ISB Advertising: #ShapeYourFuture (2023)

Every year, five buses feature a set of NUS alumni and students highlighted by Office of Admissions (OAM). This usually happens in tandem with the Open Day season, as the Admissions Campaign goes into full swing.

This year, however, the five buses that have carried white ads since 2016 are not getting new wraps. Due to the transition to a new electric fleet, the original five B9Ls (PA33K, PC3769R, PC3906L, PC3983M and PC3989Y) were not rewrapped. Instead, the wraps were applied to five new Zhongtong N12 buses – PD487T, PD658S, PD726D, PD778D and PD810T. I have not done a 1:1 comparison as in previous years, as it was quite difficult to figure out which wrap indirectly replaces which. As such, this article will only cover the five wrapped Zhongtongs.

On the offside, the feature continues to take up the central third of the bus; on the nearside, it is placed between the second and third doors. Unlike 2022’s advertisements, the taglines are once again the same on both sides of the bus, although the photos are different. The photos are set against a dark blue background, giving them a more postcard-like appearance. The use of a solid background colour for a large portion of the advertisement was last seen in 2019, when a large orange strip was used to house the tagline and details. The QR code linking to the featured person’s page, first seen on the nearside of the 2022 wraps, is now present on both sides of the bus.

PD487T (D2)

2023 advertisement: Researcher, Conservationist, Songbird, featuring Annabel Lim, a Research Assistant at NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions from NUS Science. Highlighted icons: Interdisciplinary Learning + Global Opportunities + Sustainability.

PD658S (A1)

2023 advertisement: Polymath, Nature Lover, Teh-C Reviewer, featuring Joan Lim, a Year 2 student from College of Humanities and Sciences. Highlighted icons: Interdisciplinary Learning + Sustainability + Student Life.

PD726D (BTC)

2023 advertisement: Magistrate, Mentor, Sambal Connoisseur, featuring Hairul Hakkim, a Magistrate at the State Courts of Singapore from Law. Highlighted icons: Community + Global Opportunities + Student Life.

PD778D (D1)

2023 advertisement: Venture Analyst, Entrepreneur, Home Cook, featuring Martin Ng, a Year 4 student from the NUS Double Degree Programme (Business and Engineering) and NUS Overseas Colleges. Highlighted icons: Interdisciplinary Learning + Global Opportunities + Entrepreneurship.

PD810T (A1)

2023 advertisement: Engineer, Scientist, Dragon Boater, featuring Whitney Loh, a Year 4 student from College of Design and Engineering. Highlighted icons: Interdisciplinary Learning + Global Opportunities + Internships.

Find out more

These five buses merely highlight a few of our illustrious students. To find out more about other graduates and undergraduates, you may check out this website.