The recent media campaign to raise flu awareness had made many Singaporeans sit up and take notice - if only for what they see as a scare tactic.
The campaign by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) featured posters telling Singaporeans about the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
The face of the campaign is a hand covered with a mass of evil-looking monstrous germs.
But Singaporeans feel that campaigns which use scare tactics are less effective than those which adopt a lighter touch.
Financial planner Joel Yap, 22, said: "Scare tactics just serve to scare people. Such tactics won't make me want to do something about an issue."
Public-relations executive Therese Koh, 22, said: "The disturbing graphics overshadow its message."
But not all feedback was negative. Marketing executive S. H. Kwa, 26, said: "It tells the truth, that germs found on your hands can be very harmful."
HPB's chief exective officer, Mr Lam Pin Woon, said: "HPB has received positive feedback from parents who had found the advertisement useful and effective in helping them to educate their children on the importance of adequate hand washing."
