Matchboxes and matchbooks were once popular forms of advertising in Singapore. Although originally imported, local manufacturers of such "advertising matches" emerged in the 1970s. They became popular business cards with

As a business card, matchboxes were typically printed with the addresses of establishments to communicate their location or contact information. Several also mapped or even illustrated the buildings they were located in. The latter often depicted the modern high-rises that arose in Singapore during a period of dramatic urban redevelopment in the 1970s and 1980s. These instant architectural icons were easily recognisable at first, until the city became filled with them.