Ad Nut
Oct 7, 2021

Singapore's big boring dance number

AD NUT's RANT OF THE WEEK: A new video from the Singapore Tourism Board is well intentioned and truly well made. But that doesn't save it from being well and truly dull.

Ad Nut dares you to watch the entire video above.

It's from the Singapore Tourism Board, the National Arts Council and TBWA Singapore. It's only three minutes long. But it seems much longer. Ad Nut is betting most people won't be able to make it through without wandering off to another browser tab or checking their stock prices or suddenly taking a great interest in their cuticles.

Ad Nut has nothing against dancing*. Ad Nut has nothing against ads that are big dance numbers**. Ad Nut has nothing against the dancers seen here, or local dance company O School, which participated in the video's creation. Ad Nut has nothing against the great city-state of Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board***, the National Arts Council, or TBWA Singapore. Ad Nut has nothing against the choreography, the performances, or the film craft seen above.

But you simply can't argue with Ad Nut's assessment: This video is dull. Unforgivably—and unforgivingly—dull.

It's three minutes of people dancing in front of some of the great sights Singapore has to offer. It intends to reflect a vibrant, diverse city and to show, according to a release, "how the arts can be captivating, fun and uplifting". It aims to "ignite travel inspiration in a unique and energetic way".

It fails.

Everybody did a great job on what they were asked to do. But Ad Nut suspects this one was doomed from the briefing stage. It couldn't possibly have looked good, even on paper. 


* This is true even though squirrels don't dance (although given squirrelkind's unparalleled physical grace and agility, Ad Nut's ilk would be amazing at it if they chose to).

** See for example, Ad Nut's positive review of another Singapore dance number, which was ridiculous enough to be enjoyable: Singapore cleanliness video is litter-ally delightful

*** Admission: Ad Nut does actually have something against the Singapore Tourism Board: Its creation of the term 'SingapoReimagine' for the ongoing campaign that this video is a part of. Come on. That's painful to even look at, let alone pronounce.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.

 

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