Compared with the civil defence, the navy, army and air forces are seen to be more glamorous, said Joji Jacob, copywriter at J. Walter Thompson, the agency which created the civil defence campaign.
Jacob said recruits often placed the military defence forces first. As a result, JWT chose to show the civil defence as an appealing career choice by presenting its personnel as heroes.
"We're saying these guys are the real heroes because they are risking their lives every day to help other people. The commercial has an emotive soundtrack and was filmed to look like an action movie unfolding in slow motion.
It opens with a block of apartments on fire and shows the civil defence firefighters helping to save people while their paramedic colleagues treat the injured.
"It looks and feels like a movie ... it is big and emotive, said Dennis Tan, JWT executive creative director.
He said the commercial looked like a S$500,000 (US$275,000) production, but actually cost less than half that amount because the agency saved money by using civil defence staff rather than actors.
Costs were further saved as JWT shot the commercial at the civil defence's Mandai training school, which can simulate a number of disaster scenarios.
Tan said the training facility had mock apartment blocks and school buildings, which could be engulfed in flames and it even had a building that collapsed on cue. The campaign creators were Tan, Jacob and art director Benson Toh.
