Thorns and beyond: the story of the durian

Authors
Moy Yanming Martina, Foo Peiying, Loh Phieh Hsi Wanda

Supervisors
Ferdinand de Bakker

Year

Abstract

This report details Thorns and Beyond, a three-month public relations campaign that celebrates the act of storytelling in Singapore’s food culture. The initiative was targeted at local university students aged 19 to 26 and focused on advocating the durian as a medium through which stories are formed, recalled and shared.

Discourse about local food in Singapore is often limited to preparation and consumption. Thorns and Beyond delved into the oft-overlooked cultural aspects: the multitude of tradition, stories and human experiences which arose as a result of one particular fruit – the durian. Storytelling formed the tactics and programming used in the campaign to spread awareness of durian stories and create opportunities for the target audience to share their own stories.

The report presents the academic and formative research which led to campaign conceptualisation and execution, as well as the key strategy and tactics employed. Results and effectiveness of the campaign were evaluated and future recommendations proposed. Detailed appendices show written, transcribed and pictorial documentation of the campaign process.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10356/63375