Mediacorp: Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt

Mediacorp needed a nationwide campaign platform that could handle massive traffic spikes during Chinese New Year — one of the busiest retail periods in Southeast Asia. The public would scan QR codes placed across print publications, malls and partner outlets to earn points, vouchers and gifts.

The technical challenge was significant. 1,500 print-ready QR codes were needed at the last minute — produced and validated overnight to meet an urgent print deadline. The platform needed to handle nationwide traffic without buckling. Multi-stakeholder coordination was essential — aligning multiple teams and vendors through a single workflow. And the web app needed to work across both old and new devices, from budget phones to the latest smartphones.

Preventing abuse was critical — the system needed geo-fencing to verify legitimate scans and reject fraudulent ones, all in real time.

We delivered a stable, scalable campaign infrastructure built to handle nationwide traffic spikes.

First, we built a centralised QR code management system — generation, tracking and validation of all codes across print, in-store and outdoor placements. When 1,500 additional print-ready QR codes were needed at the last minute, we produced and validated them overnight to meet the deadline.

Second, we built a rewards engine with configurable rules for points, prizes and redemption. Campaign managers could adjust rules, add new prizes and modify point values without requiring code changes.

Third, we implemented geo-fencing logic to verify legitimate scans and prevent abuse. The system filtered duplicate scans, flagged suspicious patterns and safeguarded the reward system in real time.

Fourth, we built real-time dashboards showing participation, redemptions and campaign performance — giving Mediacorp visibility into how the campaign was performing at any moment.

Fifth, we handled multi-stakeholder coordination — aligning multiple teams and vendors through a single-source workflow, ensuring everyone was working from the same data.

The web app was optimised for compatibility across both older phones and the latest mobile browsers, ensuring the widest possible audience could participate.