Client: Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)
Agency: DDB Tribal Worldwide Singapore
Mr. Woo — World’s first Hungry Ghost bot
During the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, many ethnic Chinese, Taoists and Buddhists observe the Hungry Ghost Festival to pay respects to the departed. However, the festival is still a mystery to many Singaporeans due to perceived taboos and misunderstandings about its different stories and practices.
To address these issues, we created a Facebook chatbot which could promote understanding of the festival in a fun and engaging manner – meet Mr. Woo, the world’s first Hungry Ghost chatbot!
We gave Mr. Woo a friendly and entertaining personality, removing taboos and encouraging users to be unafraid of asking any questions they had.
Mr. Woo not only educated users about the festival’s origins and stories, he also invited them to experience the festivities by providing time and location-sensitive information about relevant events.
To ensure that different stories were depicted accurately, we consulted representatives from Taoist and Buddhist associations, as well as a local sociologist. And to engage younger, modern audiences, we also threw in jokes and pop culture references!
The chatbot proved to be a multi-pronged solution, improving inter-cultural understanding through creating interest, providing information, and encouraging meaningful cultural experiences.
Marketing Excellence Awards 2018
Excellence in Social Media Marketing – Gold
Featured on global best-in-class case studies page
Markies Awards 2019
Government Sector Marketing – Gold
Digital – Bronze