Long before Netflix and Disney Plus, all we had for entertainment was our imagination and free-to-air television. Your entertainment choices were at the mercy of Mediacorp to decide and advertisements were TV shows’ way to delay a cliffhanger. Just like Shopee’s incessant ads with Mark Lee and Phua Chu Kang, many of these ads were constantly on repeat throughout the day to the point that a single note from their jingle would leave the ads in our minds forever.
Gold 90.5FM Hear Only the Good Stuff
Sometimes ignorance is bliss, and Gold 90.5FM has really made this message clear. Through clever dialogue and all too relatable circumstances, their ad not only boosts their brand awareness but even managed to stick in the minds of Singaporeans after decades to come.
And you know you’ve made a great ad when even after years have passed, you can still get a chuckle out from new watchers
IKEA Singapore: Gangsters
This ad starts off like every Hong Kong Action drama in the 90s – a bunch of intimidating Gangsters storm a small apartment and confront an ill-dressed man, demanding payment. Initially, we anticipate it taking a dark turn as most Gangster dramas do, yet it takes a hilarious twist towards the end with Enlai’s desperate cry, “I really don’t know where it is!” and the outward zoom to an extremely messy room.
With IKEA being such a huge international furniture store, it’s nice to see a local twist on ads, using a trope that is very much ingrained in Singapore’s culture. With smart storytelling done in 30 seconds, this is definitely an ad that may not have been skipped if streamed in our modern times.
Anything and Whatever
Now this is definitely a blast to the past.
Back when drinking unidentifiable liquids was somehow acceptable, the Anything and Whatever craze took Singapore by a storm. With no flavours to tell you what it was, their obscure packaging was something that definitely made it stand out from the rest. The ad they ran for this also made this clear, incorporating a hilarious interaction between a stall owner who thought he was being robbed by two gangsters.
However, while the advertisement and concept was creative, this was not enough to sustain the drink. In 2010, the drinks were no longer sold and by 2012 the website had officially shut down. Mysteriously enough, the reason behind why they shut down is not clear as reports by the man behind the idea had stated that their first-month sales figures had actually outstripped their initial sales goal.
Whatever the reason, Anything and Whatever was definitely a phase in Singapore that would not be forgotten and continues to be a fun Grandfather story to tell kids.
Snickers: You’re Not You When You’re Hungry
Using typical NS insults and a trope all Singaporeans recognize, Snickers has managed to make its message loud and clear – you’re not yourself when you’re hangry, so grab a Snickers bar to eat.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time Snickers has used this storyline. A quick search on YouTube and you will find various versions with a similar premise but set in different countries. Here is one in Korea, this time playing cleverly to the Kdrama tropes with the tragic background music and the frail call of a dew-eyed beauty.
Mocca Muscle Man
Probably one of the strangest ads in the 2000s – here is a muscled man in zebra-striped underwear selling his house.
So many questions and so few answers, but it definitely caught the attention (and shock) of many TV viewers of that time. This peculiar ad was done by Mediacorp to promote their online classified ads service, but the message may have been lost in all of Mocca Man’s bulging muscles.
London Choco Roll
Hear a single note of this ad and I guarantee you’ll complete the tune. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit the tune is catchy and sticks in your brain. And if you’ve watched enough Channel 8 Dramas, you’ll know exactly when this tune plays (hint: try tuning to the 8pm Chinese Drama).
While the visuals don’t really make a lot of sense upon closer viewing, it definitely is clever using its name as a source of a jingle. Guess London Choco Roll is one of the many ads Shopee can pay its respect to on annoying and memorable jingles.
Beijing 101
Besides Mcdonald’s iconic jingle, there’s only one other song that can open the floodgates of the early 2000s and it comes in the form of hair loss. While this ad features Michelle Chong, initially Beijing 101 never had a clear representative to the brand. The only visuals one might remember from Beijing 101 would be before and after images of stranger’s scalps flashed on the screen, concluding with their famous tune.
While Beijing 101 does not run as many ads on TV anymore, it seems they do not have to as their strong brand awareness makes sure you’ll never forget the name Beijing 101.
With unskippable ads integrated into every crevice and corner of social media, your annoyance and disdain for ads comes as no surprise. However, reflecting back on the ads of the past can be very telling of the generation and the old-school humor that can still bring smiles to our faces even now. So while the constant baggage of Shopee and Lazada ads may be annoying, decades from now these ads may become another point of nostalgia for Singaporeans.
UPDATE:
A reader posted this in our comments section and it brought back some warm feelings of nostalgia, we had to update it here. This is also why we love McDonald’s forever too.
