Flight of Fancy.

A recently launched TVC for the Republic of Singapore Air Force tested the agency and film crew to the limit, requiring them to simulate overseas locations from a local shoot, as well as work with bad weather, untested talent, and ... even bees

Glamour is hardly the first word that springs to mind when one thinks of recruitment commercials, but agency Leo Burnett Singapore managed to do just that with its latest TVC for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

Leo Burnett has held the RSAF account for a good 10 years, so when the client called for a tender in April last year for a corporate commercial that could be cut down into a recruitment ad, the agency was in good stead to deliver what the client wanted. What it delivered was beyond the call of duty: as its research showed that the organisation was already regarded as an elite institution, the agency suggested that it focus solely on a recruitment commercial. The client agreed, reversed its brief, and set the wheels in motion for this commercial that went on air in late February this year.

According to Kenneth Yap, group account director, "The client's brief was simple. The commercial was supposed to reflect the airforce as world-class and a choice employer that would train its people to their fullest potential through its technology." The agency's creative team presented this concept: a slick, glitzy commercial that profiles compelling characters with interesting hobbies such as archery and …