Close to 500 people attended Mitsubishi Electric Asia’s “Car Boot for Good” pre-loved to reloved drive at the Mitsubishi Electric Building last Saturday. Despite the heavy downpour in the morning, Car Boot for Good ended as a wholesome and fun-filled event with activities for all ages.

The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira. Attendees to the event shopped and thrifted from 30 car boots and 20 booths for unused or preloved finds, ranging from clothes, accessories, homeware, books and more. Mitsubishi Electric Asia also presented a $10,000 donation to Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre for Elderly (ADRC), its adopted charity since 2006, and one of the six participating charities and social enterprises that set up shop at the event.

Mitsubishi Electric Asia Director of Corporate Affairs Division Mr Frederick Goh shared, “This is our first foray into engaging the public to join us in our journey towards realising Mitsubishi Electric Group’s Purpose of a vibrant and sustainable society. The event is not just a platform for ADRC and supporting social enterprises to showcase their talents and partnerships, but a shared space to cultivate more sustainability-driven ideals within our Singaporean community. We hope we have inspired attendees that every little effort counts towards the shared objective of preserving the environment and planet for our future generations.”

Bask Communications is glad to partner with Mitsubishi Electric Asia for its first public engagement CSR event. We hope that visitors to the event and all Singaporeans can continue to take tiny steps in their commitment and responsibility towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP via Getty Images and Twitter.

July saw some of the world’s biggest social media companies wrestle and tussle with new service offerings as they try to upend Elon Musk’s Twitter, or shall we say “X” under the new rebrand. 

It’s been less than a year since Musk took over Twitter on 28 October 2022 and the journey has been erratic to say the least. Fidelity recently reported that Twitter’s valuation has fallen by 66%; Musk also tweeted that Twitter’s advertising revenue has plunged by about 50%, with overall traffic declining steadily since January, falling by 5.8% as of June. 

We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2023

While Twitter seeks to steady its ship with the appointment of new CEO Linda Yaccarino, the company now has more to worry about as it looks beyond the bow.

THREADS

Photo illustration by Dado Ruvić/Reuters

Threads is Meta’s foray into the battleground and Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt at usurping Twitter’s control in the short-form social media market. The application went online on 5 July 2023, reaching over 100 million users in less than 5 days. It broke ChatGPT’s record as the fastest platform to reach one million active users. However, criticisms were abound about users being inorganically pulled into downloading the app through prompts on Instagram. To add further furore, users who signed up for an account through their Instagram cannot delete their Threads profile without losing their Instagram account. Meta is reportedly working on a fix for the future but the only solution at present is a deactivation function that hides your profile and content, 

Latest reports have seen the number of active users drop drastically since launch, raising doubts about whether the platform will actually have the longevity and tenacity to build on its early success. Some are also speculating the current situation affirms that their initial hit was a mere result of their Instagram-linked sign-ups.

Perhaps Meta saw “an opportunity” to pounce on the market following the controversies at Twitter since Musk’s takeover and rushed to push out an unfinished product that failed to impress. The verdict is still out on whether Threads will eventually be successful, but its features and designs do not offer anything that proves a head-turner compared to what Twitter currently does. 

However, anyone with an existing Instagram account will enjoy the ease of porting over their existing followers and people they follow onto Threads. This function will be particularly helpful for brands and organisations to not have to rebuild their community of followers from the ground up, and also enjoy the ease of using Meta’s Business Suite across its social media platforms.

TIKTOK 

Photo illustration by Shutterstock

TikTok joins the fight to replace Twitter with the launch of text-only posts on 24 July. Unlike Meta, this new feature is fully integrated onto the existing platform, taking advantage of its already large user base. The new function is similar to text features on Instagram stories and may not be substantially different or revolutionary enough for users to see it as an alternative to Twitter. After all, TikTok’s niche is still built on short-form videos with a large focus on entertainment compared to the discussion and conversational focus of Twitter. However, it may be a welcomed content tool used to create shorter-form status updates and comments to bridge a gap in engagement that was only previously available on other social media platforms.

Over the years, TikTok has enjoyed great success in building an active community for Gen Z, with users twice as likely to recommend something they found on the platform compared to other social channels like Facebook & Instagram. The statistical difference demonstrates a more intimate and connected space between users on TikTok. 

X-ing The Competition

Photo illustration by Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

Twitter’s reaction to its competitors’ new features came out of left field. On 24 July, the social media network launched its new “X” logo, replacing the familiar blue bird design that had represented Twitter for 11 years. The sudden change followed Elon Musk’s aim to turn the platform into an all-inclusive application similar to China’s WeChat. But is Elon Musk’s Twitter rebrand a shot in his own foot? 

Users and the general public have not responded well to the shift as many lament the loss of the iconic bird logo as well as the use of the word “tweet”, which has culturally become a verb for many over the years. 

Beyond the initial abrupt layoff of its employees, glorification of overwork, blue ticks controversy, and Musk’s spasmodic tweets, Twitter’s branding and the values it represents are no longer clear. The many changes have not only cultivated a fear of misinformation on the social network, but Twitter has become severely entangled with Elon Musk the personality, who often speaks too candidly and antagonistically to the mainstream. With all the changes Musk has implemented since the takeover, one can’t help but ask if his public engagements thus far are mere PR stunts to sustain and build upon his tremendous sphere of influence as he prepares for the launch of his next big idea. Like it or not, the resulting negative press has permeated into the Twitter brand itself and perhaps Musk would see improvements if he lets the dust settle quietly before he conjures his next storm. 

Ultimately, will this change add further problems to the current advertising crunch Twitter is facing? Or is this the painful rebuild Musk seeks in order to birth a new superpower app in its place? Time will certainly tell but if there’s anything, as long as the demand for short-form text media exists and the lack of strong competition, users will stay in the Twitter comfort zone for now.

Bask Communications is pleased to be appointed as the public relations agency for 365 Cancer Prevention Society’s Are You At Risk? free lung screening campaign, the first and only free lung screening programme in Singapore.

Lung cancer is the first (25.1%) and third (15.2%) leading cause of death for males and females in Singapore between the years 2016 - 2020. The early stages of lung cancer are often asymptomatic; symptoms only develop when the condition progresses. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that lung cancer has among the poorest survival rates after diagnosis. 

As a non-profit organisation that serves the community in its tri-fold mission - Cancer Prevention, Cancer Fighting and Cancer Education, 365CPS is a huge proponent of early detection to save lives. The campaign aims to empower eligible high-risk individuals to take charge of their health, for the benefit of themselves and their caregivers.

Lung screening programmes have shown to be an effective measure in improving early detection rates, potentially leading to improved treatment outcomes and reduced mortality. Recent research has shown that a low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung screen is highly accurate in detecting small spots in the lung, including early lung cancer. It has been proven to reduce the number of deaths from lung cancer in high-risk patients compared to chest X-rays.

Sign-Up for Are You at Risk? Free Lung Screening (now to 18 August 2023)

To participate in the lung screening programme, applicants will have to register with 365CPS or its community partners for a pre-screening consultation, followed by a low-dose CT scan at 365CPS screening partners’ facilities. The clinic will schedule a review with the doctor if the CT scan indicates abnormalities, and refer patients to a public health setting if further investigation or treatment is needed. 

Are You at Risk? Lung Cancer Screening is available for individuals who 

• Hold a valid blue or orange CHAS card

• Are 50 to 80 years old

• Have smoked at least 20 pack years
  (Calculated by number of packs smoked daily multiplied by the number of years)

• Are still smoking or quit within the last 15 years ago 

For any enquiries or to register for the free lung screening, members of the public can contact 365CPS community partners, email 365CPS at elyn.tan@365cps.org.sg or register on 365CPS website: https://www.365cps.org.sg/screening-campaign/. 

Make a difference to the lives of these at-risk individuals and support the efforts of 365CPS.

Members of the public who wish to support the lung screen campaign can do so via the following platforms:

Giving.sg: https://www.giving.sg/365-cancer-prevention-society/areyouatrisk 

Give.asia: https://give.asia/campaign/are-you-at-risk-lung-cancer-screening?#/ 

All donations to 365CPS will be eligible for 250% tax relief. Any excess funds will be directed to supporting the Society’s tri-fold mission. 

For media enquiries, please contact laypeng@baskcomm.com or kayguan@baskcomm.com.

The world has undergone a collective trauma and shared experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve all emerged from it with new lessons and changes in the way we feel, think, and act.  Our team at Bask Communications is welcoming this new era of the post-pandemic world with a reenergised and deeper understanding of the world around us, and the nuances gained in the world of communications, staying informed with the latest trends and observations to convey on-the-nose touchpoints and relevant dialogues to our community. 

The core of who we are as an organisation has not changed. The work with our clients through the pandemic years has further reinforced to us the importance of building authentic communications and meaningful interactions. It might seem counterintuitive to shed the frills, but when consumers are constantly bombarded with so much noise across all media platforms, they are looking for what is real. Rather than only a few seconds of “visibility” through a quick swipe or scroll on the phone, we aim to build successful brand affinity and lasting connection between brands and consumers.

Over the past seven years, we have successfully strategised and executed many impactful public relations program in partnership with our clients, and we want to do more.

Building more engaging content

We are placing a greater emphasis on creating holistic communications programs for clients on their owned platform through content marketing across editorial, photography and videography and podcast production services. 

Podcasting has grown to become a highly relevant tool for amplifying reach, gaining significant popularity and importance in recent years. 31% of adults in Singapore and 44% globally listen to more than an hour of podcast weekly. The growing number of users on this platform creates a wide accessibility to new audiences, providing brands and companies the opportunities to build communities and foster stronger connections.

Fostering stronger employee communications

Through the pandemic and beyond, we are seeing more organisations looking inward to grow outward. Beyond the standard fare of internal communications, we designed a spectrum of offerings to be a partner in helping you build your organisation’s culture and employee engagement.  The mainstreaming of workplace models such as hybrid and remote work have pushed organisations to relook how employees can remain connected and engaged. As companies continue to strive for growth and success, the employee experience has become a new and key consideration of their structure.

We understand that every business’s needs are different, and we look forward to creating new and exciting ideas together for your business. Get in touch with us now. 

Dear clients and friends,

When I was gearing up to re-open Bask Communications after a brief hiatus to restructure the business, I never would have expected the twist and turns we will be presented with in 2020.

Like many people out there, I had grand plans for 2020. I must admit, ever the optimist, I waited for the pandemic to blow over and for life to carry on as we knew it. But it didn’t take much time at all to become clear that normal as we knew it was not coming back. We had unknowingly taken that last holiday, attended the last wedding, enjoyed the last buffet for the last time in a long time.

We are bearing witness to some of the quickest pivots that businesses have to make to survive in the post-COVID-19 world. In the last four months, many businesses suffered the full brunt of the pandemic and ceased operations. At the same time, we are also seeing many successful examples of businesses that have sprouted and thrived in these times.

Many of you know us for the work we’ve done in the areas of strategic public relations consultations and media relations. To serve you better, we are launching new services to provide you with a more holistic and tailored approach.

Together with our partner, Justin Fernando, we are launching content marketing, photography and video production services to help you with your digital transformation. Whether you are selling products, a service provider, or an advocate, speak with us and let us come up with creative storytelling ideas to connect and engage with your audience. For new businesses looking to create new websites, we have developed two affordable web design packages for you, including one that includes free photography services so that it’s one less thing on your checklist.

As companies navigate change, employees are also experiencing a challenging time managing their new work and collaborative styles. We have partnered with Veldhoen + Company, an integrated consultancy firm and pioneers of activity-based working to support companies who want to take an active lead in guiding their organisations through this period of change, ranging from guiding employees to work more effectively in distributed teams, building a strong company culture, to employee communication, advocacy and engagement programs.

Have questions, or just looking for someone to bounce off ideas with? Schedule an introductory chat with us now or drop us a note here. We are here to support you.

Warmest,
Lay Peng