Thinking of playing more screenfree games with the kids? How about a card game that’s marketing-themed? Ottie’s Fishy Business is Singapore’s first marketing-themed card game, designed to make marketing concepts simple, fun, and accessible for people of all ages, from children as young as 7 to professionals curious about the fundamentals.
Ottie’s Fishy Business: New Marketing-themed Card Game
Created by Cassandra Ong, founder of fractional marketing agency OtterHalf, the game was inspired by her two daughters, who once asked her what “marketing” really meant.
Wanting to make complex concepts like branding, storytelling, and ethics easier to grasp, Cassandra spent eight months developing and testing this otter-ly clever card game.
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Beyond family fun, Ottie’s Fishy Business is already sparking interest in schools, enrichment programmes, and even the marketing industry, where it’s seen as a fresh way to learn and teach real-world skills.
We ask Cassandra more about Ottie’s Fishy Business.
Tell us more about Ottie’s Fishy Business and why families should play it.
Ottie’s Fishy Business is a whimsical card game I created with my daughters to teach marketing to kids as young as 7 years old.
Players are tasked to help Ottie the Otter attract new customers to her new fish stand. Kids will learn all sorts of marketing actions like “Word of Mouth,” “Branding,” “Influencer,” or “Advertisements,” and match them to the right marketing strategies in Ottie’s world.
In this digital age where most learning happens on screens, Ottie’s Fishy Business is a rallying call to introduce our children to the tactile ways we played when we were 10 years old. I know it sounds old-school, but I truly believe it’s important for kids to learn how to interact and communicate off screen.
The game is intentionally made to be fun first. Learning is a by-product, because young kids are usually more interested to learn only if it’s fun for them.
Families who played the game have told me that the game has successfully helped them learn more about marketing — which, to me, is a huge win.
What would you like kids to learn from this card game?
Drawing on my own experiences as a child who started a (failed) sticker business and a teenager who set up a flea booth selling second-hand clothes (at a loss), I want kids to learn that marketing isn’t just about asking their friends and family to buy from them. It’s more than that.
Marketing education doesn’t need to be technical. In fact, it can be very fun! That’s also the reason why I’ve been in marketing for the past 14 years. I wanted to pass down this knowledge in an otter-ly fun way.
Players can learn a few things by playing Ottie’s Fishy Business:
Different strategies to attract customers to a business
How marketing tactics come together to make a bigger impact
A competitive, never-say-die spirit
My daughters once asked me, “Mama, what do you do at work?”
I tried explaining marketing, and quickly realised how abstract it all sounds to a child.
Yet marketing is all around them. It’s why they choose one snack over another, why a toy suddenly becomes “cool,”, and why they recognise iconic characters instantly. They can easily understand the concepts. I just needed to make it digestible and fun.
So I thought: why not teach children about marketing through play?
Kids learn best through stories and characters they care about. That’s how Ottie the Otter was born — a mischievous otter who used to steal koi fish, and has turned a new leaf to start an honest business. Players will help her attract more customers to her fish stand, experiencing marketing through gameplay.
Your top 3 favourite games for families and why?
UNO
This bold and colourful game is really simple to understand. Kids learn to plan ahead, think critically, deal with surprises (+4 always gets us howling!), and manage their emotions when things don’t go their way. We’ve had moments of laughter and drama all from this tiny deck of cards.
Happy Family (International Edition)
It’s one of the few games my 4-year-old can actually play with us. The objective is simple: collect all the family members from the same country. This makes it easy for children to follow without feeling overwhelmed. But honestly, half the fun comes from the chaos. We laugh a lot because my 4-year-old will confidently ask for a family member she doesn’t even need, just because she likes how the character looks or sounds. Sometimes she’ll say, “Can I have the Mother from Japan?” even though she’s collecting the Singapore family. We give it to her anyway.
Ottie’s Fishy Business
Because I’m biased! My kids helped me to improve this product, optimising the gameplay as we played. They are my target audience, so their feedback was taken very seriously. I’m so proud of what we achieved together. Also, seeing parents and kids huddle together to help Ottie warms my heart every single time.
Where would you go for your Little Day Out?
My 4-year-old recently learned how to cycle without training wheels, so we’ve been cycling as a family of four pretty often. It usually turns into a mini adventure — we ride, stop when the girls spot a playground, and only continue when they’re done playing (which is usually never).
So far, we’ve cycled around Punggol, our neighbourhood in Serangoon, and even Changi Airport’s Jurassic Mile. We’re always on the lookout for off-the-beaten-track spots — especially those with unique playgrounds along the way.
Our Take on Ottie’s Fishy Business
As someone who creates content, I liked how Ottie’s Fishy Business simplifies what marketing is about and teaches simple concepts through a card game. It is easy to learn and also educates young ones on how to market a business.
It also starts conversations on what influencers do to draw customers to a business, ways to publicise a business and of course how to beat competitors. Teaching little ones how to be business-minded is perhaps the first step towards nurturing a little entrepreneur. Even if the goal isn’t to start a business, it teaches children perspectives on what it takes to sell a product or service.
Besides the opportunity to educate, the easy-to-learn card game is a fun way of bonding as a family away from the screen.
Get your own copy of Ottie’s Fishy Business here.
