Seduced bank customers to ditch the cash and make 73% more cashless transactions.

DBS Bank x The Scent of Money

Business Challenge

Even after DBS launched the convenient cashless red packets for Lunar New Year, no one wanted to use them.

Cultural Insight

Singaporeans weren’t using cashless angbaos because it lacked feeling. In particular, the feeling of huat — a Hokkien expression of the Chinese word “發” (fā) that means “prosperity”.

The Scent of Money

To evoke that feeling of prosperity, we lured customers to go cashless with a perfume that smelled of crisp new notes.

Business Results

  • +200% customers using cashless gifting

  • +65% use of cashless gifting

  • +73% cashless gifting transactions

Awards & Press

  • New York Festivals 2024 (Bank: Commercial & Retail) / Silver

  • New York Festivals 2024 (Direct) / Shortlist

  • The One Show 2024 (Direct) / Shortlist

  • Creative Circle 2024 (Best Use of Cultural Insights) / Bronze

  • Creative Circle 2024 (Direct) / Shortlist

  • Featured on It’s Nice That, The Drum, Campaign Asia, Ad Age, Little Black Book, Adobo Magazine, Branding in Asia, Marketing Interactive, Campaign Brief Asia, Mothership SG, Daily Vanity, Must Share News, Class 95 Radio FM