Art Hack
Location
Singapore
Agency
2019
Year
SapientRazorfish
Painting the unpaintable city, a phygital PR and social campaign that broke all the rules.
PROBLEM/
Desperados is a tequila flavoured beer with a brand built on wild experimentation and rule-breaking. The Heineken group briefed us to launch it in Singapore, a city-state famous for its strict regulations and zero tolerance for street art. How do you celebrate creative rebellion in a place where rebellion gets you arrested?
INSIGHT/
Singapore's pristine exterior masks a thriving underground creative scene. Young artists crave the freedom to create street art but face harsh penalties—fines up to $2,000 and caning for vandalism. What if we could give them the thrill of illegal street art without the illegal part? Technology could turn rebellion into permission.
SOLUTION/
The Art Hack A collaboration between local street artists and technologist to spray light, instead of paint, across Singapore's iconic buildings.
SOCIAL FILM/
THE TECH/
A traditional spray can was fitted with an infared LED triggered by pressure on the nozzle. A set of wii remotes continuously tracked the coordinates of the can to turn any surface into a blank digital canvas. Custom built software allowed colours and brushes to be selected and a bespoke workflow mapped paint particles to each brushstroke, turning street art into performance art.
Local talents Zero, Tech and Brandon Tay worked with us to develop the technology and take to the walls of the National Gallery, National Stadium and People’s Park Complex.
RESULT/
Social media exploded with debate as The Art Hack sparked the cultural conversation Desperados needed.
We reached 22% of all Singaporeans, with major publications like the Straits times calling outrage and our target audience calling kudos. Brand awareness jumped 25%, sales followed and we won a Cannes Lion.
More importantly, we proved that authentic brand experiences could happen even in the world's most regulated city
Desperados vandalises iconic local buildings with light
Straits Times
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