Singaporean duo Calvin Soh and Saleem Jumabhoy launch a new global mobile platform aimed at giving history back to the people
A first of its kind in Asia and the world, Time Travellr is a global mobile platform aimed at democratizing history and allowing people to be digital curators of their own history.
The brainchild of Calvin Soh and Saleem Jumabhoy, two Singaporean mid-life crisis entrepreneurs, the app allows anyone to share a location’s past, present and future by geographically and chronologically tagging photos and videos anywhere on earth.
“We remember a Singapore that was a lot more interesting, spontaneous and organic, words that have been re- placed by efficient, organized and clean. Through this platform, we want the people to remember the energy and spark Singapore used to have. We want our mojo back,” said Saleem Jumabhoy.
As a reflection of Singapore’s diversity, vibrance and culture, Time Travellr hopes to make Singaporeans feel more rooted, strengthen our sense of identity and help integrate us regardless of race, language or religion.
“We feel we’ve been selling ourselves short. We’ve misplaced our soul and spirit and become a shiny glass concrete steel air-conditioned mall. We want to tell our children that the Singapore we grew up in had swagger. We were the risk takers, the rebels, the inventors of our own destiny. It’s in our DNA and we want to revive it.” said Calvin Soh.
What looks to be the start of a global collaborative movement beginning in Singapore, Time Travellr aims to empower users and capture key moments in Singapore’s modern history, be it Pink Dot SG, the development and changes to Bukit Brown, anti-CPF protests or Singapore’s win at the Commonwealth Games. Time Travellr’s global vision is that a well-travelled humanity is one that sees the common stories that unite us, and not the petty differences that divide.
Jumadhoy has worked in agencies and on the client side in Singapore, New York, Canada before deciding to return to Singapore in 2005. He joined a digital agency to lead the digital requirements for companies Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Microsoft and OCBC. He was recruited to muvee Technologies as VP of Marketing to spearhead its digital transformation. He transformed the company increasing annual online sales year on year during peak periods. In the past 3 years, he has been actively sought out as an independent consultant to train MNCs in digital transformation. He has advised companies like Samsung, 3M, Johnson Controls, Accenture, DuPont, Kimberly-Clark, in countries ranging from Korea to Kazakhstan, and India to Brazil. He has led projects in digital transformation for organizations like Malaysia Airport and Chevron.
Soh has had a high profile career in the industry working at Ogilvy & Mather then Saatchi & Saatchi during the David Droga era. Soh was ranked number one creative in Asia 2000 by Campaign Brief Asia and was in the top three for four consecutive years. He was the first Singaporean CD in arguably the best creative agency in USA then, Fallon. There he worked and presented to the board of Fortune 500 companies like United Airlines, Citibank, EDS, Johnson’s Controls, Timberland, as well as new business pitches in New York, Minneapolis, London, Tokyo and Shanghai. Soh set up Fallon Asia in 2002 and was the company’s President and Creative Director. Within the first year, Fallon was ranked a top ten creative network and quickly won acclaim for its work on United Airlines, Citibank, MTV and VW Asia. In 2007, Calvin was given the additional role of Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer for Publicis Asia.
Time Travellr is now available on the iTunes store for iPhones and iPads. The team is still kicking on with the Android version, so hold tight.
14 Comments
If it works 100% as envisioned, this really is an interesting idea with huge potential.
They could start by selling it to Ogilvy or DDB for their SG50 client.
Do they accept payment in bit coins.
Any new app nowadays is competing with a shedload of other stuff on the interwebz for my attention. Why would I want to do anything this app wants me to do? And how is this monetised?
Right now it sounds like a nostalgia revival tool that I will play with once and then forget forever.
So you’ve downloaded it then, Mitch? Mitch?
When I said I I will play with it once and then forget it forever I was being charitable. It doesnt even interest me to download as it has zero utillty or entertainment value for me. I am not falling for that bit that says the app will “make Singaporeans feel more rooted, strengthen our sense of identity and help integrate us regardless of race, language or religion”….that is just nonsense ad copy no app can do that…..
“A first of its kind in Asia and the world”?
Conceptually, pretty much identical to this, really:
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/may/streetmuseum-app
We monetise it at the moment with brands. So brands can put their history in there, eg CK Tang’s department store and insert a relevant promo/incentive. So after you see their history, they could say Our replica Silk Handkerchiefs from 1923 now $5.
That way they can drive traffic to store or website etc. Really up to the brands what they want.
Secondly, all their employees have their brand history in their pockets now. That’s your HR or CSR right there.
Thirdly, they can project into the future. Talk about future promos or what their new store will look like.
Imagine if Tiger Beer came on. You can not only see their history, their old ads, but maybe a promo to the new bar, a 6 pack at 1975 prices or what their new bottle will look like.
Or a property developer who will show their landmark developments and the latest in 2 years time where Time Travellrs get a 5% early bird discount.
We bring value back to brands with a unique heritage.
For the people, we give history back to them. The people’s history now merges with official history. Hopefully you get many different points of view, rather than just what books tell you what to think.
As for digital currency, we’re working on accepting it. There’s no reason why we can’t create our own Time Travellr currency too. Ethereum.org has just been funded so watch that space.
One of the differences in the start up world and the ad world is, and I’ve seen both, we work on MVP. Minimum Viable Product. It’s 60% or 70% we get it out and constantly evolve, looking at data and changing. In the ad world, it has to be 100% before it’s out. The TVC has to be 100%. Once it’s out, it’s done for the year (depending on media buy). You might tweak the supers or re-edit because the client’s wife likes purple.
Also in the ad world, you’ll do this for one client who pays, if you’re lucky, a retainer for this. We can sell it to any client.
We hope it works 100% as the customer envisions. They seldom will use it the way you want them to.
We will learn, do, fix. I’ve been married to the same person for a long time and that only happens when you learn, do and fix.
Thanks for the serious and detailed explanantion….you should have said this earlier instead of the awful fluff in your original press release. Basic commone sense really, tell the consumer what’s in it for them.
Good luck…sounds like it has potential. Hopefully you will come back a year or two later with case studies of how well it has performed.
Sounds great and can one contribute old photos to share the memory and features of a life growing up in Singapore?
Who buys products based on history and old sepia pictures any more….especially from a mall or a beer? Consumers dont give a shit about ancient heritage they want a product that makes them look good and feel good about themselves.
I can see school kids using this for history class….a nice way to promote interactive learning….but that’s about it.
Why would any Brand want their history housed in an app and then look to link potential customers back to its retail platforms when it can do so in many different ways right now directly with more control over content and cost?
Employees, like any self-obsessed individual, care as much for history/heritage as they do for their breakfast pictures from last year on Instagram. See how SG50 is struggling after promising 5 million stories about Singapore.
Future promotions tagged to history? Only if that includes an indication of who the future CEO and Marketing/Sales Director is going to be and what their objectives will be.
I agree that you have to start something and learn to fix and fine tune along the way but it has to start with a value proposition that makes sense to the end consumer first. After all it is their database that is going to be flogged off eventually.
I’m sorry but I don’t see that here.
Let’s see how it goes. My explanation is very brand oriented. It’s what we tell brands. I’m not sure consumers are interested in it.
Nice work Calvin. Love the idea of it. Can’t wait to try it out.
If consumers aren’t interested in it, why should brands? When it comes to building apps, please think about the users. This is way to tedious for it to catch on. Advertising come into Facebook, Instagram and others much later.
Hi Cynthia, Yes you can. But you are onto something we were thinking of introducing later. Write me at calvin@timetravellr.com
Value Proposition Much, You could well be right. But so far our conversations have been quite positive with brands. Your main point is history doesn’t have much of a value. Again, maybe you’re right. But look at the F&B places which have that old feel, some try to keep the original coffee places or even if you’re brand new, you’d like to be in a place with a story. Take Tiong Bahru for example. Or Little India. Or Jalan Besar. May I suggest you try the app. If it’s crap, please let me know.
SG50’s promise is different. It’s 5 million memories for the 50th birthday. It’s a govt initiative. After that birthday, who knows if it will exist.
Education is definitely on the cards. Tourism too.