness of Timor Leste's people, culture and landscapes and their potential for ecotourism.

Returning to Singapore and stirred to action, they decided to put together an advertising campaign that will promote Timor Leste as a destination not for the passive tourist, but the intrepid traveller who wants to be a part of the country. Here's their rationale as written by Mr Eugene Cheong himself.

¹ How did the idea for pro bono work for East Timor come about?
Last September, three of us from Ogilvy went on an exploratory trip to East Timor. Before the trip, we thought we would be doing a straight-forward charity campaign; raise a few hundred thousand dollars and donate the proceeds to where the need was the greatest.

As we travelled the land, we saw ‘donated’ tractors and generators that were rusted and discarded. Our guide told us that the trouble with a donation is that they get consumed and chucked away. Instead of giving them fish, perhaps we should think of teaching them to fish. Instead of giving them money, perhaps we should teach them to make their own money. Not only will there be a continuous financial stream for the East Timorese, but earning their own money will give them dignity and self-respect. In the long run, this confidence will help them stand on their own two feet.

Because East Timor is such a beautiful country, our natural response was to create a campaign to tell people about their mountains, their seas, their people and their culture. If the campaign works it will send a stream of travellers from Singapore to East Timor. It may only be a trickle at first, but it’s good enough to help kick-start the country’s nascent tourism industry.

Was it hard getting the East Timorese government to use/or accept the ad?
Ogilvy & Mather is the first advertising agency to do work with the East Timorese. Besides being the world’s newest nation, East Timor is also Asia’s poorest country. The East Timor government welcomes anybody who wants to help and they are very appreciative of the efforts of the churches and other charity organisations.

On our trip there, the church officials met up with Xanana Gusmao, East Timor’s President. He not only thanked them personally, but thanked the entire alliance of churches on video. We’re so rich in Singapore, even our poor are choosy about the help they receive. In East Timor, they are not so fortunate. Think of East Timor as a 4-year old that’s been abandoned and you’ll begin to understand its government’s gratitude towards people who are willing to lend a hand.

What do you hope the ads will do for East Timor?
The ads will run in The Strait Times, bus shelters, postcards and several magazines. The fantastic thing about this project is that most of the media space is donated. Ogilvy has donated not only four advertisements, but also four full coloured advertising pages in the Straits Times. Clear Channel has donated 200 6-sheet bus-shelter posters for 3 weeks. And Zocard is donating 100,000 postcards.

East Timor is a brand new destination. It is the road less travelled where you can still be a pioneer. If you're a traveller with a yearning for adventure, a sense of fun and a wish to escape the humdrum of mainstream tourism, you will be rewarded. If you’re after a cookie-cutter holiday, East Timor is frankly not your kind of destination. If conversely, you’re prepared to expect the unexpected, the half-island of East Timor can be the venue for an uproarious muck-about. We want to position East Timor as a destination not for the passive tourist, but the intrepid traveller who wants to be a part of the country.

When will the ads be launched?
We are aiming to launch the campaign at the end of March. But we’re still slaving away as the ads are 4m by 2m murals painted on the side of buildings, corrugated metal sheets and plywood. They are not unlike graffiti. Why graffiti, you might asks? We want the ads to reflect East Timor’s cheerfulness and self-deprecating sense of humour, but at the same time, we want to communicate the makeshift spontaneity of the ruin country.