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Positioning And Branding For Singapore by
Sant Qiu
Finally! Singapore is consolidating its efforts to position and brand
itself! Her previous efforts were mainly skewed towards being a hub for
any and every industry. That only fragmented the branding of Singapore.
When you are everything, you are nothing. However, the final branding
that Singapore came up with was ‘Uniquely Singapore’.
As a brand for a country, ‘Uniquely Singapore’ is particularly weak.
While the Singapore Tourism Board may have achieved great success in
increasing tourist flow to the country, it is because of a combination of
great promotional activities, tie-ups, and other such factors.
But just ask one of those tourists who visited Singapore about what
made them choose this country as a destination and the answer: "Because it
is unique" will probably never arise. This is because the word ‘Unique’
does not conjure up any strong images or emotions.
‘Unique’ only means different. But why or how is Singapore different?
‘Uniquely Singapore’ does not say nor does it answer the questions it
propagates.
A Mercedes is associated with ‘Prestige’ because decade after decade it
continues to brand itself as an expensive vehicle bought by those who
have made it. Coca Cola is known as the ‘Real Thing’ because that is
what it stands for decade after decade. For years, SIA is ‘A Great Way to
Fly’.
It is worthy to note that strong brands are usually associated with a
single characteristic. Growing the perception of that characteristic
should be the goal of a branding strategy.
Just take a look at the IMF-World Bank Meeting that was held in
Singapore in 2006. Delegates are asked about their impression about the
country and comments like ‘very clean’, ‘hi-tech’, ‘advanced’, ‘shopping’,
‘efficient and highly competent’, ‘strict’, ‘authoritarian’ and ‘green
city’ were the common replies.
Even when a survey was conducted among residents of Beijing, Tokyo,
Jakarta, New Delhi, London and Washington to ask about their perception of
Singapore, it was more of the same comments—with Singapore Airlines
(SIA) and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew being the most recognisable
Singapore brands.
Isn’t it interesting that “Singapore is unique” never came up in any of
the answers? I would suggest that it is very hard to associate
Singapore = unique. Why? Simply because ‘unique’ does not mean anything. It is
vague.
‘Unique’ can mean a lot of things. It can mean bad, good, enriching,
peculiar, strange, not up to par, and many other interpretations. How and
why it is unique is what matters. And so far the question has not been
answered! When you don’t define clearly who you are—in simple terms
that people can relate to—then people tend to fill in their own blanks and
come up with their own perception. This leads to weak branding.
In contrast, Malaysia’s ‘Truly Asia’ branding hits the bull’s eye as
it shows why they are different. It says: To get a true taste of Asia,
come to Malaysia. Inherently it is saying: If you don’t have time to
visit all of Asia, Malaysia is enough as it encompasses Asia’s spirit. How
long has Malaysia been using ‘Truly Asia’ now? Years.
Let’s think about it:
Who is David? The guy who defeated Goliath. He was also a shepherd boy
who defeated a lion with bare hands, a warrior and a King, the father
of King Solomon among many other things. Is David unique? Yes! But in
general we know him as the giant slayer.
SIA is unique. Why? Because it is associated with top-notch service. A
Rolex is unique. Why? Because it is associated with prestige in
watches. Singapore is unique. Why?…
The Singapore government has to be willing to sacrifice some
characteristics that Singapore has and focus instead on just one distinct
characteristic to make the brand stronger. We can always educate prospective
tourists or talents about Singapore’s other characteristics when they
visit our country.
One suggestion for the Singapore brand: Asia’s CosmoCity (as in
Cosmopolitan). Some inherent characteristic to this branding includes:
- Singapore is Asia’s, if not the world’s, most multinational and
multi-ethnic city. No other place that has so many different races staying
and interacting with each other in harmony.
- The name represents sophistication, modern, hi-tech and a progressive
culture, great shopping, of which Singapore is all that.
- It alludes to the image of Singapore being a place of opportunities.
- It also says strict rules (as in Michael Fay and the chewing gum
ban).
- It even encompasses the characteristic of ‘clean’ which is what
Singapore is known for too. Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com Sant Qiu —The Profit Strategist—is a marketing, branding and copywriting expert who has helped many companies boost their profits by 30% and more in as little as 90 days. He delivers practical step-by-step “What to do” and “How to do” techniques to boost profits immediately. Visit his site for free powerful marketing tips. www.santqiu.com
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