Written by So you know how a picture of something gets so viral, that you immediately know what it is without any words said? Well, unless you’ve been living in a rock the past week or so, you might’ve come across some of your friends or family with these on their social media:
Image adapted from Wordle
No, it’s not some new Tetris variant. It’s Wordle – a browser-based game where you simply have to guess the 5-letter word of the day in under six tries. After typing out your guess and entering your attempt, one of three things will happen:
- The letter turns grey: it’s not in the word
- The letter turns yellow: right choice of letter, wrong spot
- The letter turns green: right letter, right spot
Once you’ve solved it – or not, you can share your results with others on social media or even WhatsApp. While it doesn’t sound like something that would break the internet, Wordle has definitely been gaining enough traction for brands to notice.
Some have even done a pretty good job using those few 5-letters to accurately promote their brand’s values. What’s more, the brands that did give it a shot actually stayed true to the game logic, making sure the letters and colours work just like they do in the actual game!
Here are six examples of brands/organisations that jumped on the Wordle trend:
1. Changi General Hospital
Image credit: Changi General Hospital
Probably one of the first few to jump on the trend in Singapore, Changi General Hospital (CGH) highlighted the key messages on what makes CGH a trusted healthcare institution. Apart from its values and how it cares for its patients and the community, the Wordle also included phrases like ‘robot’ and ‘smart’, alluding to the high-tech facilities and technology the hospital uses to deliver high-quality healthcare services.
Of course, no healthcare institution can be without care and passion for its people, and so to round off with ‘heart’ shows what it is really about – patient-centred care. Unfortunately, because they were so early to the trend, the post only garnered 34 reactions (all positive, though), but nevertheless, kudos to the CGH team for being so up to date with what’s popular!
2. Singapore Police Force
Image credit: Singapore Police Force
Apart from keeping our streets and homes safe, it’s no secret that our police are also trendy memelords. After all, they have jumped on trends like the 5-0 shellacking by Liverpool Football Club to Manchester United, as well as other dank memes and catchy TikTok videos by the main SPF account or the individual NPCs.
Here, our men in blue came up with a pretty handy outline of what they do on a regular basis, summarised in five letters, of course. Apart from solving crimes, they also fight scams – very pertinent, given the recent rampage of all sorts of scams. And to round it all off, using a phrase we all know and love – harlo polis?!
P.S. Props to them on including the ‘999’ in place of the Wordle word number!
3. Qanvast
Image credit: Qanvast
Joining along the Wordle trend is Singaporean-born online renovation platform Qanvast. As you may already know, they are in the business of all things home and living, and so it’s playful for them to highlight various things people associate with renovating a home.
We noticed that Qanvast left the final row of letters open to interpretation, turning it into a mini competition with the prize for guessing it right being just street cred. After 15 minutes of continuously staring at it and scratching our heads, we finally came to the realisation that the end-word is…*spoiler alert* vinyl!
4. Ministry of Social & Family Development (MSF)
Image credit: Ministry of Social & Family Development (MSF)
For the Ministry of Social & Family Development, it’s all about using both words and actions to support one another, at home. And so, using five letters, they’ve conveyed what people can actively do at home – sharing the load of housework and chores.
MSF also encouraged its followers to not just share this post, but to also share the load and help your spouse with the next chore. The post includes the caption #CelebratingSGWomen, which is a campaign launched in 2021 by MSF to celebrate the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of the women in our lives. The post did fairly well, with over 65 reactions across Facebook and Instagram.
5. NTUC Fairprice
Image adapted from: NTUC Fairprice
Another local brand that we all know and love, NTUC Fairprice also joined in the Wordle fun, finally landing on ‘shiok’ – our reaction whenever we chance upon a great deal or cheap prices on a grocery run.
The post did very well in terms of audience reception, with over 154 reactions and 35 shares. One person even commented that the post was “v(ery) creative and on trend”, and so two thumbs up for the team at NTUC Fairprice!
6. Google
Image adapted from: Google
You probably already know that Google is quite on point with the latest trends and events, and their logos usually have a running theme. Yes, we’re talking about Google Doodles!
Jumping on the Wordle fun, we realised that they’ve added the Wordle effects to their repertoire of Doodles. Unlike other brands which carried the entire grid, Google keeps it simple with their logo reflected in the iconic green squares; subtle, but *chef’s kiss*.
Trendjacking Wordle
While we’ve seen a couple of brands jump onto the Wordle trend, one thing we can say is that it isn’t that easy to come up with an engaging Wordle post…or at least one that succinctly conveys everything someone needs to know about your organisation.
As such, we have to applaud the efforts of the marketing and communications teams of brands who have jumped on the trend. Bonus points too, if their Wordle grid actually makes sense in terms of the game’s mechanics and the letters’ colours corresponding to their positioning are accurately portrayed!
