SINGAPORE: As controversy surrounding intelligence levels in the
city rages on, Mensa is kicking off a membership drive with a print and
outdoor campaign.
Mensa's campaign, created by Gosh! Advertising, features advertising
with seemingly indecipherable mes- sages. The messages are actually
puzzles to test readers' intelligence, and those who solve them will be
invited to become members of the worldwide organisation, where
membership is based on candidates meeting its IQ requirement.
Mensa, which has 800 members in Singapore, decided to launch its
recruitment drive to help Singaporeans feel good about themselves, said
Elaine Chong, Mensa's PR and marketing manager. Chong said controversy
surrounding the screening of the local version of Who Wants to be a
Millionaire - where some contestants failed to answer basic general
knowledge questions - may have created the impression that Singaporeans
were unintelligent.
"Just because a person can't answer general knowledge questions, it
doesn't mean they're not intelligent. We're putting up these posters so
that when people decipher them they gain a sense of satisfaction," Chong
said.
Lim Soon Huat, creative partner at Gosh! Advertising, which created the
campaign, said people could enquire about becoming a member via the
organisation's website mensa.org.sg, which is mentioned at the bottom of
each ad. Lim, who is a Mensa member, was instrumental in helping Gosh!
win the account without a pitch, according to Chong.
Gosh! Advertising was established in September last year by five
partners who previously worked for Lowe Lintas & Partners.
There was no incumbent agency on the Mensa account.
