A recent survey by the Central Narcotics Bureau revealed that 1 in 2 youths in Singapore said they would find it difficult to reject drugs if offered in a social setting. This figure rose to 62% (3 in 5 youths) when asked if they might feel pressured to try drugs in such environments. These findings, alongside other studies showing increasing openness toward drugs among Singaporean youth, inspired Ogilvy Singapore’s latest campaign for the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) – Uninfluenced.
A three-year public education initiative, Uninfluenced aims to empower youths to resist drug influence despite the challenges they face, including misleading pro-drug narratives. The campaign officially launches today with a week-long immersive escape room activation at Stamford Arts Centre. Titled The Trip: What Happened in Larspura, the activation uses a fictional narrative about Ben and his journey to the mysterious destination of Larspura to highlight various influences that can lead individuals to develop more permissive attitudes towards drugs.
Stamford Arts Centre has been transformed into three expansive, immersive escape rooms, each representing a different type of negative influence – peer, social, and cultural. Youth participants engage through gameplay and interactions with non-player characters. In addition to the interactive experience, the activation includes peer-facilitated debriefs, where youth facilitators help participants process what they experienced in each room.
For CNB, this activation serves as an opportunity to involve Singaporeans in an important conversation about the dangers of drug abuse, contributing to the collective vision of building a resilient, drug-free society in the face of a worsening global drug crisis.
“Uninfluenced is designed to provoke reflection and engage a new generation of youths who are navigating a world filled with misleading pro-drug narratives. We believe this generation has the critical thinking ability to assess information and make decisions that align with their values. Over the next three years, CNB aims to empower youths and key stakeholders to engage in effective conversations that prevent drug abuse and provide support to those vulnerable to drug influence,” said Audrey Ang, Director of Communications, CNB.
Troy Lim, Group Creative Director at Ogilvy Singapore, explained the approach: “We created an immersive role-playing experience that allowed young people to explore the disoriented mind of a drug user and even the operations of a shadowy offshore pharmaceutical company. It was an ambitious project that involved world-building, set designs, and game creation, brought to life with talented young actors. The fact that we had to open extra slots due to full bookings was incredibly encouraging.”
Shirley Tay, Chief Client Officer at Ogilvy Singapore, noted, “We wanted to move away from traditional public education campaigns that tell youth what to do. Instead of focusing solely on the negative impacts of drugs, we saw an opportunity to highlight the influences that can skew perceptions about drugs. We wanted the youth to discover the power of negative influence on their own and learn how to navigate these pressures to remain drug-free.”
The on-site activation is free to the public and runs from 28 February to 6 March 2025 at Stamford Arts Centre. The campaign will continue with a national marketing push in March 2025. For Ogilvy, this campaign provided both a unique challenge and a valuable opportunity to engage youth on a complex and difficult topic.
