An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective

Although there is evidence that Singapore has been utilising social design and its principles to tackle social issues via national campaigns, the extent to which they are used, as well as their social acceptance are still primarily unknown. This study will address the issue of whether planned nation...

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Main Author: Tan, Wei Wen
Other Authors: Jesvin Yeo Puay Hwa
Format: Thesis-Master by Research
Language:English
Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174237
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Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1742372024-04-09T03:58:58Z An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective Tan, Wei Wen Jesvin Yeo Puay Hwa Lisa Winstanley School of Art, Design and Media JesvinYeo@ntu.edu.sg, lwinstanley@ntu.edu.sg Arts and Humanities Singapore National campaigns Social design Service design Design thinking Behavioural change Communication Although there is evidence that Singapore has been utilising social design and its principles to tackle social issues via national campaigns, the extent to which they are used, as well as their social acceptance are still primarily unknown. This study will address the issue of whether planned national campaigns in Singapore take place in an environment where “conditions of success” as outlined by Lazarsfeld and Merton’s classic study of Monopolisation, Canalisation and Supplementation (M-C-S) are well met. For the purpose of investigation, this study has a three-pronged approach; It looks at the message, then at the messenger, then its intended audience. First, case studies of national campaigns crafted in Singapore were studied to see if they fulfilled conditions of success required for effecting behaviour change. Second, semi-structured interviews with the crafters of the message, ranging from industry practitioners to policy makers, were conducted to determine campaign methodology, rationale and social acceptance. Mini focus group discussions were also conducted with the receivers of the message in order to understand if the national campaign’s messages are socially accepted. Findings are then analysed using a comparative analysis as defined in the Grounded Theory as Method (GTm) approach. The findings reveal the pivotal role of the M-C-S framework in shaping impactful social campaigns in Singapore. Monopolisation emphasises capturing attention amidst information saturation, with the significance of a clear and dominant narrative highlighted through interviews, focus groups, and case studies. Canalisation stresses the importance of consistent messaging and behavioural nudges for enduring impact, with repetition within reason, high relatability, early education, and empirical rationality identified as key components. Supplementation acts as a bridge between awareness and actionable results, fostering community engagement and dialogue while maintaining a balanced approach between hardware and heartware. Beyond the M-C-S framework, the study uncovers essential determinants that enhance campaign resonance in Singapore. The significance of cultural relevance, inclusive community engagement, flexibility, intentional engagement strategies, and trust in governmental entities emerge as influential factors. Tailoring campaigns to local contexts, embracing evolving social norms, and harnessing intentional corniness as a disruption strategy are explored, with the importance of trust highlighted alongside the need for transparency and diverse perspectives. Master's degree 2024-03-25T01:33:09Z 2024-03-25T01:33:09Z 2022 Thesis-Master by Research Tan, W. W. (2022). An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174237 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174237 10.32657/10356/174237 en This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). application/pdf Nanyang Technological University
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Arts and Humanities
Singapore
National campaigns
Social design
Service design
Design thinking
Behavioural change
Communication
spellingShingle Arts and Humanities
Singapore
National campaigns
Social design
Service design
Design thinking
Behavioural change
Communication
Tan, Wei Wen
An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
description Although there is evidence that Singapore has been utilising social design and its principles to tackle social issues via national campaigns, the extent to which they are used, as well as their social acceptance are still primarily unknown. This study will address the issue of whether planned national campaigns in Singapore take place in an environment where “conditions of success” as outlined by Lazarsfeld and Merton’s classic study of Monopolisation, Canalisation and Supplementation (M-C-S) are well met. For the purpose of investigation, this study has a three-pronged approach; It looks at the message, then at the messenger, then its intended audience. First, case studies of national campaigns crafted in Singapore were studied to see if they fulfilled conditions of success required for effecting behaviour change. Second, semi-structured interviews with the crafters of the message, ranging from industry practitioners to policy makers, were conducted to determine campaign methodology, rationale and social acceptance. Mini focus group discussions were also conducted with the receivers of the message in order to understand if the national campaign’s messages are socially accepted. Findings are then analysed using a comparative analysis as defined in the Grounded Theory as Method (GTm) approach. The findings reveal the pivotal role of the M-C-S framework in shaping impactful social campaigns in Singapore. Monopolisation emphasises capturing attention amidst information saturation, with the significance of a clear and dominant narrative highlighted through interviews, focus groups, and case studies. Canalisation stresses the importance of consistent messaging and behavioural nudges for enduring impact, with repetition within reason, high relatability, early education, and empirical rationality identified as key components. Supplementation acts as a bridge between awareness and actionable results, fostering community engagement and dialogue while maintaining a balanced approach between hardware and heartware. Beyond the M-C-S framework, the study uncovers essential determinants that enhance campaign resonance in Singapore. The significance of cultural relevance, inclusive community engagement, flexibility, intentional engagement strategies, and trust in governmental entities emerge as influential factors. Tailoring campaigns to local contexts, embracing evolving social norms, and harnessing intentional corniness as a disruption strategy are explored, with the importance of trust highlighted alongside the need for transparency and diverse perspectives.
author2 Jesvin Yeo Puay Hwa
author_facet Jesvin Yeo Puay Hwa
Tan, Wei Wen
format Thesis-Master by Research
author Tan, Wei Wen
author_sort Tan, Wei Wen
title An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
title_short An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
title_full An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
title_fullStr An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
title_full_unstemmed An exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in Singapore from a social design perspective
title_sort exploration of factors which contribute to the effectiveness of national campaigns in singapore from a social design perspective
publisher Nanyang Technological University
publishDate 2024
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174237
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