Singapore's first 'hunky guy cleaning service' notches up 5.8 million views

SINGAPORE - A "Hunky Man Cleaning Service" promotional offer on Facebook for April 10 and 11 has gone viral, notching up more than 5.8 million views.

"Singapore 1st hunky guy cleaning service" was the brainchild of Mr Jameson Koh, founder of Vehs.com, a five-month-old design and renovation portal. The 39-year-old came up with the "limited-time service" Facebook campaign to promote an upcoming virtual renovation exhibition organised by his company.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/vehscom/posts/201767258383794[/embed]

To date, the campaign - which was launched on April 6 and features four bare-bodied hunky handymen - has chalked up over 5.8 million views and more than 900,000 engagements, which include posts and shares.

Eliciting both delight and derision, it has also busted borders and captured the imaginations of more than 50 local and foreign news and social media platforms, including those from the United States, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mr Koh tells The Straits Times that there were initially no plans to roll out the racy cleaning service beyond the weekend.

But after getting serious inquiries from the public, he is planning to continue with his unique cleaning proposition - though with replacement models rather than the men featured in the campaign.

"We have more than 70 requests for our models to clean, vacuum and mop homes in Singapore," says Mr Koh, 39, who is charging from $420++ for a one-bedroom unit to $700++ for a penthouse. "I have also received inquiries from more than 20 young men with good physiques who say they are interested in joining the 'homme team' to help clean up Singapore."

The campaign was co-created with marketing and promotions agency Shout.sg to drive online traffic to Vehs.com's first virtual Home Reno Expo, which will run from next Saturday to May 9.

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Mr Koh adds: "The four men in our Facebook post are part-time models who have full-time jobs or are undergraduates. I am in talks with other models who are game for the experience of cleaning households and showing off their ripped physique."

One of the models in the campaign is Mr Hassanal Ruslan, a full-time accountant.

"For the record, I don't do cleaning services, as this is more of a professional modelling stint for me," says the 26-year-old, who has been modelling since he was 18.

He adds: "I enjoy part-time modelling because I get to meet a lot of different people and experience different things just like this. I feel that modelling is a good stepping stone if you want to enter the entertainment industry."

Mr James Ho, 24, is pursuing a degree in nutrition and dietetics at Griffith University's Gold Coast Campus in Australia. Due to the pandemic, his courses are currently held online.

He says cleaning comes naturally to him and is something he would not mind doing as part of a modelling assignment.

"I like cleaning because it is very productive," he says. "If you spend a good 10 minutes cleaning, you're going to see the results - and that's why I love it. Honestly, practice makes perfect."

Asked if the media campaign is one big tease, Mr Koh says: "We strive to innovate and do things differently at Vehs.com. We wanted a tongue-in-cheek way to reach out to Singapore, but we got more than we could ever expect."