In 2023, over half of surveyed Singaporeans (55.2%) said they considered themselves financially illiterate. 4-in-10 respondents said that they did not understand financial concepts, even ones as simple as compound interest. The survey further highlighted a concerning passivity among youths, with 60% taking a passive approach to their financial goals due to their knowledge gaps. These statistics suggest a significant "knowledge deficit" in personal finance management among Singaporeans.
For Singapore’s largest bank, DBS, a brand that encourages people to ‘Live More, Bank Less’, this was not ideal. The focus of the bank was to ensure that banking-at-large wouldn’t stand in the way of people living their best lives. With a pool of potentially uninformed customers, DBS took it as its responsibility to educate young adults and help them become financially savvy.
Objectives
The ambitious goal was to become a reputable source of financial information on TikTok, where most youths spend their time on, and to showcase its products and services aimed at:
(1) Helping youths improve on their financial literacy and,
(2) Helping youths navigate their financial journey effortlessly
To support young adults in embarking on their financial journeys, DBS launched TableTok, a TikTok-first content series, where objects on an intern’s workspace come to life when she leaves her desk to discuss the latest financial wisdom they heard and saw all day.
Knowing that there is a pervasive knowledge gap in financial literacy, DBS knew they needed to be the voice of the youths by asking the right questions, and providing the right answers. This prompted the bank to prioritize relatable TikTok content for youths by pinpointing their financial anxieties through extensive research.
To validate these problems and to ensure content relevance, DBS partnered with Hepmil Creators' Network, to collaborate with key local TikTok influencers. Feedback from their followers shaped the foundation for TableTok content, a DBS content series that supports young adults in navigating their finances.
The premise of the series is where objects on a bank intern’s desk come to life when she leaves and they discuss the latest financial wisdom they heard and saw all day. The information shared in the series uniquely addresses youths’ budgeting, investing, and saving challenges in ways never seen before in Singapore's banking industry. The objects in TableTok were thoughtfully designed to align with current TikTok trends, blending DBS items symbolizing financial wisdom with the intern's personal items representing common financial anxieties, resonating instantly with young adult viewers.
Here are the six characters created to helm the content series:
The creative format was carefully designed and brought to life in the form of AI filters and character skits in order to be authentic and relatable to the scrolling population on TikTok.
(1) Casting Strategy
In addition to a solid content and character plan, DBS engaged six top Singaporean TikTokers to voice the characters, ensuring representation of the masses. The influencers not only lent their voices but also actively promoted the series on their platforms, extending its reach beyond organic discovery. Their behind-the-scenes content, polls, and consistent support in comments generated heightened interest and a feedback loop for refining future episodes.
(2) Influencer Amplification
DBS implemented a 'Seed and Solve' strategy, leveraging interactions between influencers and TableTok characters to solidify its credibility as a reliable source of financial information for youths. Trendy TikTok influencers from various content categories, shared genuine financial concerns like "Which insurance plan should I get" and "I don’t know how to track my finances." These staged opportunities allowed DBS to authentically engage with diverse youth communities through the influencers.
DBS then ”stitched” solutions to these influencers’ pain points delivered by TableTok characters, introducing the series to a wider audience. As this interaction felt organic, it allowed the brand to join conversations credibly and inch towards its goal of becoming a brand that younger Singaporeans could trust.
With over 10.5 million views and nearly 9,000 engagements across 18-episodes, the series cracked the engagement code, sparking almost 500 conversations in the traditionally quiet comment sections of brand pages. These weren't just emojis; we saw a mix of positive reception for the format, the execution and the influencers who voiced over or appeared in the videos. The most valuable ones were genuine questions about financial planning, signaling interest to take charge of their financial situations.
The success story didn't end there. The influencer collaboration spilled over onto their personal platforms, generating an additional 200,000 reach and 10,000 engagements across Instagram and TikTok.
But the real test? Measuring lasting impact.
Kantar Singapore did a Brand Lift Study between September and October to find out whether TableTok truly moved the needle. A staggering 33.5% increase in online ad awareness, outpacing the TikTok benchmark by 2.7 times, was just the beginning. DBS's association with engaging youth (+19.5%), offering innovative solutions (+17.5%), and fostering financial planning (+16%) all surged after this series. TableTok didn't just entertain, it reshaped how DBS is being perceived on TikTok. And amid headlines of service outages that challenged DBS's brand image in 2023, TableTok helped DBS stand tall. Remarkably, Favourability (+14.5%), Consideration (+13%) and Recommendation (+11%) metrics all increased after the launch. And TableTok proved that engaging, community-driven content can help improve brand image significantly.
With a powerful content plan, innovative engagement tactics, and strategic influencer partnerships, financial literacy doesn’t have to be a dry textbook.
