Childlike Marketing (No Kidding!)

Childlike Marketing (No Kidding!)

May 5, 2008 • Blog • 3 comments

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Child’s Play or a Lesson in Marketing?

As I was going for a run this evening at the neighbourhood park, I noticed how kids have this boundless energy aimed at the sole purpose of having non-stop fun. Jumping and skipping from one activity to another, they appear not to have a care in the world, and are focused on their agenda of having pure, unadulterated fun. While watching them play in glee, it hit me that perhaps there are lessons there that we can learn from in the realm of marketing.

Indeed, some of the traits of childhood – especially at play – are invaluable to us jaded marketers. They include the following:

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Social Media in Singapore – Sizzle or Fizzle?

May 2, 2008 • Blog • 4 comments

Kudos to Daryl Tay of Unique Frequency for addressing an issue which many know but few seem to want to bring to the forefront. And that is how the social media scene is performing in Singapore. He also highlighted an inspiring example on how Sea World uses social media marketing to its advantage. As one of the early purveyors of a corporate/ special interest blogs (namely Yesterday.sg), I tend to mirror some of his thoughts on the limitations of pure social media marketing (or PR) as a viable strategy in Singapore.

Here are my thoughts on why social media doesn’t quite go the full distance in Singapore. Well at least for now…..

1) Entertainment as opposed to edification. The huge majority of bloggers in Singapore tend to use them for fun and leisure, as opposed to education. Most of the popular blogs here are light-hearted and mirth-filled affairs which tend to dwell more on the adventures (or misadventures) of their creator rather than a step-by-step guide on a specific topic. Which brings me to my second point.

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What the Fish!!

May 1, 2008 • Blog • 1 comment

On my way to lunch today at the Jalan Besar area, I spotted this eye-catching sign which loudly declared that no aquatic and finned organism being served smelled fishy. Or that you wont’ find them deplorable anyway.

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Upon closer inspection, I realised that the shop actually serves Nasi Lemak. This put to rest my initial thoughts that an ultra-enthusiastic and confident fish monger has set up shop at Jalan Besar.

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Well, I didn’t quite feel like Nasi Lemak that day but if I do, I will certainly share with you if their claims to fame are as “fresh” and robust as what they make it out to be. Anybody with a positive piscean experience to share?

Maiden Flight on the Singapore Flyer

April 29, 2008 • Blog • 6 comments

After blogging about what the Singapore Flyer could do to shore up its marketing efforts about 15 months ago, I finally had the chance to embark on a maiden voyage on the world’s largest ferris wheel. This was possible thanks to the good folks at the Civil Service College who organised this special thank you function for contributors and supporters of their various programmes. Joining me were Rambling Librarian Ivan Chew as well as David Lee of PRSpeak.

Here’s a pictorial account of my voyage tonight, fresh from the lenses of my digital camera.

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A view of the complex with the Singapore Flyer which had various F&B outlets, a teddy bear workshop, and various other specialty retailers.

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The Sky Has Fallen!!

April 28, 2008 • Blog • no comments

Took this photo sometime in December last year from my regular bus stop. Very atypical of a hot tropical island like Singapore and I remembered how chilly the weather was then. Effects of climate change perhaps?

Of course those days are long gone, and the weather has turned blazingly hot nowadays and suffocating even. Time to give up my car?

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Service Recovery at an Aunty Restaurant

April 27, 2008 • Blog • 6 comments

To celebrate my dad’s 68th and my niece’s 10th birthday, my mum decided to book a restaurant for dinner last night at Tiong Bahru’s Seng Poh Lane. Going by the unassuming name of Por Kee Eating House (porky?), the outlet was your typical old-fashioned Chinese restaurant with red plastic chairs and an outdoor al fresco eating area. It was as unpretentious as you can get, with a clear focus on its food rather than ambience.

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When we arrived, we were ushered to a space next to the public carpark outside, under the starry moonlit sky. As the evening was cool, most of us didn’t quite mind sitting outside. Especially with a beer or two!

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Stunning Sukhothai – Thailand’s Ancient Kingdom

April 25, 2008 • Blog • 4 comments

As part of an official trip for the Networking of ASEAN Cultural Heritage (NACH), I had the pleasure of visiting Sukhothai, the old historic kingdom of Thailand, sometime in end January this year. Existing from 1238 to 1438, Sukhothai is the first kingdom of Siam, and its old capital is now a historic park which has been gazetted by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It has a number of fine monuments which showcase the beginnings of Thai architecture and can be considered one of the cradles of Thai civilisation.

Ruled by King Ramkhamhaeng the Great, who created the Thai alphabet, Sukhothai once stretched all the way from Martaban in Myanmar to Luang Prabang (Laos) and down south to the Malay Peninsula. Its influence was larger than that of modern Thailand, and the kingdom appeared to have absorbed the styles of Khmer, Thai and Sri Lankan cultures as seen in its temples and pagodas.

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A blissful retreat nestled amidst charming organic farms, the Sukothai Heritage Resort is a great respite from the urban jungle.

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The Dodgiest Ad I Ever Saw

April 24, 2008 • Blog • 9 comments

As I was going home last night, I spotted this slip of paper under my door. I think it can easily qualify as the most dodgy looking piece of marketing material ever conceived by mankind.

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PS – The wet spot on the right isn’t purposefully created to add to the filth. Rather it was created by me resting my wine glass on this direct mailer.

5Cs of Social Media Success

April 23, 2008 • Blog • 1 comment

In the world of social media, I believe that there are five Cs which can help to mandate success beyond the initial buzz of just being a part of the blogosphere. They are:
1) Contacts
2) Content
3) Continuity
4) Controversy (this is more debatable)
5) Currency

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Neighbourhood Branding

April 20, 2008 • Blog • 12 comments

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Can we give our HDB estates more heart and soul?

Read this excellent post on Branding Insider about Place Branding and how it is moving into smaller municipalities and towns in the United States. It triggered off this idea about the branding of residential communities in Singapore.

What if we brand each and every one of our estates in Singapore? In other words, give them a greater individual identity, uniqueness, colour and point of differentiation. After all, Singapore, though tiny, isn’t just a homogeneous and uniform mass. It would be awesome, wouldn’t it?

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