Working for Coke

Here's what AdAge Global wrote on their Daily Newswire (January 24, 2002) regarding what I wrote for a viral campaign that began with the seeding of a mysterious email from a fake UK address to several teen opinion leaders in Singapore, and capitalized on Singapore's (then) new media environment, leveraging on the country's regulated environment, as well as the kiasu mentality of wanting to be in on the big story:

Coke behind Singapore Ministry of Enjoyment

SINGAPORE - A phantom 'news article' circulating via e-mail about a new Ministry Of Enjoyment in the island-state has been linked to the new M&C Saatchi-created campaign for a prominent Atlanta-based soft drink manufacturer.
Part of a fake column called 'Living in SIN' by Rusty Walker, the phantom 'news article' entitled 'On the Party Line' has been doing the e-mail rounds of Singapore. This viral marketing teaser has been backed with election-style flyers, button badges and t-shirts saying: "VOTE FOR THE MINISTRY OF ENJOYMENT".
Although people are questioning the Ministry's veracity, they are circulating the e-mail nevertheless, as such an initiative would not be completely out of place in the regulated environment of Singapore.
Neither the Coca-Cola Co. nor M&C Saatchi could comment on whether they were behind this, but a source says, "All will be revealed" at a big launch party Jan. 24 to be held at super-trendy Zouk Nightclub.
M&C Saatchi already handles non-Coke brands Heaven and Earth canned tea, and Juggy juice drinks. The agency was assigned this"special project of limited duration on Phase 1 of a new campaign for brand Coca-Cola in Singapore" late 2001 despite the account's global alignment with McCann-Erickson Worldwide.
The tongue-in-cheek Rusty Walker article concludes with this clue (Coke's former tagline "It's the real thing") to the drinks' giant's involvement in the hoax. "Whatever the majority say, the fact remains that when it comes to making Singapore a livelier place, The Ministry of Enjoyment is the real thing. It is now up to everyone else to learn to enjoy."