SINGAPORE - “Voucher Wong” and the God of Fortune - these are the nicknames that netizens have taken to calling Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after he announced a slew of goodies in Parliament during the Budget.

But what does the Prime Minister think of these cheeky monikers?

Sitting on an orange couch with mics in front of him, PM Wong laughed it off. “I suppose people will make memes and jokes about the Budget... I’m certainly not the God of Fortune, nor am I ‘Voucher Wong’,” he said, joking with the hosts of The Hop Pod podcast.

The lighthearted banter continued on issues ranging from the cost of living to housing policy. A YouTube video of the podcast episode has amassed over 45,000 views since it was posted on YouTube on March 9.

This was PM Wong’s third time on a video podcast since December, after also appearing on the podcasts The Daily Ketchup and Plan B.

These shows put politicians like PM Wong in a casual setting - sometimes seated with their hosts on a couch, and at other times across a coffee table. The banter is irreverent, and oftentimes hosts adopt a lighthearted take on issues.

Politicians like PM Wong have been increasingly turning to this casual format as a way to connect with voters beyond the reach of traditional media, said experts.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan and Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa, are just some of the politicians who have appeared on podcasts such as Front Row, Yah Lah But, and Teh Tarik with Walid.

The use of video podcasts by politicians as part of their communications and campaigning strategy is not unique to Singapore - the medium has played an outsized role in shaping political discourse in the United States, with popular shows like The Joe Rogan Experience reaching millions of viewers and listeners.

With the next general election on the way, observers say video podcasts here - which can garner as many as hundreds of thousands of views - are shaping up to be a crucial space for politicians keen on capturing the hearts and minds of voters.

The format started gaining popularity during the 2020 general election, which was held during the pandemic and had no physical rallies. This led politicians to turn to virtual discussions, l...