Objectives

At DBS, our approach to sustainability is guided by a sense of purpose. To create value for the long term, by managing our business in a balanced and responsible way. Our approach to sustainability is based on three pillars – responsible banking, responsible business practices and creating social impact.

This 28-week content series with Singapore Press Holdings is our way of creating social impact: sparking meaningful conversations to set people thinking about how they can act and take matters into their own hands; empowering readers with knowledge and tips on how to go about being sustainable in their own ways – no matter how small the action. We also sought to galvanize the audience with stories of other everyday sustainable heroes that they can be inspired by.

Strategy and Execution

Our overall strategy was to break up the topic of sustainability into smaller sub-themes like healthcare, packaging, food waste, fashion, etc. that are relevant (and relatable) to readers in their everyday lives. We took a 3-pronged approach in doing so: using facts to educate readers, quotes to inspire them, and offering practical tips so that they are equipped with the know-how to act sustainably on their own.

We ran three-page features in the Life! section of The Sunday Times, a major local newspaper owned by Singapore Press Holdings, every alternate week. For each feature, we had a cover ad that drew attention to the topic of the week. This summarized the problem at hand and had a rallying cry for readers to do their part. The visually eye-catching ads were then repurposed into tabletop ads that we placed around food centres in Singapore to further amplify the campaign's outreach.

The second page would then deep dive into the topic of the week with stories on DBS-related entities who are fighting the good fight for a more sustainable future. Issues and trends will then be raised, and useful tips and tricks are included to show how everyone can do their part for the environment.

The third page would be an editorial story from an unbiased native angle in relation to the week’s theme.

Accompanying the feature would be bunny ear quotes from inspiring figures on the front page of Life!. These quotes served as quick and motivational reminders for our readers to be conscious of their actions and how it would impact our earth and future generations.

Results

KPI (1): Increase awareness amongst the general public of DBS' sustainability drive

DBS is the company most recognized for advocating sustainability in Singapore.

• Awareness of companies who advocate sustainability: DBS is most readily recognized as an advocate of ‘Sustainability’ [32%], surpassing Singapore Airlines [27%], SingTel [23%], and CapitaLand [22%].
• Stronger brand statement associations with ‘responsible corporate citizen’[+29%], ‘responsible business practices’ [+24%], ‘a corporation that I would trust’ [+7%] and ‘a corporation I prefer, either to work with or use/buy their products and services’ [+14%] among those who have been exposed to the DBS-SPH campaign vis-a-vis those who have not.
• DBS displayed higher ratings for these imagery statements compared to other corporations (CapitaLand, Keppel Corp, Singapore Airlines, Singtel).

KPI (2): Inspire general public to take concrete action around sustainability themes

• 45% (2 in 3) claimed they are motivated [or reminded] to do more to reduce their carbon footprint after seeing the DBS-SPH campaign
• Stronger brand statement associations with ‘‘enable customers to be eco-conscious’ [+16%] among those who have been exposed to the campaign vis-a-vis those who have not.

All results taken from Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants' Sustainability Brand Research Report

Media