Lion dance for a new opening? So 2019, says Caltex as it rolls out giant pineapple

Bye lion dance, and hello pineapples! To mark the opening of its newest petrol station at Jurong West, Caltex (literally) rolled a giant inflatable pineapple from the East to the West of Singapore. Conceptualised by global brand experience agency VMLY&R, the campaign was aimed at the local tradition of blessing a new hole by rolling a pineapple into the house to new heights. The Caltex team took it up a notch and ordered a 2.5m-high inflatable pineapple instead.

The Caltex team took a total of 24 hours to reach its destination in Jurong, baffling bystanders as it made its way through Tampines Central, Changi City Point and East Coast Park. Before that, the team passed through Singapore’s Central Business District via the Helix Bridge, past Marina Bay Sands, through to Raffles Green, Bugis Street and Orchard Road. Lastly, the pineapple made its way through the Singapore heartlands of Toa Payoh, Clementi and Jurong East to finally arrive at Jurong West on Saturday morning.

Launched in the run-up to Chinese New Year, the activation caught the attention of Singapore residents and according to Caltex, resulted in a landslide of social media postings. On Facebook, members of the public lauded Caltex for its "excellent and creative" marketing tactics. This activation also piqued the interest of a local celebrities Pornsak and Fauzi Aziz who posted about the event on their social media channels. According to Caltex, the festive fruit drummed up more than 170,000 views and 32,500 likes via social media at the time of writing.

Abraham Lee, brand specialist, at Caltex parent company, Chevron Singapore, said Caltex Jurong Spring is the latest addition to its network, and what better way to start the housewarming than with a fun activation which would resonate with the local community, and bring good fortune in the run up to Chinese New Year.

Meanwhile, according to Preethi Sanjeevi, managing director, VMLY&R Singapore, as people in Singapore descend onto the streets in preparation for the Lunar New Year, the team felt there was no better time for an activation to turn heads and get people talking.

"Singapore has a strong cultural heritage, and pineapples have a unique place in that heritage, symbolising wealth and prosperity. Given this, we felt that there was no better way to welcome customers to Caltex’s newest home than with a unique local tradition designed to encourage good fortune and prosperity, while bringing a smile to the faces of Singaporeans everywhere,” she added.