BBH Singapore and Uber reveal ‘Chope King’ prank to highlight Singapore’s limited parking

‘XL Tissues for Parking Issues’ – the mantra of ‘Chope King’ – the fictitious giant tissue packet that has been creating a social media storm in Singapore.

Last week, Uber, along with BBH Singapore, carried out a cunning seeding campaign that entrusted the help of Singapore’s top bloggers and local social media sites. Enter the tissue packet – a very common ‘chope’ agent – used widely by Singaporeans when securing a table or seat, especially at crowded food courts.

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Social posts carried photographs of a giant tissue packet labelled ‘Chope King’ ‘choping’ parking spaces in congested spots across Singapore’s CBD. ‘Chope’ is a local colloquialism that describes the act of securing a space in any public domain, before someone else gets to it.

Uber decided that a giant tissue packet would do the trick and send a funny but clear message highlighting one of the biggest woes faced by Singapore’s drivers: limited parking spaces. It’s all part of Uber’s wider message – a regional campaign of ‘Unlocking Cities’ that focuses on reducing private car ownership to improve lives in cities around the region.

From a commissioned study, Uber singled out limited parking space as one of the biggest problems that drivers in Singapore face, with the average person spending 288 hours a year in traffic and searching for parking.

Rebecca Levy, Account Director, BBH Singapore said, “There’s nothing like entrusting the help of a local phenomenon –  like the humble tissue packet – to make a point. We hope this ‘little’ prank with a ‘big’ message generates both conversations and gives rise to solutions around a real problem with parking in Singapore,”

Stacy Sy, Marketing Manager, Uber Singapore commented, “Uber is committed to creating better cities through fewer and fuller cars, especially in a small city like Singapore. Chope-King was our way of providing food for thought in a humorous but locally relatable manner, engaging Singapore residents to start conversations around whether car ownership is still a necessity.”

Credits –

Producer: Lesley Chelvan