The Singapore Navy's crowd sourcing campaign gets trolled

The Republic of Singapore Navy launched a crowd sourcing online campaign earlier this month to have the public name its “next-generation warships”.The campaign, which runs until the end of the month, will be giving away SG$3000 for the winning entry. The second and third prizes are SG$2000 and SG$1000 each, with 20 SG$100 cash voucher consolation prizes being given away.It says on its Facebook post: “A ship gets part of its strength from its name so we're looking for the strongest ones […]Have the honour of naming our next-generation warships. Be part of 2015's biggest launch and make your mark at SAF50!”While its intentions were in the right place to get locals engaged, it did not take Singaporeans too long to display their cheeky side online. Majority of the naming suggestions allude to general issues at home such as ERP prices and fare hikes.Here’s a look at some of the Facebook comments on the post here:Post by Republic of Singapore Navy.In a conversation with Marketing, Ryan Lim founder of QED consulting said that while it is great to use the crowd sourcing tactic to generate ideas for names, the Navy must also be mindful of its brand’s DNA. At the core, the Navy brand is a more serious one.“By openly asking for public opinions on an amplified platform such as Facebook, and that too without much proper guide, it is opening up Pandora's box. The acronyms and ideas for names emerging ultimately collide with the Navy's brand image,” said Lim.Comparing this to Scoot, which successfully piloted this crowd sourcing initiative for names for its new planes, Lim explained that the Scoot brand DNA is a lot more fun loving and open to laughing at itself.“This is the military and should instill confidence as our defenders. As a result, no one is taking this campaign seriously as there is a big disconnect as the brand is trying to be trendy, but not being faithful to its core brand image,” said Lim.Whether a hit or miss, my personal favourite is RSS SG50 Shades of Grey.