People who walk through Singapore's Orchard Road underpass are now confronted with hoardings that have fake graffiti, broken metal fencing, iron grills and damaged fixtures in a cumbersome attempt by sports brand Nike to make the once immaculate walkway look like a ghetto.
From what I've read in the papers and learnt through friends is that the outdoor campaign by MindShare is part of a broader initiative to publicise Nike's association with football in time for the World Cup being held in South Korea and Japan this summer.
But it must be said the concept for the outdoor campaign is bizarre for only in squeaky clean, sterile Singapore would a company like Nike, or any company for that matter, feel the need to recreate urban decay in order to promote its products.
In Hong Kong, for example, the campaign would probably fail to register because the city has been able to achieve the decayed look without the need for advertisers' money. How fortunate many, may argue.
But what I'd like to know is what sort of lifestyle is Nike trying to promote here, and when did young Singaporeans start aspiring to live in slums? Or have I completely missed the point here?
If Nike wants to add some realism to its campaign, maybe it could pay actors to dress as thugs and prostitutes who beat up commuters as they go through the underpass.
But hey, for all I know, that could be the second phase of this unfathomable campaign.
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