Are spandex stunts in Singapore stretched too far?

In recent months, people in spandex suits have become a popular choice for on-ground activations due to it being fun, eye-catching and cost-efficient.

Just this week, Tiger Brokers enlisted men in bright yellow spandex to challenge strangers to pull-ups, sprints and broad jumps in unbranded teaser activations around Bedok Reservoir and Collyer Quay. The activation aimed to nudge participants toward its “Where’s your next step” campaign. Meanwhile, StarHub’s “Hublings” took over Orchard Road in March, handing out unlimited matcha ice cream to bring the telco’s “We got you” promise to life. For the uninitiated, the Hublings are a cast of non-speaking characters clad in green spandex, representing the brand’s reliability and care. 

These ideas are not new. In 2024, fashion and lifestyle eCommerce platform ZALORA painted the town red over its 11.11 sale, sending people in red spandex through Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with trolleys and boxes reading “Shop more. Save more.”

According to industry players such as Jian Yi Lay, group creative director at VaynerMedia APAC, the approach “feels a bit tired now”. Some activations, Lay notes, fit the brand story seamlessly, while others leave one wondering what the stunt has to do with the product.

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According to Lay, StarHub’s “Hublings” move, for example, resonated with its 2025 campaign. By aligning the stunt with the campaign’s narrative, the activation felt purposeful and on-brand.

Tiger Brokers’ yellow spandex stunt, in contrast, raises a broader question about how such activations connect to a brand’s story. The stunt marks the start of a wider push, which includes partnerships with groups such as Easy Pace Run Club, Urban Milers, and Pickle Academy of Singapore, as well as wellness players such as Beam World Yoga and Shelter by ReFormd.

However, Lay notes that the stunt itself illustrates a common challenge: creating attention-grabbing activations that feel genuinely relevant to the brand. “Why focus on the fitness category instead of everyday activities to give people a head start?” he asked, highlighting the importance of aligning spectacle with strategic messaging.

Not everyone sees the spandex approach as overdone.

VJ Anand, co-founder and chief experiment officer of Ballsy, welcomes the move. In today’s advertising climate, he said, any brand investing in and experimenting with new ideas is already taking a meaningful step.

Naturally, some will love it, and some won’t, but that’s part of the process, Anand added. This frames spandex stunts as one of many ways for brands to spark engagement and curiosity in crowded markets.

In all, Lay said what separates a culturally sharp execution from a tired stunt is whether people are talking about it. Successful activations should tap into excitement and create conversation. He highlighted YouTrip’s “Purple sky” stunt in Malaysia and its follow-up “Purple orb” in Singapore to show how a little mystery can spark organic engagement, with netizens speculating, joking, and sharing widely across social media.

"YouTrip's stunts created so much buzz because people kept seeing purple clouds in different spots. It even had people speculating about a BTS comeback, which shows how a stunt can truly root itself in pop culture," he explained. 

Do stunts lead to conversions? 

Stunts featuring people in spandex are just one of many ways brands attempt guerrilla marketing. While they can cut through the clutter, they do not automatically drive conversions.

In a previous conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Ron Graham, management team member at Plan B Media and former COO of Kinetic Worldwide, said: “Without a solid message and specific value proposition, such activations are unlikely to translate into meaningful action.”

He added that even in busy locations, small-scale on-ground stunts have limited reach. “The hope for viral amplification on social channels will give some uplift, but realistically, that exposure is fleeting and will be forgotten quickly if the activation doesn’t offer value to viewers," said Graham.

Echoing his sentiment, Goh Shufen, founder of R3, noted that awareness alone does not equate to sales. Consumers might remember the outfits or the spectacle, but not the message. To improve effectiveness, brands should focus on stronger O2O integration, ensuring seamless conversion and clear messaging with easy-to-follow calls-to-action that are as attention-grabbing as the stunt itself, added Goh.

Be part of #Content360 Singapore, 22–23 April 2026, where creativity and culture collide. Explore how AI-driven storytelling is shaping the future of content, gain practical insights, discover new tactics, and learn how the best in Asia are creating campaigns that truly resonate. 

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