Written by What was once a place solely meant for sharing pictures, Instagram has blossomed to a big social media empire, never failing to one-up itself with new features every update. Because millions of people use it daily, it has become the place for advertising, where all it takes is a few clicks and you can speak to a whole generation of internet users.
Still, you need to do your homework to ensure your brand can stand out amongst a whole sea of others. By creating content that grabs users’ eyeballs while promoting their product, these 9 Singapore brands are stellar examples of what it means to have a solid Instagram game that executes effective media campaigns.
1. Coinhako
Truth be told, it’s not easy to understand the mechanics behind crypto, let alone make informed decisions when investing in it. The last thing you want is to put your money in something that promises high returns overtime, only for it to be a crypto scam – but wait, didn’t Bitcoin increase by 3-fold in 2020?
Image credit: @coinhako_official, @coinhako_official
Don’t judge this brand’s account by its 21.5k followers; it’s the substance that counts. Singapore’s biggest crypto platform, Coinhako, makes crypto fun and more accessible to its Instagram users.
Through its electric-blue graphic style, plus trendjacking with memes like Mr Men and shows like Stranger Things, Coinhako delivers key facts about crypto, as well as its own promotions in a byte-sized manner.
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In June, they launched the “Keep HODLing On” campaign to shine light and support local hawkers, where users who trade on Coinhako can win e-vouchers to hawker food and drinks. For crypto newbies, HODL stands for “hold on for dear life”, which you do even when the crypto market plunges.
2. Beyond The Vines
Image credit: @beyondthevines, @beyondthevines
Colour us amazed with Beyond The Vines, a bespoke fashion brand known for its colour block-inspired bags and clothing. Its products are nice, but their Instagram page is what reflects its colourful-yet-minimalist aesthetic in a way that’ll stick in your head, as proven by how they’ve amassed 111k followers and receive up to 25.9k likes per post.
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Scroll through the page and you’ll see content in many styles, straddling the line between fun and whimsical, yet organised. One of the outstanding posts is for their Micro Dumpling Bag, where they’ve produced a short video whose inspiration you could round up as “childhood fantasy-cum-indie film”.
3. Netflix Singapore
While a good movie or TV series is a good de-stresser from work; Netflix Singapore is a rabbit hole in its own right, where many spend hours watching show after show.
Apart from its user experience (UX) design, you could attribute that to its advertising prowess, which includes these mind-bending Netflix ad campaigns, as well as its Instagram page that is highly engaging to users.
Image credit: @netflixsg, @netflixsg
No need for fancy graphic design, as Netflix Singapore seems to have taken a Meme 101 course, where many of its posts are basically snippets of shows that are edited in an unpolished manner into trendy memes.
The page feels like that one funny friend who tells us what show to watch after we finish scrolling through the entire catalogue without committing to anything – then you realise that’s precisely the objective.
Image credit: @netflixsg, @netflixsg
There’s also localised content peppered throughout the page, some of it meant solely just for laughs, or to talk about recent happenings like the repeal of 377A during this year’s National Day rally.
4. Starbucks Singapore
Starbucks is more than just good coffee. It’s where you see people remote working, mugging for exams, and is a nostalgic spot from our school days where we spend our leftover pocket money with our friends on a frappuccino drink.
It’s still popular amongst teens now, which is why Starbucks Singapore has always maintained a good Instagram streak to keep up with the internet generation.
Image credit: @starbuckssg, @starbuckssg
A lot of their content is centred around their varying collections of merchandise, which even non-Starbucks enthusiasts are inclined to purchase, simply because they’re chic to carry around, and pretty to display.
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Even the plastic cups themselves are an aesthetic of their own.
There are also several IG story-like reels featuring the baristas, such as this one where we see many ways in which we can upcycle a regular Starbucks plastic cup – that is if we buy, and keep many cups in the first place.
Starbucks Singapore’s Instagram
5. Singapore Airlines
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Its flight tickets may be pricier than the rest, but that doesn’t stop Singapore Airlines (SIA) from being a loyal favourite amongst many people, including the Instagram-savvy.
Its Instagram page has a healthy share of travel tips and overseas destinations, with curated segments like Cocktail Conversations and crew performances, the most recent one being the crew singing Dick Lee’s “We Will Get There” for this year’s National Day.
Image credit: @singaporeair
The iconic Sarong Kebaya aesthetic can be seen on Bynd Artisan’s products.
Beyond flying, SIA’s page also shares its ventures into the environmentally-conscious department, launching The Upcycling Project. New life was breathed into old aircraft parts by turning them into bespoke products like furniture and fashion pieces, which was done in collaboration with homegrown brands like Bynd Artisan and Charles & Keith.
6. Spotify Asia
Music brings people together, and not just in the way we share Spotify family subscriptions with our friends to save money.
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Comeback video for girl group Itzy.
In Spotify Asia’s Instagram page, you’ll see behind-the-scenes interviews and choreographed videos from artists within and beyond Asia, which will appeal to you especially if you’re a fan.
Particularly for Asian artists, the posts show how famous they’ve grown to be, as well as promote the more under-the-radar ones with much to offer.
7. foodpanda Singapore
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Whenever we’re not in the mood to cook or dine-in, we turn to Pau-Pau a.k.a foodpanda. The mascot makes a frequent appearance on foodpanda Singapore’s Instagram page, where its feed is decked in its signature pink colour.
It isn’t to say that the food delivery platform’s identity is a panda itself, rather it’s to create a cute-sy element that users will instantly associate with the brand.
Image credit: @foodpandasg
Needless to say, foodpanda does have a good graphics game, where they even go the length of creating a “mono-pauly”-themed graphic as part of pandamart’s grocery campaign when inflation was starting to take a toll on users.
foodpanda Singapore’s Instagram
8. Secretlab
Image credit: @secretlab, @secretlab
Secretlab doesn’t just appeal to pro gamers, but to everyone especially office workers who wish to invest in an ergonomic chair.
Even so, that doesn’t stop it from channelling a gamer’s attitude in the way it runs its Instagram page – rather than have its content done in a clean and organised manner, it spares no reservations in going all out to show off not only its chairs, but also the video game companies it collaborates with to prove that it rules the game in the industry.
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But that doesn’t mean it’s all bark and no bite. After all, the chairs are indeed of good quality, and there’ll be short videos scattered around to break down the respective components that make the product. You can even check out its partnership with Kevin De Bruyne, a midfielder for Manchester City, whose reel has amassed 80.6k likes.
9. Wingstop Singapore
Image credit: @wingstopsg
Chicken wings are a staple in every potluck menu, and is our cheat day go-to for some of us. Wingstop Singapore is a hot favourite; it isn’t just their food that is spicy, but their Instagram content too.
Image credit: @wingstopsg, @wingstopsg
It’s almost as if they hired an in-house comedian, as their page is filled with extra witty posts to shout out their menu items.
Even when there’s no promotions or special seasons, that doesn’t mean they pipe down on their content. Rather, it is during these times where the posts tend to catch you off guard, with tongue-in-cheek graphics that are, to say the least, strokes of comedic genius.
Singapore brands with good Instagram presence
These days, good marketing is not enough, as brands need to have a proper presence on Instagram and throughout social media. It takes more than just pretty graphics and trendjacking posts, but a whole distinct style that brands need to concote in order to stand out and be remembered by users.
With these 9 Singapore brands, hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two on what it takes to advertise effectively on Instagram so you can say your page’s a 10 – though you mustn’t forget to ensure your product comes close too.
Unlock more social media tips here:
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- Worst PR mistakes in Singapore
Cover image adapted from: @netflixsg, @wingstopsg
