National Courtesy Campaign (Singapore) - Publicity

Publicity

Numerous measures were taken to ensure there was a great degree of publicity to match the ambition of the campaign. It was the first Singapore campaign to adopt a mascot in the form of “Singa, the Courtesy Lion” in 1982. In addition, the profile of the campaign was sustained through the use of radio, televisions and newspapers, where the campaign is highlighted in articles, documentaries, jingles, songs and other programmes. Posters and banners were hung up at prominent public places like bus stops, shopping centres and open-air markets. Debates, contests, talks, exhibitions, courtesy courses, where leaflets, handbooks and pamphlets would be handed out, were also arranged to further educate the people. To reach out to children, essay-writing competitions in all four national languages were arranged with “the objective of getting members and employees of unions and co-operatives and their children to think about and express their views on the importance of courtesy”. Even bills and correspondence from government and statutory bodies had courtesy slogans in them. In later years, additional items in the form of stickers, badges, t-shirts, mugs, keychains, vases, notepads and even a musical coin bank that played jingles composed for the courtesy month were amongst an assortment of memorabilia served to continuously remind the public of the ongoing need for Singaporeans to have courtesy ingrained into their lifestyle. Courtesy songs, fables and a website were introduced into the campaign as it entered the 80s and 90s.