Slaying' with Gen Z marketing

More government ministries and public institutions are embracing a worldwide social media trend, in which Gen Z interns write the marketing script for their older colleagues to present

- Venessa Lee

Home-grown institutions are getting a glow-up using #GenZmarketing.

A recent TikTok video by National Gallery Singapore (NGS) opens with an older man greeting his audience using Gen Z slang: "Hey, besties. Time to enter your artsy era."

Museum employee Clarence Yeo, who is in his 60s, continues using Gen Z parlance as he walks around the museum, declaring "the vibes are immaculate around here". He then crowns iconic artist Georgette Chen "queen of giving us the bombastic side eye", referring to the Singapore pioneer's famous Self Portrait on a museum wall.

NGS' video (str.sg/KJc7) has since gone viral. Posted on Sept 26, it garnered 2.5 million views on TikTok and 4.2 million views on Instagram a month later, according to figures provided by the museum.

"This intergenerational meme resonates because it bridges generational gaps in a relatable and humorous way," says Ms Ling Ying Shing, assistant director of integrated marketing at NGS.

"While initially targeted at Gen Z, we've received enthusiastic reactions from people of all ages and backgrounds globally," she says, adding that it aligns with the museum's goal of making art accessible for everyone.

The video was conceptualised by the museum's social media content creator, Ms Amelia Loh, 27. Mr Yeo, its newly minted TikTok star, now has visitors requesting photos with him.

More government ministries and public institutions are hopping onto a worldwide social media trend, in which Gen Z interns, aged up to 27, write the marketing script for their older colleagues to present.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mandai Wildlife Group, for example, have scored hundreds of thousands of views online for short videos along these lines, with the most successful reaching a few million.