Have you wondered how you can work with a social media marketing agency? Well, help is here—from somebody who has been on both the client and the agency side of digital marketing.
By now, we’ve all heard by now about the importance of having a social media marketing strategy to complement one’s marketing communications plan.
Let your customers “own” your brand (courtesy of Thaeger)
In a world overflowing with “me-too” goods and services, consumers are seeking ways to assert their individuality. In an overcrowded marketplace teaming with repetition and homogeneity, they crave personalised products and experiences that reflect their individual identities.
This phenomenon of personal expression is catalysed by the rise of social technologies and networks such as blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other community channels.
Written by writer and brand consultant John Simmons, Innocent narrates the brand story of how Cambridge graduates Jon Wright, Adam Balon and Richard Reed built a “tasty little juice company” with a unique culture founded on strong values. Embodying the informal, casual wit of the company, the founding of Innocent is summarised on their website in the form of a charming story as follows:
“We started innocent in 1999 after selling our smoothies at a music festival. We put up a big sign asking people if they thought we should give up our jobs to make smoothies, and put a bin saying ‘Yes’ and a bin saying ‘No” in front of the stall. Then we got people to vote with their empties. At the end of the weekend, the ‘Yes’ bin was full, so we resigned from our jobs the next day and got cracking.”
Scene from Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” (image source)
There are two schools of thought in life, business and work.
The first is the school of deference. Adherents to this approach believe that obedience, allegiance, faith and subservience are virtues to be embraced. The entire Confucian philosophy commands one to put nation before organisation, organisation before family and family before self. Communal interests precede individual ones.
With a population of 1.3 billion sprawled over a gargantuan 9.6 million sq km, the People’s Republic of China is widely known as the factory of the world. The middle kingdom’s dominance of global economic and socio-political affairs is impressive, with many regarding them as the “factory of the world”. Its ability to mobilise epic resources to achieve ambitious goals are also much-lauded.
However, what is the average Chinese person really like? What elements constitute the building blocks of China’s society – the very essence of being Chinese?
Have you wondered what ingredients go into that perfect brew? Or how cold your Tiger beer should be served?
Well, you can join the Tiger Brewery Tour for an intoxicating insight! Thanks to Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), my colleagues and I from the Association of Singapore Attractions had a chance to learn how the world famous Tiger beer is being made on a daily basis. Stimulating the five senses – sight, sound, scent, taste and touch – the tour allowed one to experience the Tiger brand in a holistic fashion.
Lately, I’ve been perplexed by a paradox in the world of social networks and online influence:
Why are so few Singaporean brands gaining traction on social media platforms despite the huge number of Singaporeans online?
Join in the heritage party this July!
Celebrating its 9th year at 9 heartland malls, 2 satellite hubs and lots of other places, Singapore HeritageFest 2012 serves you a yummy spread of heritage goodies across the island. With the theme Recollect, Reflect and Reconnect, the National Heritage Board’s annual extravaganza promises lots of activities that tug at the heartstrings while bringing back fond memories of yesteryear.
Indulge your lust for a blast from the past! From batik to dance to cinemas to traditional toys to food (we’re Singaporeans after all), feast on the good old days at our heartlands. Embark on a heritage walk at Tiong Bahru, enjoy traditional Indian dance performances at Hougang Mall, learn the intricacies of Peranakan beadwork at 112 Katong, or go moist-eyed with nostalgia as legendary storyteller Lee Dai Soh shares his timeless craft.
Winners of the Singapore Blog Awards posing with GOH Minister Heng Swee Keat and VIPs from SPH
Donning “superhero” outfits and “larger than life” persona, bloggers of all stripes, shapes and styles congregated at the Singapore Flyer’s Food Trail yesterday afternoon for some hot, sweaty fun at the 5th Singapore Blog Awards. Organised every year by the tireless team from Omy.sg, the ceremony has grown from year to year, attracting social media mavens and sponsors across an ever growing list of categories.
Like in previous years, I was privileged to be a judge helping to seive out the best from amongst the good. It ain’t easy, I assure you! Competition is stiff and I am very heartened by the sheer effort and energy put in by the various contesting bloggers. In any case, congrats to all participants of the awards – you guys are all winners in your own ways!
Serial entrepreneur and billionaire Lynda Resnick’s book “Rubies in the Orchard” provides a fascinating glimpse into the marketing strategies behind brands like POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, Teleflora and the Franklin Mint. Part autobiography and part business book, the highly readable tome chronicled how Lynda rose from rags to riches and deployed her marketing smarts to seed and grow four highly successful businesses.
Written in a witty and conversational fashion, Rubies in the Orchard presents an in-depth glimpse into four very different industries. In the section on Teleflora, Lynda described how marketing is “all about listening. You want to be the equivalent of a good friend”. She then described how an attribute can be a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) based on the following:
