Viral videos of 'lightning ball' at Pasir Ris and Tampines revealed to be marketing campaign, netizens praise efforts
Over the past few days, videos showing a lightning ball floating in various areas of Singapore made their rounds online, prompting netizens to speculate on its nature.
Multiple videos claiming that lightning balls were flying around Singapore had been uploaded over the past few days. (Photos: YouTrip)
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Over the past few days, viral videos of a lightning ball floating around Singapore have sparked a buzz among netizens. Shot from the point of view of ordinary Singaporeans, the videos show a blue ball generating lightning as it travels along places like a road in Tampines, under an HDB block in Yishun, as well as at Pasir Ris Park.
Speculation of the ball's nature has ranged from the supernatural to the silly. Well, you can now strike down those fears as financial platform YouTrip revealed on Monday (Sep 22) that the videos are part of its marketing campaign.
In a video on YouTrip's social media platforms, the 'lightning ball' is seen entering a suitcase at Jewel Changi Airport. Seconds later, three cherubic monsters exit the suitcase, with a tagline teasing viewers to wait for Sep 24.
According to YouTrip, the monsters are its birthday mascot, Trippie.
Reactions to the campaign have been mostly positive so far, with one netizen stating that whoever thought of the idea "deserves a raise".
"Good job, marketing team. I fell for it," wrote another user.
Some users, however, were not amused by the revelation.
"I see the purpose behind it, but it's not funny that it swindled old folks that have difficulty perceiving AI-generated content," wrote a user on Instagram.
Another claimed that the videos "started a family fight" within their family.
This isn't the first time that YouTrip has initiated a stealth marketing campaign.
Early this year, as part of the launch of its Malaysian ringgit in-app wallet, the company produced videos depicting purple skies near Johor Bahru. Similarly, the campaign generated buzz with users speculating on the supposed phenomenon and jokingly linking it to the hit animated series Solo Leveling.
