The “Wall of Haikus” campaign, created by Ogilvy, sees Muji putting up in-store installations in two of its stores that use haiku, a Japanese poem, in line with NRM’s 2022 theme of “Be Unexpectedly Interesting”.

The installations showcase 30 selected ebooks and audiobooks through free bookmarks using 17 syllables, hand-drawn illustrations, a haiku, and a QR code.

Customers in Muji’s stores can scan the QR code which links to an ebook in NLB’s collection. The haikus on each bookmark are worded to provide clues to the names of the books, which span different genres from fiction and non-fiction to Singapore literature and more.

“For this year’s edition of the National Reading Movement, we wanted to explore new ways of bringing reading and discovery to more people,” said Chris Koh, the program director of NRM.

“Through our partnership with Muji to bring haikus and books to people, we hope to inspire everyone to read more, read widely and read together.”

Elrod Carvalho, creative director of Ogilvy Singapore added: “Haikus are a beautiful part of Japanese culture, and being able to highlight them alongside the joys of reading feels like a double discovery. We want everyone who interacts with the bookmarks to feel a sense of wonder and intrigue, as well as feel inspired by the bookmark designs and the beautifully crafted Haikus, to then go home and download the book and continue their reading journey.”